Welcome Frugal Friday folks!
Here's a tip to cut book expenses for the college set:
My parents were extremely generous and paid for my tuition and room and board. Books and fees were up to me. I could not do much about fees, but after buying my first semester books to the tune of about $300 and only getting $50 back when the semester ended, resolved to find a cheaper way to do it. Here's what I did from that day on:
1. The library. It was amazing to me how many textbooks the school library had. The ones that were not in the library (or were checked out by other clever students) were often available by interlibrary loan. (If you're a University student in Colorado or some parts of Wyoming, learn to use Prospector. Prospector is awesome.)
"But Frugal!" you say. "My classes last sixteen weeks and I can only check out books for two or four weeks!"
That was true for me. I did my best to get around that. I was usually able to see if a book was on hold or not via the computer catalog system. (It would say "Checked Out +holds at my school if it was on hold.) If it was on hold, I would see if it was available by interlibrary loan and put that copy on hold. If not, I would turn it in and check it out again the next day. I also would find out the name of the book before the semester started and put it on hold before school started from the comfort of my office computer. It was usually there waiting for me the first day of classes. This system worked reasonably well for me.
Sometimes a book was just not available at the library. That's when I'd check the cost of used books at the bookstore. I'd then compare them to online resources, such as Amazon. I found used books for a fraction of the price on Amazon and Half.com.
For example- here's a Bio textbook that is listed on Amazon at 117.11 new, but you can get a used copy as low as $39.50. Sometimes they only had new copies, but it was still cheaper than the bookstore. Amazon had free shipping on orders over $25 even when I was a student, which saved me even more money. Plus they deliver to your door, so you don't have to go stand in that long, aggravating line at the store. WOO HOO!
At the end of the semester, I'd sell them back to my University bookstore, often turning a profit and almost always getting back what I paid. I would sell them online these days, but I was not as selling savvy then as I am today.
If they were not available at the library or online for a decent price, I would shell out for a used copy. I usually had to buy at least one book a semester, but one is better than seven or eight!
Doing these two things saved me an absolute fortune in books over my six years of college and grad school. It does take time and a bit more research than just going to the bookstore and picking up books. For me, the money I saved was more than worth it!
For more Frugal Friday ideas, go here!
3 comments:
My husband is in graduate school and his textbooks are EXPENSIVE.
This year, though, we bought one of his books through Barnes and Noble and bought the membership. These prices combined were cheaper than buying a used textbook from the campus bookstore!
Great ideas!
As a former librarian, I just thought I'd mention - some places won't let you request textbooks through ILL. In PA at least, it's against the state ILL code. So check with your school, but this may or may not be an option.
Jennifer
Here in NJ, we aren't really allowed to do this at schools, but city libraries allow it. Too bad they never have the books that I need even stocked there :o(
I've been purchasing my books on amazon marketplace or through my school's online message board for students. When I re-sell my books, I usually break even or even make a bit of profit.
BTW Catherine, I posted a great blog post about what the show "Jon and Kate plus 8" has taught me about frugality and family. I hope you check it out and maybe it will be worthy for MMM :o)
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