So the issue comes when using tables.
Make a table cell end at the bottom of the page, and you'll likely have a new blank page appear at the end.
The reason is because word needs a 'new paragraph' marker (the backwards p symbol) after the table. This delineates where the table ends - it's part of the formatting. You can't delete it.
Ways to get around it:
Don't make you're table go to the end of the page.
Reduce the font size of the new paragraph marker to 1 (you need to enable show formatting marks). You can probably fit this at the bottom of the page without losing much space.
It does, but that's invaluable too, and you get used to it pretty quickly. It let's you see if there's a space (dot), tab (arrow), line wrap (bent arrow), or whatever. Very useful if you deal with documents a lot.
Once you start showing formatting you will also be able to see and delete "Section Breaks" more easily, which brings in another bit of Word deep magic:
Settings for sections are at the end of the section. If you delete a section break, the previous section will start using the settings of the next section.
This is especially fun for the last section of the document. If you want it to use the settings from the previous section, you have to manually "copy" the settings by editing the good section and then Redo in the bad section.