I like the idea behind linux and open source. I like the cost in general which is usually free. Also I don't mind paying for good closed source applications which at least play nicely with the open source community, ie. runs on linux
In general I use the Ubuntu Operating System www.ubuntu.com for my day to day activities. It was amazingly easy to install and use. It runs much faster than windows ever has and I don't worry as much about viruses and spyware. I've given it to some people who love it and some people who didn't like it. If you are open to trying something new AND FREE, I recommend you give it a fair try. In the long run the benefits will outweigh any shortcoming.
If you need any help, there are local groups all over the world who would be happy to help you get going. You can find them here: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LoCoTeams
If you aren't ready to take the plunge, I recommend trying some of this free software on windows:
Open Office - www.openoffice.org
A great stand in for Microsoft Office. It can open and save in Microsoft formats saving you tons of money. It also can save as PDF making life much easier.
Firefox - www.getfirefox.com
Excellent web browser recommended by geeks. While Microsoft Internet Explorer is free, in my experience it is too risky to use. Just by using Firefox as my browser I have saved myself from many viruses and spyware infections.
Picasa - www.picasa.google.com
Photo manager/editor. Not open source, but free. The reason I recommend it is because it is very user friendly and if you ever do move to Ubuntu it is also available there.
GnuCash - www.gnucash.org
Money Manager. I have used others and this application works very well. It allows import from many formats and has served all my needs well for the past year.
I believe that if you get used to using free software, you will want more free software. Also when you finally move to Ubuntu you will already be familiar with the majority of your daily software.
Ubuntu is free, but if you want to get some disks and a book here is a link for amazon:
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