Do you dread thinking about the money you’re going to waste on textbooks next semester? LUCent understands the struggle of deciding between buying your books or having money for groceries. With the average Loyola student spending $10-200 on one textbook and taking up to 6 classes, textbooks are just another reason we are low on money. Read on to find out how to save on next semester’s textbooks.
Ramblers’ Thoughts on Textbooks
Nick, 20, junior, shared his thoughts on textbooks. “I don’t buy my textbooks from the bookstore because I feel like they are really overpriced. I’m looking for ways to rent textbooks.”
Dan, 23, grad school, said his textbooks, “came out to about $1,000.” When asked what he could buy with that money, he said, “a plane ride! I rather go explore somewhere with my money instead of waste it on three textbooks.”
Kelly, 21, senior, said, “I’ve never had a textbook that I’ve never used, but I think the textbook companies make too much money off of us.”
When asked about her thoughts on textbooks, Sophie, 20, junior, said, “I have a problem with access codes. They are more money than books and they only last for a year. At least you can resell textbooks.” What’s the most money you’ve spent on textbooks? “I spent $780 [this semester],” Sophie said.
LUCent’s Ways to Save
Our first tip is to use bigwords.com and slugbooks.com to compare prices for books at a glance to ensure you’re getting the best deal. If you have to buy, always go the used route. Amazon is full of people reselling used books. Plus, you can take advantage of your free Prime student membership and get 2-day shipping. Don’t want to buy? Chegg always allows you to rent the book. Keep in mind that books that require access codes won’t come with the rented version. Our last tip is to wait to buy the books until a few weeks into classes. Many professors require books that you won’t even end up using. You can get by with borrowing the book from a friend or taking pictures of the pages when necessary.
Comment below or share with us on Facebook or Twitter the most amount of money you’ve spent on books. The highest amount gets a $10 Amazon gift card!
didn’t know about bigwords.com & slugbooks.com ! thank you!!
You’re welcome, Val! Check out our Twitter to stay up to date on our latest posts.
I wish leasing books was a thing when I was in undergrad. I graduated in 2005 and easily spent $700-$1,000 per semester on business textbooks. The sad part was turning around and selling those barely used textbooks I bought for $1,000 back to the university bookstore for $77.32. SMH
Sorry to hear that, Hugh. LUCent wishes you were able to rent textbooks, too! Check out our Twitter and Facebook to find more ways students can save money.
I forgot that grad school students still had to buy books lol.
Unfortunately they do, Amanda. Check out our Facebook @LUCent102 to stay up to date on our latest posts.
Thanks for featuring me in a post! So cool that I got to help you guys. I love reading your blog.
The most amount of money I’ve spent on books was $400 for fall 2015.
Wow, thats a lot of money. Thanks for your comment, Nick!
Thank you for being a part of our interview, Kelly!