7 Ways to Buy Books On A Budget

Congratulations on starting a new semester! Now it's time to purchase those textbooks for class. Some students are fortunate enough to have a book scholarship. However, for many students, their book scholarship did not cover the total cost of all of the recommended books for class, if they even had one. This was the case for me and a lot of my friends in undergrad. I didn't want to ask my parents for more money and whatever I saved from my minimum wage summer job was barely enough to books for one class. Here are some tips on how to get the books needed for class on a tighter budget.

1. Double Check Your Syllabus & Prioritize  
- Some schools give out the text book listing to the campus bookstore, before you receive your syllabus. Before you purchase a book, double check with your instructor to see if the book listed is actually going to be used in the classroom. Additionally, some books are going to be used more than others. Therefore, if your funds are limited, make sure that you're getting the books that you NEED the most.


2. Go To The School Library ASAP
- Most school libraries have one or two extra copies of the textbook that you need for class that you could check out for a few weeks and renew to keep the entire semester. However, these books go by fast and the library may not have every book. Therefore, it's best to go before classes actually start.

3. Ask your friends
- Someone may have taken the course already and may still have the book or know they may know someone who has the book and is not using it.

4. Ask Your Instructor and Student Support Services
- Your professor or student support services may have an extra copy laying around for you to borrow for the semester. If not, they can point you in the direction of other resources on campus.


 5. Rent/Buy an E-Book or Digital Textbook 
- Digital books are typically cheaper than the hard copy. Chegg.com is a site that I've used before, but there are many more. Compare websites to see which one has the best price to get the ebook. If the same textbook is used for 2 courses, like Bio 1 and 2, then make sure you're renting the book for the entire school year and not just a semester.

6. Split costs with a classmate
- I only recommend this for extreme circumstances, because your study time would be dependent on someone else. If you do need to go this route then make sure it's with someone who you trust and is easily accessible.

7. Purchase an older edition
Some of the older editions tend to be less expensive and have the same content of the newer editions. Double check with your instructor first to ensure that there are no major differences.


If you have any other tips, feel free to post them below. 
 

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