Textbooks... to those of you who haven’t dropped an entire paycheck on textbooks, you will soon discover the reality of how expensive hundreds of pages of 12 point font can be. Although it’s pretty darn depressing to see the fruits of your labor go towards a math textbook, it’s just one of those sacrifices that everyone has to make in college. Regardless of what people tell you, buying textbooks is a necessary part of college life so finding the cheapest option is a must. My first semester of college, I bombed hundreds of dollars on textbooks and it wasn’t until second semester that I realized I could save a ton of money by hacking the world of college textbook buying. So before you break the bank on textbooks, consider these tips on how to get the biggest bang for your buck because once you're in college, every cent matters.
*Pro tip: Before you buy or rent textbooks always make sure to locate the exact IBSN number to make sure you’re purchasing the correct book.
1. Talk to students.
There is absolutely nothing worse than spending money on a textbook you never used during the semester, so before you buy your textbooks check with a few reliable students who have taken the course in a previous semester and ask them if they actually used the textbook during the course of the year. This can help you decide which textbooks are worth buying before you throw your money away.
2. Check social media.
Once I started getting plugged into the community during student orientation, a girl added me to the coveted “Textbook Exchange” Facebook page and instantly my life was changed forever. The premise of the page is that students can buy, sell, or trade textbooks with one another and most offer them for a fraction of the retail price. So before you head out to your university, snoop around on social media and see if a page like this exists at your school.
3. Check your local thrift store.
This one is definitely a long shot, but thrift stores can be treasure troves of old, used textbooks that students have simply discarded over the years. This probably isn’t your best bet if you need the books on short notice, but keep your eye out over the summer and you never know what you’ll find.
4. Borrow from a friend.
The minute you get to college you already have a connection with 100% of the student body because you all will complain about how expensive tuition is and how much textbooks cost. So, once you settle into classes and start to make friends, consider trading books that you used first semester for ones you need during the spring.
5. Share a textbook.
Sharing a textbook is probably one of the oldest methods, but it can be incredibly useful... unless you’re both trying to cram the night before the final. Sharing is certainly an option, but it is important to make sure that it’s for a class where you won’t need the textbook at the same time. However, technology has changed the face of education and one of the newest advancements is online textbooks. Although online textbooks don’t work for everyone, splitting the access code cost with a friend can be a great way to cut down on costs if you're taking a class that doesn’t involve much reading.
6. Borrow from the library.
During my freshman year, I encountered a senior who told me had hadn’t bought a textbook since his freshman year, and I knew I needed to figure out his secret. He then proceeded to tell me that he borrows his textbooks from the school library system, saving him hundreds of dollars and allowing him to spend that money elsewhere.
7. Buy an earlier edition.
New textbooks are constantly getting republished and with each new edition comes added dollar signs. So, once you get your list of textbooks from your university, contact your professors and see if you can buy an older edition of the textbook because the changes are often so minute they won’t make a difference.
8. Rent.
I had never heard of renting textbooks before I got to college, but I quickly found many students rent books from sites like Amazon and Chegg to cut down on unnecessary costs. The best part about these sites is that you can sometimes trick yourself into thinking it’s like online shopping while you’re searching for the best deals and typing in those coupon codes to reduce the prices even more. All in all, renting textbooks is a great alternative because it’s significantly cheaper and you’re not stuck with a box of unwanted books at the end of the semester.
In the grand scheme of things, the textbooks need to be bought and saving a few dollars here and there will give you some financial flexibility for those things that are actually worth spending your hard-earned money on.