I'd say go for a Mac...but you may want to wait a bit for holiday bargains. MS Ofc is not as expensive as it used to be, but if you have a friend who can "hook you up" then you are ahead of the game.
Check out the Lenovo line of products -- they are sleek, easy to use, and not expensive. I won't encourage you one way or the other but I get an employee discount. If you are truly interested after you investigate, send me a PM and I'll give you the info needed for the discount.
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Romeo  and Sujata 
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