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As summer draws to a close, many students are preparing to head back to college. The inevitable textbook buying frenzy of the first few weeks of school can be a stressful hassle, especially for freshmen who aren't sure where to buy the best and cheapest books, but purchasing the always expensive texts puts a strain on everyone's wallet. Fortunately, there are ways to avoid spending a fortune on books, leaving students with enough pocket money to get the coffee they'll need to make it to class on time in the mornings!

Comparing the prices of books online to the price of books sold in a campus bookstore is a great way to make sure students are getting the best deals on your books. Sometimes a campus store will have the best price, but shopping around before heading back to school is most likely going to save a lot of time and money.

It's also a good idea to buy books early. Most professors will have a list of required textbooks available soon after class registration, and the prices of books tend to skyrocket just before school starts. The earlier books can be bought the better the prices will be. That said, in some cases, it might be better to make sure the book is necessary before money is spent on it; this is especially true of large lecture classes where notes taken in class may be able to replace an expensive book.

There are numerous websites that sell cheap textbooks, and checking those out before heading to campus bookstores can save students hundreds of dollars. Websites like eBay are great places to check for used books; be careful to make sure to purchase the correct edition of the book you need -even if the book is cheap, it won't be of any use in class if it's the wrong one.

Half.com is a subsidiary of eBay that specializes in textbooks. It does not function as an auction website, and the prices are often well within a student's budget. Half makes an excellent alternative to trying to win a book auction on eBay where the price can increase rapidly as multiple students try to get the same cheap book. Avoiding the auctions and buying cheap books makes an excellent combination.

Amazon.com is another great website to check out. A book that costs hundreds of dollars in a college bookstore will probably be available for eighty or ninety dollars on Amazon; although the savings might not seem like much at first, they will add up, especially if you need multiple books for classes. Some used books on Amazon will be available for pennies, plus the cost

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