How to Save When Buying Textbooks

Don't we all remember the good old days of school supply shopping as a kid? My mom would drive me to CVS and I'd walk the aisles, school supply list in hand, picking out brightly colored notebooks, mechanical pencils, and locker accessories. This year, as I return to school after taking a year off, I wish I could say my school supply shopping experience was as pleasurable. But alas, my shopping list no longer includes frilly erasers and colored pencils. Instead, the bulk of my school supply budget is going to textbooks. And as anyone who has ever bough a textbook knows, that shit is expensive! So what's a penniless prima donna to do? Read on to find out how I saved on textbooks this year...and it's not just Chegg!

1. Comparison Shop! My three go-to online retailers for textbooks are Amazon, Half.com, and Chegg. All three have the option to buy new, used, the e-book, or rent for most books. I comparison to shop to see which of the three sites has the best deal on a book and I then choose the lowest price. 

2. Consider the Return on Investment! Contrary to #1, it's not always the wisest decision to always choose the lowest priced book. There are several factors that should affect whether you rent, buy a book new, or buy used. I bought a used copy of my French II book even though it was $10 more expensive than renting it, because I know I can sell it back to my campus's bookstore at the end of the semester for more than $10.

3. Use Your Campus Library! Your campus library almost indefinitely has a copy of that $200 statistics book for in-library use. Just set aside some time each week to get the reading done in the library. And you can always photocopy important pages or snap pictures of tables and graphs with your phone to review at home.

4. Use Other Libraries! My Shakespeare class requires me to read five plays by Shakespeare. Instead of buying each individual book, I've put them all on hold at the NYPL. These books can be renewed online so in most cases you can keep them for the duration of the semester. 

5. Communicate with your Professor! Ask your professor if it is okay to buy an earlier edition of the book, or whether they might have a spare book they'd be willing to loan you for the semester.  When I confided in my Algebra Review teacher about the financial burden of buying textbooks, he told me not to bother buying the assigned reading; all the information in the textbook could be found by simply googling each topic. And after stressing out over buying a $90 online course code for my French class, my professor assured me that although it was helpful to have access to the online content, it was not imperative.  Most professors are very understanding and want their students to succeed so they'll be willing to accommodate you.

It takes a little more effort to save on textbooks as opposed to just stopping into your campus bookstore and buying all your books. But for those of us on a tight budget, the extra effort really pays off. I'd love to hear if any of you have tips for saving on textbooks. Tell me in the comments below!