As time goes on, the cost of living gets increasingly expensive. This cuts across every sector, including the educational institution. That’s why we have a hike in college tuition and related expenses these days. In essence, the costs revolving around studying in college are only getting harder to afford.
Added to these costs are the personal expenses students have to account for. These include the major ones like feeding, transportation, and other costs that spring up. But luckily, some expenses can be fully controlled. Unlike your tuition, money spent on textbooks can be managed efficiently.
So, let’s deeply dive into how you can reduce your textbook expenses. We’ll also discuss how and why finding cheap textbooks is easy (if you know where to look) and give you some tips on how to buy textbooks cheaply using price comparison tools like Direct Textbook. So let’s get right into it.
How Important Is Cost Saving To Students?
Cutting costs on tools, food, schooling, and other aspects of life is always helpful. Not only do you save yourself from overspending on the barest minimum, but you also save up funds for other necessities.
Now, when the subject of schools comes up, the issue of money spent on tuition and feeding can’t be ignored. However, the cost of procuring textbooks sinks deep into students ‘ pockets as time goes on. But here’s the problem. With so much thought placed on affording tuition fees, students often need to remember to plan for the basic supplies.
Textbooks and handouts fall under this category, and boy, do they cost quite a sum. We’re talking over $1200 a year on textbooks only. Now, that’s expensive.
But look on the bright side. You have control over how much you spend on books. How so? You may be asking. Why don’t we have a look?
Cutting Costs On Textbooks: The Key To Healthy Student Finances
You can overcome your increasing expenses and keep student finances balanced in three key ways. The first option is acquiring a higher income through jobs, businesses, outside sources, etc. However, how many jobs can you combine with your school schedule? And how much can you make from a side hustle? Not much, hey?
Moving on, you have the option of eliminating these costs. This is done by creating a list of expenses and deciding what stays and what goes (based on the level of importance). But when all the costs are relevant, how do you sacrifice one for the other? You just can’t.
Now, the final option will be to cut costs on your school expenses. Rather than think of what you need to give up, you can easily find cheaper alternatives. This applies greatly to your textbooks and other supplies.
The third option is a no-brainer. You don’t have the time to work demanding jobs to make more money; you can’t forgo other costs (like feeding, dues, and transportation) that would be shooting yourself in the foot, so what do you do?
Of course, you look for cheaper alternatives. Cheap doesn’t always indicate a drastic drop in prices and won’t deter you from assessing all the essential information. So, how do you find affordable textbooks? Luckily, we do not have one, not two, but five steps for you to follow to get there. Why don’t we take a look?
How To Save Money On Textbooks: 5 Tips Every Student Should Know
1. Buy Textbooks Online
Finding cheaper textbooks usually entails finding more affordable vendors. And trust us, every other vendor is cheaper than your college campus bookstore. At least your online bookstores are. So, the next time you’re searching for a textbook to buy, try out online vendors for a change.
Unlike your regular brick-and-mortar stores, online vendors offer cheaper deals on textbooks. This is mostly because most vendors deal with slightly used textbooks or older editions.
Regardless, you’ll always find better deals online through book vendors. This saves you a large sum since you only need to pay a fraction of what the textbook would have cost. At the same time, it allows you to identify the exact format and edition you need to purchase.
There’s no need to check them all manually. Websites like Direct Textbook gather pricing data from numerous online bookstores and marketplaces, making it convenient for visitors to compare offers for each ISBN they enter, and select the most lucrative option. This saves time and effort, as users can avoid individually researching prices on multiple platforms like Amazon, eBay, etc.
2. Go For Older Editions Rather Than New Ones
Now that you’ve found a cheaper source for all your textbooks, how about searching for cheaper textbooks instead? In other words, rather than going for the new, shiny book edition on the shelf, you can opt for older editions such as those released a year or two before.
Most of the time, when told the name of the textbook to buy, students rush to the bookshops and buy the latest edition without second thoughts. However, if you’re going to be dollar-wise, you might as well ensure you’re not stabbing yourself in the pocket.
When you think about it, there are zero to negligible differences between different editions of textbooks. Most often, only the ISBNs and minor content arrangements offer any reasonable difference. So why bother chasing the expensive new text when a cheaper but equally useful edition exists?
However, this is not to say that buying new edition textbooks is bad. Most times, textbooks are revised, and new information is added. But when the edition of the text is of little significance, there’s no reason not to go for yesterday’s hot bun on the shelf.
3. Rent Textbooks When Possible
“Buy them online,” “find cheaper ones,” “but I still need to cut costs”—sound familiar? Good news: there’s another option. Instead of buying textbooks, you can simply rent them and return them when you’re done. Renting isn’t just for apartments or cars anymore.
Websites like BookScouter let you rent almost any textbook you need, so you only pay for the time you’ll actually use it. Even with shipping fees (when they apply), renting usually ends up being cheaper than buying a brand-new copy.
In fact, rentals often come at just a fraction of the price of new textbooks. And it makes sense—after all, you’ll only need those books for a single semester or term. Holding onto them after that doesn’t do much good.
That’s why renting is such a practical option: you pay only for the time you need the textbooks.
4. Share Textbooks With Your Mates
They say sharing is caring, and in this case, sharing the costs of textbooks with friends is a great way to take care of your wallets and bank accounts. Over time, you’re going to make friends in your department. And those friends will need the same textbooks as you.
Therefore, combining to procure textbooks is a good way to make the experience cheaper. In other words, you and a friend, or a group of friends, can decide to buy certain textbooks to save cost and reduce the burden on one person.
Since you all need the text, there’s no wrong with having joint ownership with friends. All you have to do is create schedules to guide how each individual uses the book.
5. Buy The EBook Version Instead
eBook versions of textbooks are cheaper and available online. After publishing hard copies, authors also tend to make their texts available in digital formats. And the best part is you can get these eBooks at a lower price.
So, if your storage game is next level, you can copy these eBooks with the same content at a lower price. This is very useful for saving costs and reducing the amount of clutter in your dorm—a win-win for savings and orderliness in your campus life.
Quick Tips When It Comes To Handling Your Textbooks
Buying textbooks at cheaper rates is a great way to reduce the strain on your pockets. However, you need to get it right, or you could end up wasting money if you encounter issues. So, what tips should you follow when sourcing cheaper textbooks online?
- For starters, always compare different textbook editions before purchasing. Most times, the changes are negligible. Other times, they’re not. This will help ensure you know when to go for older editions or not.
- Always compare prices. Each online book vendor has its price. Knowing which one to do business with is crucial. Be sure to perform price checks and comparisons to guarantee the best value for money on your purchase.
- If you can’t store digital devices for a long time, you should think twice before buying them. You might need them later on, and for some reason (loss of device, corrupted files), you might not have access to them then.
- You can also recoup your money (or at least a bit of it) by selling your textbooks. You won’t always make exactly what you spent, but why hold on to textbooks you don’t need when you can make quick bucks off them?
- If you’re renting textbooks. Be sure to take proper care of them. You could incur penalties, usually charges, if the books aren’t in good shape after your rental period.
