How To Save Money on Textbooks
It’s a known fact that college costs a lot of money, no matter where you attend. A miscellaneous fee that is easy to discount is money spent on textbooks. Here is how I have saved money on textbooks for my classes!
Buy secondhand books
Whether it be through Amazon or another vendor, secondhand books always cost less than a new one. Let’s be honest: you use a book *usually* for one semester (that’s around 15 weeks). You don’t need a brand new, mint-condition textbook just for 15 weeks. Especially not when buying a secondhand book is guaranteed to save you a little extra cash!
Rent the book
There are countless rental books available to Amazon Prime members. You are given the book for the duration of a semester, and you just ship it back once you’re done with the course, which is super easy thanks to the Amazon@UMass Store on campus. Unless you need the book for multiple semesters, this is a simple way to save money on textbooks. The rental books on Amazon are only a fraction of the full sale price!
Find an online PDF file
Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you can find PDF files of the chapters you need to read online that have already been uploaded. This is not too common, and therefore a less-reliable option, but to me it’s ideal. You don’t even need to order a book. You can just pull it up on your laptop!
Borrow it from a friend
If you know someone who has a book and doesn’t need it for that semester, ask them for it. As long as you give it back, borrowing the book saves you a lot of money for the semester and then you don’t have to have it laying around once you’re done with it (because you’ll return it).
Sell it when you’re done
There is an official Facebook group you’re added to for every entering freshman class at UMass once you’re officially committed. You can remain in the group throughout your entire UMass career. This is a great platform for selling books online, and searching for new books you may need. Lots of people post their offerings, usually at a discounted price because they’re just trying to get rid of it. If you’re in need of a book, or are trying to get rid of your old ones, definitely check out the UMass Facebook group. Or, if you know someone who needs a certain book you have, or vice versa, reach out! This is a (usually) cheaper way to find what you’re looking for.
Disclaimer: not all of these tips may be applicable, it really just depends on the course and the professor. Sometimes, you just have muster up $100 for the textbook. Believe me, I know it’s annoying, but you’ll get good use out of it. On even better occasions, some teachers don’t require a textbook, and they’ll post your readings (if any) to Moodle. I can truly vouch, however, that I haven’t spent as much money as I anticipated on textbooks in college!