My first semester of college I ended up spending a whopping $800 on books because I had no idea what I was doing. I have friends who made the same mistakes I did. Your books shouldn’t cost anywhere near that amount if you know where to look, so incoming freshmen, this is for you!
College Facebook pages
Join your college’s freshman class Facebook group. Almost every school has one, and upperclassmen frequently join these groups to offer insanely cheap books. You’ll also meet your future classmates, share tips, yada yada yada. But the lesson here is that you should never underestimate the kinds of discounts your fellow students are willing to give.
Buy eBooks
If you don’t mind ebooks, buying them is usually quite cheap compared to paper copies. Whatever your preferred source of ebooks is, the selection of textbooks is sizable.
Amazon and Chegg
If you prefer having a physical copy of your book, these are the options for you. Search the ISBN on Amazon and you’re likely to find a significantly cheaper version of the book. Amazon will let you rent a book for far longer than you’ll need it, or you could buy a used version. If you’re buying a used copy of a book, Amazon is perfect for you. You can scroll through the options, read descriptions of the condition of the book, and whether or not it contains accompanying materials. On Chegg, you can buy or rent books at price sometimes better than Amazon. You’re always better off checking a few sites before you make your decision if you want the best deal. You might only save $5, but hey, every penny counts.
Utilize the campus library
Of course, not all of your books are going to be available in the college library, but every little bit helps. Especially for the social sciences and humanities, often the books you’re assigned are not standard textbooks. They are the kinds of books that can be found in libraries. You really aren’t going to need it all that frequently, so just checking it out when you do should be sufficient.
Whatever you do, stay away from the bookstore
Your campus bookstore is ripping you off. Colleges always try to sell you books at a higher price, and buying elsewhere could save you hundreds. You may have to check the bookstore to obtain the ISBNs you need, so don’t be afraid to venture onto the site, but under no circumstances should you buy a book from them.
The key to saving money is paying attention. You’ll find more tricks to save on books each semester, and as long as you do your research before you purchase anything, you’ll save yourself hundreds or thousands by the time you graduate. Good luck class of 2020!