College Days: Textbooks

Let's start this post off with a warning: 

Textbooks are either going to make or break you.

Most likely break you.

Before you do any serious textbook shopping, email your professors. Talk to them and ask them if the textbook for class is required or just recommended. 

If it's Required:

• Check sites like half.com and eBay for cheap textbooks.
• Check your school's bookstore for used book prices.
• Check with your friends/roomie's friends to see if they've had the class before, and if so, could you possibly buy their book?
• Check what the difference is between each version; it may be cheaper to buy an older version, but if it doesn't have the material you need in it, you're really just wasting your money even more.
• Weep.

If it's Recommended:

• Talk to somebody who's had the class before. Ask if they used their textbook.
• See if you can find somebody who's had the class before you and can loan you the book.
• Go the first few weeks of class without it, and if you need it, then go out and buy it.

If it's Not Used:

• Rejoice!

I've had classes where we had to buy the textbooks, because the teacher insisted that it was required, but we never really did anything with the books. It was irritating, because I spent $600 my first semester of college just on textbooks. That took ALL of my graduation money! (It was heartbreaking.)

So, what are the best tips for tracking down textbooks?

1. You don't need to buy everything brand-new. I know, I know: You're a book-lover, and you have this thing for *new* books. Well, I'm here to tell you, sister, that you don't need to buy brand-new textbooks. In fact, if you do that, you're just wasting your money. You can often get used textbooks for as much as 90% off the "new" price on the internet!
2. Do your research. Ask around about the books. Ask friends, neighbors, people you met on the internet - ask anybody if they have the textbook that you need. (If one of your friends offers to torrent a copy for you, accept ONLY IF you're comfortable with the fact that what you're doing is extremely illegal, and that you could possibly go to jail if you're caught.)
3. Compare prices. Don't just go to the University bookstore - that's a surefire way to waste all of your money. Try half.com and eBay to see if you can find any books that way. I was able to get my Psychology book for nearly 1/3 of the new book price - it was a bookstore closeout sale, and it was still in shrink wrap! - from half.com. Make sure you have the right ISBN number, or it might end badly.
4. Can you share books? I have friends who take the same class, but they only buy one book between them - they split the cost - so that they don't both have to buy the uber-expensive required textbook. See if that's possible for you, but recognize that you might run into issues later if somebody takes it home and forgets to bring it back. (Bad idea!)

I know, I know; this whole post seems like common sense. You'd be surprised, however, at how many people come to class with shrink-wrapped books, complaining over prices. Here's an actual conversation that I overheard one day:

Her: "Man, I can't believe I had to pay $1200 for books this semester! I mean, I'm just a freshman! It's not like I'm going to use these books the rest of my life!"

I'm sitting and thinking, What could you possibly have bought for $1200?

Her: "I mean, I know I have to have like three books for each class, but there has to be a cheaper way to get them!" She proceeds to pull the books out of her backpack, and they're all brand-new, still in the shrink wrap. 

Her Friend: "Whoa - did you get all those from the campus store?"

Her: *hairflip* "Well, duh! How else am I supposed to get my books?"

Me: *facepalm*

This girl had spent $1200 on books that she probably could've gotten for $300 if she'd done her research and shopped online and at the off-campus bookstore (it's not affiliated with the university, but the "used" book prices are often $40-$100 cheaper than the University's prices, and they allow you to rent things).

BE SMART WITH YOUR MONEY. There are ways to get textbooks without breaking the bank! Just use caution, and everything should work out okay!

Do you have any textbook horror stories? Any more tips to add to this list (because I know this one isn't exhaustive)? Comment below! I want to hear what you think! (And I apologize for this post being delayed; it was supposed to go up last Friday, but I had a few things happen and I didn't have the time to write this one. Oops!)