Quick Ways to Save Money on Textbooks

Textbook prices got you down? Don’t worry, you are in good company. Plenty of students across the country are complaining about the high cost of textbooks. It would take a much longer article than this to explain everything that’s going wrong with the textbook industry. But there are a few ways for students to fight back and get the money that they need for everything else. There is more than one way to approach the problem. Below are a few tips that can help you save big.

1. Go Online

Going online to buy your textbooks can save you a ton of cash over getting them from the student bookstore. The bookstore is honestly there to make as much money as possible. They have high fees to pay, so they of course pass that on to you as well.

2. Rent Instead of Buy

Buying a book means that it becomes your property. If you have to use the book for multiple classes, this is a long term investment that should pay off. But what if you need to just use it for a semester? That’s where renting comes in. There are plenty of textbook rental sites popping up. Chegg.com will help you with some of the rentals. There are also private people that are letting their textbooks be rented. This can save you quite a bit of money. Make sure that you keep the book in the same condition that you rented it in. So if you want to highlight in a book, this isn’t for you. But if you can just jot down your notes and keep them to yourself, then you’re in a good position.

3. Check If You Can Use an Older Edition

Sometimes you don’t have to have the newest edition in order to take a class. Instead of guessing whether or not this is acceptable, just email the instructor. Explain the satiation to them and see if a previous edition would be fine for the class. If it’s a class that isn’t going to hit the textbook very often, then the previous edition can be fine. Unless they’re telling you to do specific assignments that have been updated in the new edition, then the old one is usually fine.

Remember that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. While a shiny new book is appealing, you have to go on value and not just looks. The “beat up” books are always going to be cheaper. Sometimes you can find them on eBay if you get lucky. Sometimes local classifieds will have offers. It’s just a matter of expanding your thinking and looking around.