Wrong season, right?!?
As students were getting out of school on summer vacation, I was going back but this time completely online. The timing was right, with a summer break in a program I'm heavily involved in. We had a little more than enough to cover tuition, but the books. . .
Since I signed up for classes two days before the start of the courses, I had to hurry, and I found that textbooks were a lot pricier than I remembered! These are 5 ways to save money on college textbooks, if you're thinking about going back:
1. Borrow the textbooks!
I used Facebook to ask friends if they owned textbooks so I could borrow them for the duration of the course. I also tried to borrow textbooks from libraries; the local library can help you locate books from other libraries around the state, and if you already have access to the college library, search there for the textbook and again they might also locate that textbook at another college library.
2. Rent the textbooks!
Not as cheap as borrowing, yet not as expensive as purchasing! You can see how I'd save with renting textbooks!
3. Purchase textbooks of Amazon using Swagbucks. While exchanging those Swagbucks for Amazon gift cards to use on a piece of technology or a Christmas present is much more fun, I used some for my textbooks! Don't forget to try to resell again!
4. Purchase used textbooks from eBay or Half.com. I've had no experience here, but it's worth a look-see.
5. Last resort, buy new and definitely resell!
An unaccounted textbook expense I was previously unaware of was purchasing online access for certain classes. If you can save some money on the actually textbook, your savings can be spent on purchasing the online access; check the pricing directly from the website before buying at the college bookstore!
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