ASHLEY DAY
CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

With America’s current stale economy, rising Cal State tuition, expensive parking and skyrocketing gas prices, students need to save as much cash as possible this semester. Here are tips on ways to save on textbooks, one of the hardest hitting expenses of college life.

Rent your textbooks

Websites such as Chegg.com and ecampus.com allow students to rent their textbooks for a lower price than purchasing the textbook. Chegg.com’s mission statement is to save students money and keep the cost of textbooks to a minimum. Also, renting books allows the student to pick the timeframe they want to keep the textbook. The less time the book is kept, the less it costs.

Amazon.com

Amazon offers a cheap marketplace for buying and selling textbooks. College students may sign up for Amazon Student, which the website reads “free two-day shipping for six months with Amazon Prime shipping benefits, as well as exclusive offers via e-mail.” Amazon also allows students to sell back their textbooks at the end of the semester, by signing up as an Amazon seller. Students can gain back a portion of the money they used to purchase the book.

Course Reserves

Ask your professor if they put any of the required course materials on course reserve. If they did, you many go into the third floor of the library and check out the textbook for two hours. Students are not permitted to leave the library with the book, but you may copy the pages using a print card on any floor of the library. This is a great option if your professor only assigned a couple pages or chapters of the book.

Share with a classmate/friend

Save money by splitting the cost of the book with a classmate or friend. Most people are happy to share textbooks with other students, if they are strapped for cash.

If you need assistance in getting any required course materials, talk to your professor in office hours; most of the time, your professor can help you devise a way to get what you need.