Ways to Reduce Costs of Books

The main way to reduce the cost of books comes down to one word: used. Used textbooks are a burgeoning industry. There are a number of sites online that offer to buy and sell used college textbooks. Used does not necessarily mean tattered old books filled with highlighting and notes in the margins. Often, used can just mean "pre-read" rather than "crumbling to dust."

If the cost of rising tuition wasn't bad enough, textbook costs are on the rise too. In some cases, textbooks can be $80 a pop for a textbook that you may only use for a few weeks out of the semester. Professors are helping out a bit by Xeroxing chapters, rather than insisting on purchasing a book, but there is only so much a book can be copied before it becomes copyright infringement.

The more specialized the class, the more expensive the textbooks will be. For example, it's pretty easy to find a cheap copy of "Great Expectations" if you're a literature major, but if you're a business or science major in a specialized field, you may need to purchase rare textbooks. The more popular the class, the less you'll generally have to pay for textbooks.

Some used textbooks can look brand new--maybe it was cracked open a couple of times. It's important to find a reputable used textbook dealer. If the dealer says "like new" it should be accurate. If you're really looking to cut costs, finding textbooks listed, as "fine" can be well below what you would pay for a new textbook. There also might be writing in the margins. Who knows, maybe the writing will be helpful.

Used textbooks are a two-way street. If you buy used textbooks, you can also think about selling your textbooks as well. This can be factored into your overall budget. You may not receive the whole price back, but something is better than nothing. If you are not able to sell the book to your college bookstore, check online outlets. There are sites specifically designed for college course materials.

Financial Aid

Basically, the high cost of new textbooks is inevitable. Publishers have been raising the price more and more. Textbook costs are rising at a higher rate than tuition. College students can look to be paying $200 at the very minimum for textbooks. At worst, textbooks can be $1,000 or even more. To some this is an impossible figure, so it is vitally important to factor this number into your overall expenses.

Certain financial aid packages, scholarships, grants, and other revenue sources will help with textbook costs. However, this is not true across the board. In addition, this grant money may be for "expenses" which you need to budget yourself. It is up to you to find cheap textbooks in order to keep your costs down.

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