OK, proposal.
I buy the Mac mini 1.66Ghz, complete with superdrive. I do not buy the optional iWork package or the memory upgrade.
I buy the Crucial 2Gb upgrade which, at about £140, is the same as the Apple 1Gb upgrade (and I get to sell the original 2 x 256Mb SDIMMS as well)
I buy the ilIfe package, which looks a reasonable bundle at £55.
I download the NeoOffice package to give me a WP, Spreadsheet etc till I see if I need Office.
I hold off on Toast, or any other equivalent DVD burning package, till I see if I need it. I hold off buying an expansion external HDD box (though I like the LaCie 250Gb - £139), till I see it I want to take the system away from home, where I already have a 1Tb NAS.
Total cost:
1.66Gb Core Duo - £529
ILife: - £55
Crucial 2Gb upgrade: £170
Total: £754
Anything else I need, or what should I add?
Would I be better leaving out the Crucial memory upgrade till later? (May sound silly, but if everyone has ended up buying it, I might as well do it now rather than later).