There are so many added expenses when it comes to going to college. It is not just the tuition that you have to pay but also the books which are always around $200. Sometimes, students end up paying close to $600 per semester on books.
When I started going to college, the first semester, I paid close to $300, and I remember wondering how I was going to continue to afford books since I was paying out of pocket for the tuition as well. I didn’t know much about saving money when buying books, but over time I learned from experience. I have been saving hundreds of dollars every semester, and I wanted to share it in this post.
Here are some of the things I did to save money when it came to buying college textbooks:
1. Before the classes start, go through the required list of textbooks and google the ISBN number. This will give you a good overview of how much new and used book costs.
2. I would suggest emailing the professor before the start of the class to check if the book is really required. The majority of the time, the professors use their own PowerPoint and barely ever touch the textbook. (I learned it the hard way when I spent $110 on my anatomy and physiology book and never touched it in class because the professor preferred using his powerpoints.)
3. If the textbook is required, I would recommend looking into P.D.F versions on eBay or E-books from any website. (I bought some pdf versions on eBay for less than $6, whereas the hardcover cost more than $100.)
4. If you are not comfortable reading on the screen, then I would suggest renting books from amazon or any other website. Google shopping tab will offer a variety of prices from different sites.
5. Some people don’t like the idea of renting, so there’s always an option to buy cheaper used books. Some people sell their used books on the Facebook marketplace for a fair price, and there’s still an option to negotiate.
6. Sometimes getting a book one edition older also costs a lot less. There’s not a lot of difference if the publication is just one year older than the one on-campus booklist.
I now prefer using e-books or P.D.F files because not only is it cheaper but it saves me a lot of space (some books are really bulky) and is eco-friendly.
The Studious Mom 