Ask Mary: High Cost of College Text Books
Posted by Mary Caraccioli | Filed under education
Time again to answer your questions. This one got my attention from Jackie of Richmond, VA.
Mary, How can we save money on the cost of college text books? – Jackie
JACKIE, THANKS FOR THE QUESTION. THE HIDDEN BUDGET BUSTER OF COLLEGE IS TEXT BOOKS. THEY COST A FORTUNE! HERE ARE MY THREE SUGGESTIONS FOR SAVING.
1) BUY USED. I FIND YOU GET THE BEST PRICES ONLINE – RATHER THAN BUYING USED THROUGH THE SCHOOL BOOK STORE.
2) USE THE LIBRARY– MOST SCHOOLS REQUIRE THAT ALL TEXT BOOKS BE MADE AVAILABLE AT THE SCHOOL’S LIBRARY. THE BOOKS ARE FREE. THE DOWNSIDE, OFTEN TIMES YOU CAN’T CHECK THEM OUT. THAT MEANS THE READING HAS TO BE DONE IN THE LIBRARY.
3) RENT THEM. A FEW NEW WEBSITES ARE USING “THE NETFLIX MOVIE MODEL” FOR BOOKS, INCLUDING TEXT BOOKS. YOU RENT, READ AND THEN SEND BACK.SEARCH FOR “RENT TEXTBOOKS” AND SEVERAL OPTIONS WILL POP UP. GOOD LUCK!!!
Thank you for all of your great questions. Keep them coming! While there are many to sort through, some common themes appear. Here is my approach: I pick questions that represent the topics that get asked about the most. My hope is by answering one, I am helping many more. Let me know if you want more detail. Just click the ASK MARY tab.
