Guide to Saving Money on Textbooks

 As a college student that takes an average of 5 courses a semester, I’m proud to say I’ve never spent more than a total of $100 a semester on books. Here are a few tips I personally use to spend the least money possible on books.

Don’t buy the book till you need it!

   I don’t buy my book until there’s an assignment or homework where the presence of a book is essential. There are some classes where the lecture is literally the book, and if you take good notes you’ll never need it.

Check the library

   Let’s say you followed the previous tip. Before purchasing the book, see if the library has a copy you can use or even check out if you need it in class. It's also a good idea to check early in the semester if the library has your textbook, so you know if you’ll be needing to buy books for certain classes ahead of time. Or if you can’t check out the book scan the few pages you’ll need for class. However, due to copyright laws, you can’t scan the entire book.

Online PDF’s

  The next freest option to getting a book is online PDF’s. Someone somewhere has already taken the course, so there’s a chance part or even the whole book is somewhere floating around online.

Renting/Buying

  Renting a book is typically cheaper than buying. You can pay as little as half or even a quarter of the price. Just remember to return it.

   Buying a used book is the next cheapest option. Some used books look practically new, some may have highlights in it or a page with a bent corner. There’s usually a description of the condition of the book when shopping online. You could also buy books off of your friends or sell yours.

   Sharing books will do you and your friend a huge favor. Whether you’re taking the class together or separate, it will definitely lessen the amount of money you both are paying for books. You could even plan classes you and your friend could take at different semesters and switch books with each other.

Price Checking

  My favorite places to buy books (In order) is Chegg, Amazon, My campus bookstore, and Half.com. To make sure you are spending the least amount of money possible, it is important to check all the offers available. It's also okay to consider what you’re paying for the condition. Some people care, some don’t. I personally am okay with the book as long as I can see the words, I’ll only need it temporarily so. Chegg and Amazon I am the most familiar with and usually find the cheapest offers there. Half is like eBay for books. The campus bookstore is usually where I settle. Some college bookstores will match the lowest price you can find for the textbook and you don’t have to wait for it to be mailed.

Older Editions

   Older editions of a book are usually significantly cheaper than the current edition. Before Buying an older edition I would first ask the professor to make sure you won’t be missing out on an important chapter. Sometimes the professor might even suggest not buying the book if the test is based off class notes.

Hope these tips were helpful and may you not have to spend a cent on shipping! I’ve currently replaced the “tune of the month” with a forever changing Study Playlist due to school starting up. It is comprised of songs I don’t know all the words to (so I don’t get distracted), songs with little to no lyrics, and background music. You could check it out if you’ve been craving some background noise while working or wanted to pretend to be college student extra in an indie movie.