by Maria C Collins

Created on: May 05, 2010

College textbooks are expensive, especially after you have already paid your tuition fees. Course tutors usually provide a reading list and for some courses, the price can really mount up alarmingly fast. You can save money on books by being a bit canny. Here is how to cut the book bill down to size.

Wait until you meet your course tutor before buying your books. Sometimes it is not necessary to buy every book on the reading list. Tutors often give course materials out during the course that obviate the need for some of the textbooks. Your tutor will tell you which books are essential and which are just nice to have. There may be a book on the reading list for which you will use one chapter; you could borrow that one from the college library if you reserve it early enough.

Sometimes bookshops in University towns are more expensive than bookshops in other towns. Go to a town or city that has a number of bookshops and see if you can pick up a bargain. If you are studying a subject where the facts do not change quickly, it could be worth buying an earlier edition of the textbook than the one on the reading list.

Look on the internet to buy your textbooks cheaper than in the university bookshop. E bay or Amazon both have some very good deals.

You do not necessarily have to have new books you could buy used textbooks.

Look in your local newspaper to buy used textbooks locally. The faculty students’ notice board or other notice boards in student areas at college will have pleading little cards from students begging you to buy their textbooks from last year. The university bookshop may also sell used textbooks at a fraction of the cost new. Your tutor may also have a limited number of used textbooks for sale. These are good ways to buy used textbooks, as you can look the goods over before you buy.

 You could buy used textbooks online at Amazon or eBay. Be careful to check the seller’s ratings and feedback before making any purchase.

Textbooks are a major financial outlay for students. There are ways that you can save money on books but you have to think creatively and decide whether you need all the books on the reading list, then whether you need the edition of the book that is on the reading list. Then you have to decide whether you need a new copy of the book or whether a second hand one would serve your need. If you are canny about buying your textbooks, you will save money that you can spend on other things, like food.

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