5 Tips to Save Money on Textbooks

This option is available for most University Store purchases, as well as online retailers such as Amazon and Chegg. It usually runs a little cheaper than buying your textbook, and you don't have to worry about selling it back or trying to get rid of it at the end of the semester!

Most students know about this money saving trick, but it's an old standby for a reason. Not only is it cheaper, but in some cases, students can get by with older editions of textbooks, which are not only substantially cheaper, but are often unavailable on campus.

I personally have seen some of the textbooks assigned in my college courses end up on the shelves of places like Goodwill, Night Heron, and even the Albany County Library book sales. Students might also want to join local Facebook garage sale groups and watch for posts from students trying to sell their old textbooks.

If you are a Kindle or Nook user, search for your textbook in your device's bookstore. Ebooks are often much cheaper than actual books, and will take up far less space in your backpack and on your bookshelf.

Although this tip works best for English majors, Coe Library carries textbooks for multiple subjects that are usually available for checkout. The best part is that it's totally free!