I remember when I bought my last copy of Office in 2007. It was an upgrade, naturally, because it's always been an upgrade. I remember I first bought Office sometime before Bill Clinton was president. After that, every three to five years, when Microsoft revved the product, I'd pull out my wallet and pay Redmond for the new shiny bits.

At least until about eight years ago. That was when Microsoft turned Office into a subscription service. I've been making regular payments on Office 365 ever since. Apparently, I'm not the only one. In July 2017, Microsoft announced that revenues for Office 365 beat out that of traditional Office licenses. Then, in October, the company predicted it will have two thirds of all Office users in the cloud by this coming summer.

Also: What is Microsoft 365? Microsoft's most important subscription bundle, explained

But what if you don't want to be part of the cha-ching flow that keeps Clippy in caffeine? Sure, you could look to one of the excellent Office alternative distributions, like LibreOffice. But what if you want to use real Office, but for free?

As it turns out, there are a few legitimate ways to use Office 365 without paying for it. Not all solutions apply to everyone, but for some of you, the following words may get you to the point where you can excel.

1. Free, online Office apps

If you're willing to use slightly feature-limited online versions of the venerable Office applications, you can. Just open your browser and point it to this link.

As you might imagine, this free offering is Microsoft's direct response to the various free Google Docs offerings. If you're okay with the reduced feature set in Office Online (which is still impressively complete compared to Google's versions), you can be sure your files are absolutely Office-compatible using just your browser.

2. Free Office mobile apps

If you use a phone or a tablet, you can get the mobile version of Office for free. We've looked at these versions before, and they're excellent implementations of the full Office applications -- again with some minor feature limitations. 3ds code generator without surveys.

One note: size does matter when it comes to Office mobile apps. If your screen is larger than 10.1 inches, you will have to pay for Office 365. That means that if you're running one of the cheaper iPads, all's good. But if you're using the new 10.5-inch or 12.9-inch iPad Pro, you'll need to pay your tithe to the House That Bill Built.

3. Educational versions

If you have one of the right .edu email addresses, whether you are a student, a teacher, or possibly even an alum, you can get the full Office 365 product for free. That includes the full, download-and-install applications, an Exchange account, Teams, and more.

The gotcha is that your school has to have bought an educational license to Office. If you want to see if your educational email address will help you win the free Office lottery, go to this page and enter your .edu address. Good luck!

4. Trial version

If you don't need to make Office into a career, and all you need to do is crank out one PowerPoint or Excel spreadsheet this month, a trial version of Office might do you.

There are some downsides to this approach. You'll have to give M$ your credit card -- and remember to cancel the trial before the month runs out. Otherwise, your free trial will turn into a year's payment for Office 365 Home edition.

5. Try again

People have reported, undoubtedly in violation of the terms of service, using a different email address and credit card to get another month trial of Office 365. That's a lot of work to avoid paying for a pretty exceptional software suite. I wouldn't advise it, but apparently it's been done.

6. Try, try again: the ProPlus trial

Because the idea of doing something only one way is a cultural anathema to the Redmond folk, there is actually a second legitimate way to get a trial version of Office. In this case, we're pointing you to the Microsoft Office ProPlus trial. This is another 30-day trial, aimed at potential enterprise customers.

Since this is an enterprise trial, if you qualify for the evaluation download, you can share it with up to 25 of your friends. I know. Way to be the life of the party, right?

I guess the curve was just too sharp I walked away without a scratch They brought the helicopter in And Billy couldn't feel his legs Said he'd never walk again But Billy said he would and his Mom and Daddy prayed And the day we graduated He stood up to say. Impossible the song y james. Then there was my Junior year Billy had a brand new car It was late the road was wet. Chorus: Unsinkable ships - sink Unbreakable walls - break Sometimes the things you think will never happen Happen just like that Unbendable steel - bends If the fury of the wind is unstoppable I've learned to never underestimate The impossible. Chorus: Unsinkable ships - sink Unbreakable walls - break Sometimes the things you think will never happen Happen just like that Unbendable steel - bends If the fury of the wind is unstoppable I've learned to never underestimate The impossible.

7. Free with PC purchase

Okay, I know getting Office free with a PC purchase doesn't seem like the best way to save money, but hear me out. A lot of PCs come bundled with a year of Office 365, which is worth, generally, about $99.

The thing is, some of the PCs that come with a free year of Office 365 are ridiculously cheap. Go to Amazon's laptop section and then type in 'with free office' into the search bar. You'll see some inexpensive laptops (like the little $199 Asus gem shown above).

Yes, you're spending money, but if you think about it, you're getting both a laptop and a year of Office for less than two hundred bucks. You could keep the cheap laptop or even possibly resell it and get most of your money back.

Also: Microsoft Office 365: The smart person's guide TechRepublic

Look, I know it's far from ideal, and I pay my Microsoft tax every year, but if you want to save money and get a deal, spending an extra hundred bucks on top of the price of Office -- and getting a full laptop out of the deal -- is a pretty good compromise.

What else?

Have you found any other ways to save money on your computer or software purchases? What good (legitimate) deals have you seen? Go ahead and share with your fellow readers in the TalkBacks below. If I find any new deals for Office, I'll update this article, so bookmark it and check back regularly.

You can follow my day-to-day project updates on social media. Be sure to follow me on Twitter at @DavidGewirtz, on Facebook at Facebook.com/DavidGewirtz, on Instagram at YouTube.com/DavidGewirtzTV.

Previous and related coverage

You've got a new PC running Windows 10 Home. You want to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro. Here's how to get that upgrade for free. All you need is a Pro/Ultimate product key from an older version of Windows.

Microsoft's much-hyped free upgrade offer for Windows 10 ended in 2016, right? Not exactly. The GWX tool may be gone, but all the other upgrade tools still work. The end result is an apparently valid digital license, and there's no evidence that the free upgrades will end any time soon.

8 simple Microsoft Office 365 best practices for making your documents more accessible TechRepublic

Microsoft has updated its Accessibility Checker for Office 365. The tool now suggests accessibility communication best practices for your documents automatically.