Free Microsoft Money / Quicken?

This is the first "free" offer I will review related to the electronics and computers category. I am interested in getting out of debt, saving, and investing. I want to choose the best tools available in the market. So far I have managed my personal finances poorly and I want to get better at it. Instead of using spreadsheets, I want to use software to take a better look at how I spend my money.

I have read some articles regarding the most popular packages: Intuit Quicken and Microsoft Money. These software packages cost around $80. My attempts at downloading any of these programs for free were unsuccessful. Since I am making an effort to spend less, I really don't feel like purchasing the programs. What to do? I found this amazing website that offers these software for free! I will share my experience:

How did I find this website? I did a search on Google using the keywords "microsoft money deluxe". I saw an sponsored ad with the title Free Microsoft Money 2007. This is the site http://www.alpha-omega-electronics.com/rd_p?p=150282&t=6730&gift=23360&a=23360-blog. I though it was a freeware site but ended up being something better (no risk for viruses).

What company offers this software? After doing some research I found out that the company is called World Avenue. Apparently, they offer other products for free. At this point, I became a little skeptical. But I wanted to find out what this was about.

What is required to receive this software? I had to fill out a personal information form (email, address, etc.). I used a secure internet connection and the process took me about an hour and 20 minutes.

What is my overall experience with this offer? I had to answer a series of questions (yes/no) and then was asked to sign up for free trials. I was happy to sign up for a free trial of Netflix. This will probably help me because I am cancelling my cable service in order to pay some debt! I was also excited to try coffee samples (I gotta kick my morning latte habit, too). I did avoid signing up for credit cards because I couldn't handle the temptation. Using the refer a friend feature helped me avoid purchasing any other products.

Anyways, overall the process was a little time consuming but completely worth it. I am waiting to receive my free Microsoft Money 2007 software and start to track my money habits in a more effective way! I will make a follow up posting as soon as I receive it.

PD. In case you want to get the Quicken software, here is the website: http://www.alpha-omega-electronics.com/rd_p?p=150282&t=6730&gift=26999&a=26999-blog