College Surivival Vol.2 :How I saved hundreds of dollars on my textbooks

How I saved money on my textbooks.

College textbooks are expensive by default. A pretty criminal notion considering that most college students don't really have any money to begin with.

I had a ton of school books I had to buy and buying them all could of easily cost me a couple hundred.
Just by shopping around online I was able to get my books for half the listing price or less.
Here are some tips I have so you can also save a whole bunch on textbooks.

Buying:

Amazon:

It's an obvious choice, but Amazon is a great place to find anything cheap especially textbooks. If you are willing to buy a used textbook with some wear to it then this is a great site for you.

Sign up for Amazon Student for these perks.

Amazon Prime free for one year ($79 value)

Unlimited FREE Two-Day Shipping on textbooks and millions of other items

No minimum order size

Upgrades to One-Day shipping for $3.99/item

It's sadly only good for one year,but it is certainly worth it.
Half.com
www.half.ebay.com/

I've already had a great experience with this company and have gotten some great deals on books. They were used,but they were in great condition and saved me quite a bit of money.

Cheapest Textbooks:

www.cheapesttextbooks.com/
This is a great site to look up textbooks and see how much they are going for on each website. You can choose if you are only seeking new textbooks, used or even rentals. It even tells you the discounts you can receive on each website. This site definitely worth the look.

Deal Oz:

www.dealoz.com

A lot like cheapest Textbooks it shows you how much a books run on each site and tells you any coupons that site offers.
Alibris:
www.alibris.com/
A cheap discount book site that is worth a look.


 Purchase Earlier Editions ( New Insert)

More often than not the textbook you're required to purchase has an earlier edition. More often then not there isn't much difference between a volume from 2002 and a volume from 2006. Ask you're professor if an earlier edition of the textbook is appropriate for the course. (Most math textbooks are automatically exempt from this money saving idea.)




Renting:
Chegg:

www.chegg.com/
I've heard a couple of things about Chegg some good and some bad. The good thing about Chegg is that you are able to rent a text book for pretty much one fourth of the price that it would take to buy the textbook. That makes it pretty cost effective and you don't have to pay to send the text book back. The bad things I've heard about Chegg is that there is the chance of getting a text book in pretty bad shape with the possibility of missing media . Ex:Missing CD. Another downside to using Chegg is that there have been reports of the books arriving late and not always being received on time. You also have to make sure that you send off the book before its return time, but if you don't have many other options Chegg could be the thing for you.
Make sure you take a look at these codes on Retail Me Not to get a discount on your book orders. The average saving is seven dollars so it's well worth it. link
Chegg is also currently giving the opportunity to make five dollars when you promote Chegg so you may want to check that out once you go sign up for the site.
Library
I am surprised how the library seems to slip the mind of so many people. If you don't need to write in the book or plan on keeping the book then the library is probably your best option. If you have access to a library use it. I have already used the library to check out some of my text books and it really is the most cost effective option by far. The only downside to using the library is remembering to renew your textbooks and havi
ng the responsibility to watch over something that is not yours. Also remember to check your school's library they might have what you are looking for.

To find a library near you use this site.:www.publiclibraries.com/


Free E-books:

www.free-ebooks.net/

A bit of a long shot, but check to see if the book you need is being offered online for free.

Closing:

The important thing about getting your textbooks is to make sure you shop around. Check to see if you can get the book at the library or if you can get it for free online before you go out and purchase your book. Make sure you compare prices to see where you can get the best deal. Also account for shipping and any discounts the site is giving before you purchase your book. You can honestly save anywhere between 100-300 dollars each semester if you do this. If you end up having to buy a book you don't tend to keep remember you can always sell it back after you are finished. I'll cover this another time. I hope that these tips have been helpful.


First Aid Kit:

If you are going to go out and live on your own it is probably best to have a simple first-aid kit on hand. You know for just in case.

Target is currently having a deal online where you can put together your own first aid kit. The deal is pretty much if you choose three of the listed items and you get the first aid bag for free, which isn't that great of a deal if you think about it unless you really want that bag. You can check it out here. It can give you an idea on how to put your own first aid kit together. You can also check out your local Target and see if they are offering these kits.

Want a more decorative first aid kit?
Why not try the Angel of Mercy kit at the Victorian Trading Company.

Here is a list of items that you should probably include in your own kit. These are only the basics you can add more to your personal kit if you see need to.

• Band Aids
• Aspirin or some kind of pain reliever
• Thermometer
• Chemical ice pack
• 4" by 4" Gauze pads
• 4" by 4" Dressing bandages
• Q-tips
• Cotton balls
• Medical Tape
• Antimicrobial cleaning wipes
• Cleaning alcohol (Not to be mistaken for that bottle of Jack Daniels you have in the back of the fridge.)
• Chemical Ice pack
• Chemical Hot Pack
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Tweezers
• Scissors
• Sterile Gloves
• Antibiotic Ointment