Have you ever tried locating an open source software alternative for a common commercial package? Two quick and easy references, http://osalt.com and http://alternativeto.net, have listings of commercial products and viable freeware or open source alternatives for those products.
For instance, if you’re looking for an alternative to Photoshop, you can see a list of open source alternatives or a list of freeware alternatives that are available which may fit what you’re looking for. Or, how about Dreamweaver, or possibly Camtasia? It might save you a bundle to take a look at some of these alternatives first, rather than mortgaging the house for some of these commercial packages.