Student #1:
I chose to focus on saving money on textbooks because it is a large expense for college students.
I have asked roommates, gone online and looked up average costs, and realized that college
students spend a lot of money on books that if there was a way to save that money they could
use it for other things. The US average for cost of books per school year is $600-$750. It is
amazing how much is put into them. The prices seem to go up about 6%-7% a year, on average.
The absolute least that the average student pays is $500 a year, and the most that a student can
pay is well over $2000.
I have come up with a few ideas as to how students can save money on textbooks over the
course of a school year. I have already tried most of these and they do work. I have spent a total
of $150 on books this semester, which would mean about $300 a year on average for books for
myself, about half of the average cost. One idea that I think some students have had already is
to buy used books online. I have researched book prices and most of the time the books are
50%-75% cheaper than a new book, for the same edition. They are used, and so you may not get
a book in new condition, but it will work for the course.
Another way to save money on books is to see if those books are available online, which is to
say, see if they are readable online for free or for a small fee. It has also worked well, especially
for classes that are English or reading based. Usually one can Google the work they are looking
for and find the text online. The last idea that I have come up with that has worked is the
professor posting the textbook online for the students, which saves them the cost of the book as
well. These are practical ideas and do work. I would estimate that the students who use these
ideas can expect to save anywhere between 50% to potentially 100% if they do things wisely,
which means monetarily they can expect to save $300-$600 a year from books savings. I have
even found a site that helps to explain how to save money on books. It is:
http://distancelearn.about.com/od/managingyourwork/a/cheaptextbook.htm
I have found this information quite useful and plan to use it more fully to see if I can spend no
money on textbooks for fall semester. It will be a challenge but if I can manage to do it then I
can save enough money to help pay for my health insurance for the semester. I hope that this
information is useful to others. I wish more students would use this information. Research
shows that only 24% of students buy any books this way, even though it saves so much money
for them in the long run.
Student #2:
Students spend an immense amount of money on textbooks. I estimate that students spend
approximately 500 dollars a semester on books. At least half of this money can be saved if the
following tips are implemented.
The first critically important key to saving money on text books is buying the older editions at
deeply discounted prices. To be able to do this you must be able to resist the fear that comes
when teachers insist that you must have the latest edition of whatever book they are using for
class. There are a few courses, such as English, where the text may be referred to frequently
throughout each class period. In this case, it is probably important to have the latest edition of
the textbook (as the teacher will likely be referencing page numbers and encouraging class
participation with the text). However, for most other courses, including economics, history,
political science, etc.—where the texts are read before class to give background information and
are not used in the classroom as part of daily instruction—it is very often not needful to have
the most recent edition of the textbook being used.
Older editions of textbooks are almost always significantly cheaper (to the tune of more than
fifty percent cheaper). Even if a text is not to be used as part of classroom discussion, teachers
will often note that the latest edition of a book is needed simply so that a student can work the
newest homework problems (which may not appear in the older editions). If this is the case, the
best thing to do is secure the cheapest older edition of the book that you can and then ask to
borrow for one night the newest edition of the book from a classmate who felt compelled to
fork out the cash for it. Photocopy all of the homework problems for the entire semester. If this
seems contrary to the spirit of copyright law, organize a study group with which you can work
the homework problems from new edition. In almost all cases, there are ways to make an older
edition of a textbook work out just fine, even though in almost all cases your teacher will tell
you otherwise.
If you are unsure whether or not you will be able to use an old edition of a textbook, it is worth
a few class periods of at least trying it out. In the course of a college career, you will save more
money than you will lose by experimenting with older editions.
The next tip for saving money on text books is searching for online versions of the texts. Many
textbooks these days have been posted electronically on the web. Of course it is less convenient
to have to read from a computer, and doing so does not fit some learning styles. However, I
have found it is often worth the hundred+ dollars that a book would have cost me.
Next, talk to as many people as you can about the upcoming courses you are enrolled in and see
if you can identify someone who would be willing to give you, lend you, or sell you their old text.
If you are nice about it, people are almost always willing to do one of these options (especially
the third option if the first two don’t work—and I do suggest you try them in the order I listed
them). Rarely do people have any real use for their textbooks after they have completed a
course. They are usually willing to help others out, especially if they were unable to sell the book
back.
Selling books back is another key component in saving money on textbooks. I have a friend who
actually makes a point of turning a profit on the books he uses each year. He finds them for
cheap or for nothing (using methods described above) and then sells them at the end of the
semester to the school or other buyers on campus. If nothing else works, you can sell a book on
ebay. I have found that other online textbook services—while they may be an okay deal for
selling a book—usually do not give the best deals in buying back books.
Student #3: Textbooks cost students according to The Washington Post in “Break on cost of
Textbooks Unlikely Before Last Bell, 2010” reports that an average student spends between
$700 and $1,100 annually on textbooks. This is a major portion of a student’s budget each year.
The reason for the high cost is students buying from the school bookstore. In the technological
world we live in there are other solutions. The first step is to find out the book that is required
for the class. This is attainable by talking personally with the professor when you register for
classes. Usually these professors will want you to get a cheap price on books because they do
not have an interest where you buy the book. If you don’t want to talk with the professor, find
the syllabus on-line or talk with a student who has just taken the class. The best suggestion is to
talk with the professor because the syllabus might change. Once you have got the book
information, be sure to get the isbn number, than you may proceed to finding the book. The
following are suggestions I have found on line, and some I have done myself, to save money on
buying and selling textbooks.
1. Buy used at an off campus book store.
2. Buy on-line. Look at bookfiinder.com, bigwords.com, or allbookstores.com. Each of these
websites gives the prices for a book from various websites which sell books. Looking at these
sites helps you find the cheapest book online.
3. Don’t buy if you have to. Look at the syllabus, if the book is minor, borrow the book from a
classmate and scan the pages into a computer. Check it out from the library.
4. Rent a book from chegg.com or bookrenter.com. These prices are slightly less then buying a
used book on line. Examine to see if it is worth buying or renting. A warning with renting a book,
this does not allow you sell the book to another person to regain some of the money which you
spent.
5. Sell the book by going to campusbooks.com which lists websites which buy books and how
much they buy them for.
6. A better option is to sell the book directly to the buyer by selling on amazon.com,
abebooks.com, or half.com. This is where you can make the most amount of money.
7. Use older editions then what is required.
8. Go to ichapters.com to buy online textbooks.
9. Go to textbookrevolt.com. This website allows a person to give one of their textbooks away
from free and receive another one for free. The student spends no money.
10. Only buy used books from the school bookstore
11. Try to sell the books you bought online to the campus bookstore.
If a person follows the pattern of buying the books used online, he can recoup almost all of his
money that was originally spent on textbooks or may luck out enough not to spend any money
on text books in the first place.
Student #4: How beneficial is it make the effort to save on textbook money?
The United States Department of Education has done a research project to find what the
average 4-year college student spends on textbooks a year. The average was found to be
$896.00 a year, with prices for students ranging anywhere from $400-$1300. This is 186% up
from just a decade ago. There is no doubt that this is something to be concerned about and
definitely an area where there are ways to save money. If you just put a little effort into it, you
could end up saving 75% or more on what you could have spent by going to the campus
bookstore and purchasing your books. Most students do this just because it is convenient, and
the bookstore is guaranteed to have the right edition. Yes, it takes more of an effort to take
steps to save on textbooks, but in the end, it can be very worth it.
Here are a few suggestions for ways to save on textbooks:
1.)Find Out Which Books Your Really Need
The first step when retrieving your list of needed books is to find out which books you truly need
for the class. Often times, professors will put books on the list that you will use once or twice in
the class or for only one assignment. You can most likely determine the importance of each
book after the first day of class when syllabus’s are handed out. In the event that there are little
books here and there that you only need for an assignment in the class, you can possibly
eliminate the book from your list by finding a friend in the class who you could maybe split the
cost 50/50 for the book and share it.
2) Use the Library
OK, you probably knew of this way, but chances are that you have never tried it. Most students
don't because they see it as a hassle not to have the textbook 24 hours a day. The fact is, using
the library textbooks can make you much more efficient with your time as you will be forced to
do your work before the last minute. Most libraries have multiple copies of textbooks available
and many times you must use the books in-library. This means you must focus on what needs to
be done and be efficient during library hours. While many of the students who use the library
books do so for financial reasons, many continue even when they don't have to because of how
much more effectively they use their time over when they have their own copy. Think of how
much you can save using the library, a free resource, to get your studying done.
Purchase Electronic Textbooks
This is a newer option that a lot of people are not aware of. If you don’t mind having all text on a
computer screen, and already do a lot of your school work on a laptop, then this could be a
good option for you. Many electronic copies of textbooks can be found to download online for
about 50% of the price you would pay for the hard copy.
Borrow A Sample Copy
Purchase The International Edition
This is an option that not many people have heard of also. There are companies online that will
sell you an international edition rather than a U.S. edition of a textbook for up to 75% cheaper.
They will sell you the textbook as maybe a soft-back book, or printed in black and white rather
than color to save money on printing. It’s getting the same exact information, just printed in a
cheaper format.
Trade books with friends that have been in the class before you for books they may need
If at all possible, find friends that maybe are taking a class you took the semester before and
they took the class you need the book for, and make a deal to trade. The odds of this are not
huge, but if you can do that, it will save you 100% of the cost of the book.
How much will my efforts really save me?
By taking some of these simple suggestions, you can literally almost get your books for free. This
is in only some of the cases, like using the library for instance. If you care that much about
saving money, and are willing to hit up the library whenever you need to study, this would be a
perfect option. Other options are not always free, but they will definitely save you money. It is
also wise to consider the idea that university campus bookstores often buy your books back
from you for about 50% of the price you bought them for. So it’s smart to do some research and
weigh your options. Sometimes the bookstores will not even buy back the book because the
edition is out of style. Consider all of these things, and research what the cheapest option for
you is. If you are smart about it, and put in some effort, you are guaranteed to dodge those
nasty book prices that college students everywhere hate to face.
Student #5
1. One of the most common expenses that students complain about is the purchase of
textbooks each semester. It is expensive and required in many classes. It is reported that the
average student pays $650 per year. This expense added to tuition, housing, food, and
entertainment costs makes it seem daunting. Fortunately I have found a good variety of
methods that will help the average student save money on textbooks.
2. Borrow textbooks (save up to 100%!)
3. Use library textbook whenever possible, whether college or county. (save 100%)
4. Buy used
5. Used Hardback books are usually cheapest
6. “international” edition www.abebooks.com
7. Buy online: Amazon.com, Craigs List or eBay
8. Compare prices www.ISBN.nu (compare with major bookstores)
9. Don’t forget the campus bookstore while price shopping, sometimes it is the best deal
factoring in shipping (make sure you compare net prices, factoring in all expenses from
purchasing)
10. Sell your own textbooks (bookstore buy back, book exchange, to friends, or online)
http://www.collegeswapshop.com , www.pricegrabber.com, and www.valorebooks.com are
good places to start.
11. Take care of the textbook, and keep it nice for a higher resale value
12. Use the college book exchange to sell or buy
13. Look ahead while registering and ask around if the professor’s reputation includes expensive
books
14. There is a website, freeload press.com, that makes it so you fill out a survey, then have to
view advertising in throughout the textbook, but it’s free and online.
15. Buy electronic textbooks (can save 50%) www.ichapters.com or www.bartleby.com
16. Find out what books are going to be used and ones you actually need
17. A cash back credit card or other significant rewards card are great things to buy textbooks
with.
Student #5:
1. The first million dollar choice that college students can make is in regards to buying textbooks.
Textbooks are a large expense when it comes to college. Students sometimes spent as much as
several hundred dollars on textbooks each semester. The cost is rising as well. Textbook prices
are expected to rise by 10% a year (http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/cheap/20040810a1)
In 2004, public university students spent an average of roughly $900 on textbooks. Many books
cost over $100. I personally spent $400 this last semester alone. There are many things that can
be done to help lower the cost of books each semester. One simple and obvious thing that can
be done to help save money is to simply buy used books. The college bookstore sells used books
and other products and there are several websites that do the same. Another way to find good
deals on textbooks is to buy them online. “Used textbooks are usually priced at 75 percent of
the retail price of the new book” (www.bigwords.com/press/20060716_thebostonglobe/).
There are multiple websites that provide students with used textbooks for sale. Some of the
more populare websites incluce half.com, textbooks.com, campusbooks.com, and amazon.com.
Let’s look at an example of the savings that can be found on one of these websites. One of the
textbooks that I purchased this last semester was titled, Nutrition Concepts and Controversies.
The purchase price I paid for this new textbook was 147 dollars. Now, let’s look at what price I
could have paid if I had been able to purchase a used copy of the book online. The cheapest I
could find the book for was 57 dollars, including shipping. This represents a 62 percent savings!
On this website alone there are two copies of the book under 60 dollars and 7 copies 80 dollars
or less. Another book that I purchased was The Millionaire Next Door. I purchased a used copy
of this book from the BYU bookstore for $11.25. On Amazon.com this book can be purchased
brand new for under 3 dollars! As you can see, lots of money can be saved by buying used books
online as opposed to purchasing them new. This takes preparation though. Many teachers will
post what books are required online so that you can begin looking for them before classes
begin. If you buy books online you may have to wait a while for them to be shipped to you, so
preparation is important if this strategy is going to be used. Another tip to save money is to
know exactly what will be required. Many textbook companies will bundle books with dvd or
computer programs. Check with your teacher to see if these dvd’s or computer programs are
required. If they are not required buy just the book online instead of the bundle and you will
save money that way. Another tip is to share with a classmate when a dvd or computer program
is required. Often these things are only used for one or two assignments. In this case it would be
beneficial to split the price with a fellow classmate and share the program. As we can see a
significant amount of money can be saved each semester by being smart when it comes time to
buy textbooks. This money can be used as a resource for investing and allow students to start
saving for their future immediately.
Student #6 Every new semester in a college students life means new classes, new professors,
new faces, but worst of all new books. College students spend an average of nine hundred
dollars a year on text books alone according to “U.S. PIRG Education.” While textbooks are very
vital to a student’s success in school, hundreds of dollars could easily be saved if students make
the right steps in saving for their future. One easy step could include utilizing one’s resources.
The internet is full of tools that could help a struggling student save money. For example,
students could search amazon.com, textbooks.com, barnesandnoble.com, and even the BYU
book exchange that is available for all students that are enrolled at Brigham Young University. As
stated above, through using such beneficial websites one could easily save hundreds of dollars
when purchasing their textbooks. In my personal life I have found that simply searching for the
books I need at an affordable cost is much more economical than buying books at the book
store. I have found books for five dollars on the internet that would have easily cost me two
hundred dollars elsewhere. Another million dollar choice that could be made when purchasing
text books is finding a classmate or a friend that had previously taken the class. By doing so you
can either borrow their book or buy it from them for a cheaper price than the bookstore. If
these actions are taken both parties could be benefited and much money could be saved.
Buying textbooks is often an action that is dreaded by each college student. However, if the
proper actions are taken place students could end up saving hundreds of dollars. Personally by
utilizing my resources that were available I was able to save an estimated two hundred and fifty
dollars in buying my textbooks this year. With that extra cash I was able to not only save money,
but I was able to invest it in the right areas to make an earning. In conclusion, if students will
simply take the proper actions and work hard to find the deals that are available to them much
money can be saved and eventually turned into a profit.
Student #7 Many college students spend anywhere from one-hundred dollars to over a
thousand dollars a semester on textbooks for their studies. A lot of students fall into the trap of
last minute convenience and get all of their books at one general location, at this university it is
the BYU bookstore. Many students print off their schedules on their way to the bookstore and
go grab the books that are listed on their class schedules. If students would spend a little bit
more time on the internet, they could literally save hundreds of dollars per semester, and these
hundreds of dollars can make a huge difference in determining one's point of choice.
2. Brigham Young University has one of the most useful websites for buying books. All a student
has to do is log onto route Y and they can pick up their book list. If they have their heart set on
buying directly from the BYU bookstore, they are able to go and buy used books, generally
saving over 30% off the new copy price. That is a great way to save 30% overall. Imagine what
one could do with 300 dollars, if their textbooks all new would have cost $1,000! That is over
one month's rent at many of the apartments in provo! An even better way I have found to save
money is to go and buy your books online. I bought a textbook this year though amazon.com
that was going for $130 new at the BYU bookstore and about $85 used. I was able to purchase a
good condition, used, textbook through amazon.com for only $50 plus $15 for shipping and
handling. That is an over 50% savings on one expensive textbook. There are other websites that
are great for buying used college textbooks, but amazon.com is a reliable name that generally
does not give its customers any problems. Another great way I saved money this semester, was I
took a couple classes with one of my roommates. We decided that instead of pay nearly $200
each for our economics book, we would split the cost and share it. We agreed that we would
always use the book at home, and we have not had a single problem this entire semester
sharing that textbook. Off these two textbooks alone I have saved a whopping $165.
3. Now what should I do with all that extra money, and that I saved from my other textbooks by
shopping around for the best prices? One fantastic idea is to place in a Roth IRA, and let it sit
and build principle and interest for a few years. One principle, Brother Marsh always stresses in
this class, is invest it into your 401K if you already have it. If during the course of a four year
degree one can save $200/semester that comes out to be $400 a year and $1600 over the four
year degree. Lets imagine that we are able to build 8% interest on that, using the rule of 72 we
are able to estimate that in 54 years, when I plan to retire, that $1600 will be worth somewhere
around $102,400!!! Just by saving and investing smartly the money I saved off of textbooks,
there should be enough money to have a great family reunion, and maybe even help put my
grandkids through college!
4. As I've made very clear, saving money on textbooks can go a very long way for college
students. Just by buying used, and shopping around to find the lowest possible prices, I may
have cut a year or two off of my point of choice. Combined with great other million dollar
choices, I can retire at a much younger age than the average American. The real trick is to be
disciplined enough to save money in certain areas, then have the control to take the money you
saved, and invest it wisely in a diversified portfolio.
Student #8 Text books are a necessary evil at college and as a general rule shouldn’t be ignored.
You hear the horror stories every year about the book store gouging us poor college students
and then stiffing us on the buy back. The sad thing is that most of the horror stories are true and
aren’t exaggerated. While some give up hope, eat the costs and chalk it up as a loss there are
ways to save money and make your college less taxing on you or whoever might be funding your
precious education.
1. One of the best ways to save money is to plan ahead. Make sure that you are in touch with
your teachers for the upcoming semester and know what to expect for the class. Some classes
will have books that change almost every year and others haven’t changed in decades. But the
teacher is ultimately responsible for what will be used in class. Once you know what to expect
you can start shopping for the best deal.
2. Use online resources. Because you were so good at finding out ahead of time what you will
need, you can use places like www.amazon.com or www.half.com. Also some campuses offer
book trading or swapping websites, like BYU’s webpage, bookexchange.byu.edu
3. Always buy used books. Unless your teacher specifically says that you have to get a brand new
book, always buy used. If it is possible you could think about putting off that class until the next
semester and get the book for much less or possibly do a book swap with a classmate that is
going to take a class that you have already done. New books are usually never less than $100
and are on average about $150 and when you have to buy five or six books it can really hurt.
According to NACS (National Association of College Stores) in the 2006-07 year books costs
students $702 a semester at a four year university. Buying used books could potentially cut that
cost in half or more.
4. Check with siblings. I found my siblings had more books than I thought and simply asking
those that are, or have been in school recently about books or classes they had might prove
helpful.
5. Split the cost with a friend. Depending on the class and the amount of time that you will be
spending in the book, it might be worth it to buy a book with a friend, split the cost and share
the book. This will require you to spend a little more time working out a schedule of who will
have the book when but can be worth your time.
6. Get rid of it when your done. There are many students that feel that the books that they get
are an asset to them and will be good for reference in the future. This might be true for very few
books over the course of your entire college education. Most of the time the material will
change or you won’t use it. It would be better to sell the book back while its still has worth.
Your potential savings are only limited by the amount of time and energy that you spend looking
for what you need. There have been semesters where the cost of both my wife and my books
combined were less than $150 because we took the time to look for the best deals we could.
Books, like tuition will always be a cost of going to school, but unlike tuition if you know where
to look you can cut your costs significantly and put that money towards the next semester or
other important things, like food or housing