Textbook prices have risen more than 180% in the past decade. I’m just guessing, but chances are your budget has not! Unless you enjoy giving money away, here are four ways to slash your book budget and save your money for more important things (like food)!
1. NEVER BUY NEW. Every “college on a shoestring” article will tell you this one. Good advice. You’re in college, you know how to Google. Go forth and find book resellers. Also, check out book RENTING and watch out for open source online textbooks. Options are expanding every day.
2. Follow a plan. Knee jerk course enrollments that you later change leave you stuck with textbooks you may have to resell for pennies. You only have to do this once to know you NEVER want to do it again.
3. Only buy the books you NEED. This sounds obvious, but we have all spent valuable dollars on books we never read. Talk to the professor, grad assistant and past students ahead of time to make sure ALL listed books are really needed. Courses do change, but this is time well spent. Some books may be barely referenced. Are some of the books” share-able”? Partner up with classmates to share the load. (Study Procrastinators should probably buy their own copy.)
4. Plan ahead. Post for expensive books with this semester’s class. They hate practically giving away their books to the bookstore or hassling with online options. Find a student with rent to pay and you can snag books for an entire course at a bargain price! (Offer brownies as a bonus and you will be embarrassed by the response. )
5. Build relationships. The class ahead of you in your major will take most of your classes just ahead of you.
Information saves you money every time. Buyer beware. Always check for course /professor changes and do the homework to avoid getting burned. Develop the habit of planning ahead and laugh your way past those lines stretching outside the bookstore. Become a smart shopper and even the exorbitant textbook market won’t sink your budget battleship!
Bonus Brilliance: Keep an Excel spreadsheet on what your books would have cost, and what you actually spent. You’ll end up with great data to prove to lenders, parents and potential employers that you are an exceptional planner and budget expert!
Zero Budget Brilliance by Marcey J. Walsh ©2008
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Marcey J. Walsh is a national speaker, trainer and consultant specializing in transitions and can be reached athttp://www.strategicbrilliance.com or at 248-892-6966 |
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