Word processing software?

Hi, newbie here. I am seriously considering getting OUT of Windows and into a Mac. I shopped around yesterday and found a desktop system that looked good. The salesperson told me that it does not come with a word processor that is any more than a basic text editor.

I am not interested in investing in the full, current version of Word, but I do need something that will format with bulleted lists and other simple formatting tools (the ability to open a Word document would be convenient, though). I checked Ebay for older versions of Word that might be inexpensive, but no luck. Can anyone suggest an alternative to Word? I found Mariner Write for $60, which is not too highly priced--is that a good program? Anything better, or as good for less?

ANY advice would be appreciated!

Yikes! Not only was that a FAST response, but PERFECT!😀

Openoffice looks ideal. I'm really getting excited about this switch in systems, but also a bit daunted. I've been with Windows since DOS, but Vista really is that bad, and enough is enough.

Thank you so much!