Tuesday, July 27, 2010

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 St
udent 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.e
bay.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-eb
ooks.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 textboo
ks 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

College survival vol.1

Due to the fact I am going to start college a month from now so I have decided to have these little segments where I post little tips to make the whole college and living on your own experience a bit more easier even though those who don't attend college can take something from this as well.


Great Deals:

Buy a Mac for college and get an Ipod touch for free.

If you are planning on getting a new computer and really want to get a Mac than this a great deal. If I could afford a computer I would totally get in on this since I have learned to love the Mac from using them all the time at my Graphic Design class. You get a discount if you're a student and get a free IPod touch and if you don't want the touch sell it later and use that money to pay for something else.
store.apple.com/us/browse/campaigns/back_to_school



For you Starbucks lovers there is some great news. Reusable cold cups have been released in stores for all your starbucky needs. You can a 16 oz for around 13 bucks and a 20 oz for around 16. The great thing about these is that you get a bit of a discount when you use this cup at Starbucks. I can't seem to remember how much though. Also if you bring in your own mug for coffee you tend to save ten cents. You can save money on your Starbucks obsession and save the environment. Though I would only buy this if you were the type of person to go to Starbucks more than once a week otherwise the investment won't be worth it. These would be a waster for me of course because I go to Starbucks like five times a year. Note:These cups are only to be used for Starbucks cold beverages and beware of amazon dealers that charge up to 90 bucks for one of these. If you are going to purchase one don't pay more than 20 dollars for it.

Also try any local grocery store to see if they are in store like Safeway. Seriously there is like a bunch of these things at my local Safeway.

Buy Here: www.starbucksstore.com/products/shprodde.asp



Free Tunes: (Money can be tight and new music is always nice to have, but no matter how much you crave to have new music it is wrong to download an artists music without their consent. Luckily musicians are nice enough to have a few of their tunes to be down-loadable for free.)

Those at Rue Morgue are offering a free download of an album that is compiled of several different bands. You get seventeen songs from seventeen different artists so chances are you'll at least find one song that is to your liking even if the music is a bit demented nature. I personally couldn't be happier because I just adore some of the bands on here and even had a chance to discover some new ones. My personal favs are from Creature Feature, The Creepshow, and Midnight Syndicate, Even if this not the type of music you listen to all year round hey, you now have some tunes for when Halloween comes a knockin.

Get Rue Morgues Hymns from the House of Horror here: www.rue-morgue.com/hymns.php