Get the Microsoft Work & Play bundle for $149

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CNET’s Cheapskate scours the Web for great deals on PCs, phones, gadgets and much more. Questions about the Cheapskate blog? Find the answers on our FAQ page.

Regular readers know that I’m not a fan of subscription anything, especially certain subscriptions from certain large companies. But this is almost too good to pass up.

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For a limited time, you can get the Microsoft Work & Play bundle for $149. That includes:

• Office 365 Home (1 year) — $99 value
• Xbox Live Gold (1 year) — $59 value
• Assure Software Support (1 year) — $149 value
• Skype Wi-Fi and Unlimited World Calling (1 year)
• $60 gift card good at the Windows Store and “select” Xbox stores

According to Microsoft, all this would cost you a little over $500 if purchased separately. It’s hard to know the exact value of the Skype stuff, but everything else tallies up to $367.

So, even if you’re interested in only, say, Office and Assure, it’s still a very good deal. That said, this is kind of an odd bundle, because I suspect few people will need or want everything included here. (Skype? Meh. And Xbox Live Gold? Not much good if you don’t own an Xbox.)

I’m also not sure what’s meant by “select Xbox stores,” but according to the FAQ page, the gift card can be redeemed at the Xbox Store — so you should be able to use it for a game like, say, Star Wars Battlefront. (Which, I must say, is awesome.)

I’m surprised Microsoft is rolling this out now, and not closer to (or during) Black Friday. But you don’t hear me complaining (much). This is definitely worth considering.

Bonus deal: “Free” and “Mac software” rarely find their way into the same sentence, but StackSocial has the Mighty Mac App & Utility Bundle for free. The only “cost” is sharing the deal with friends via Facebook, Twitter or Google. The collection, valued at $131, includes WinX DVD Ripper, iTunes Converter and Synergy App.

Bonus deal No. 2: Yesterday’s tech superstars are today’s awesome deals. For a limited time, and while supplies last, Mobilepros (via eBay) has the factory-unlocked LG Nexus 5 smartphone for $174.99 shipped. Originally $350, this feature-packed 5-inch phone works with any GSM carrier. CNET’s review can tell you more, but the only real downside I see is the lack of an expansion slot: the Nexus 5 has just 16GB of storage.