Taking a full course load as a college student can be expensive – and I’m not even talking about tuition! Every class will surely have a textbook or two, and those expenses can add up. Usually, you need to buy all of the semester’s books at once, which can drain your entire bank balance in one fell swoop!
Before you go broke at the bookstore, have you considered looking into money saving tips for college students? There are many ways to go about buying textbooks, and not all of them will break the bank. Cheap textbooks are out there if you know how to look!
I’ve been that broke college student, and I’m excited to share my five favorite tips for saving on textbooks when you’re short on cash. Keep reading to learn how to buy textbooks for cheap when you’re pinching pennies!
1. Buy From Fellow Students
My first money saving tip is to make friends with other students in your major, including students a year or two ahead of you. Chances are good that they have taken all of the prerequisite courses and will have a lot of advice. Better yet, they will probably already have the textbooks you need for those very same classes!
Unless you need a textbook after you’ve taken a class, the best thing to do is sell it and try to recoup some of the costs. Many students hang onto textbooks because walking to the bookstore or packaging them up for online resale can be a lot of work! If you ask around, surely you’ll be able to find someone to sell you their used book for cash.
2. Check the School Library
This one is one of those tips that I wish I’d thought of sooner! Many textbooks, especially those written by professors on campus, will be in the school library! If they aren’t, they might be available using an interlibrary loan system from another local institution.
Always check the library before you spend any money on books!
3. Try an International Edition
International editions are typically just soft-covered editions of textbooks printed on slightly lower-quality paper. In addition to being easier to carry, they are often half the price, even new! If you can find a used international edition, you can sometimes save 75% or more on all types of textbooks!
4. Use Your School’s Universal Learning System
If your school has a commitment to equity, it might have a Universal Learning System in place. Access to a catalog like BibliU Universal Learning can provide all students with discounted access to course materials. They might not advertise this in an obvious place, so be sure to ask around!
5. Choose the E-book
If you don’t need to highlight to retain, you can often find an e-book edition of your textbooks for a lot less money than print editions. Sometimes you can even rent an e-book for an even steeper discount! Even if you need to invest in an e-reader first, you will still probably end up saving money… and you’ll still have an awesome e-reader, even after you graduate!
The Best Money Saving Tips for College Students
Money saving tips for college students are essential if you’re going to stay afloat financially. It’s amazing how much you can save when you approach buying textbooks the smart way! You can put any of these tips into practice immediately and then watch the cash roll in!
Looking for more tips to keep your finances in good shape? Check out the rest of the blog for more posts about how to make cash and keep it!