Books form a very important part of our lives. It seems like with every year the price of books keep getting higher, and on an average a student pays almost $1000 for books alone. College can be expensive with tuition, lab, room fees not to mention paying for food, clothing, laptop etc. If you are struggling with college expenses and want to save some cash on your text books, here are some money saving ideas.

Find out

To save money, first you need to find out exactly what textbooks are recommended by your professors. But you have to do this well before hand, otherwise you will miss the best deals. Get all necessary details about the books, such as the author's name, required edition etc.

College Library

Your college library will certainly be having some of these books, borrow them and have a copy taken. Most of the times the copy will be much lesser than the price of the original book. Don't forget to do the calculations before you take the copies though.

Older edition

Older versions may be much cheaper than the newer ones. Ask your professor if the older edition of the same material can be used. If there are only a few changes, you can take a copy of those chapters or pages alone, by comparing with the new material. You will be saving considerably by not buying a brand new edition.

Ask around

Ask if any of your seniors have the book; they will gladly sell it to you at a lower cost. The trick here is to be patient, if you want to save. To get a good bargain, you need to realize that you cannot get all the books at the same place.

Download

The only thing that sounds better than cheap books is free books. Check the Internet if the material is available in a PDF or e-book format for free download. You will surely find various books of the related subject that can be used as reference. With some research, you can easily find e-books and reference material free of charge. Readers can even download the e-books for free and view them on their computer.

Buy

Garage sales and second hand book stores will often have books you need at a low cost. Online shops are another great idea to purchase cheap college textbook. There are various online sites that sell college textbooks; as long as they are reputable and established there shouldn't be any problem. Ordering books early is also an easy way to ensure the cheapest rates without the overnight shipping costs. Many of these sites offer a discount if you order many books from the same site.

College bookstore

College bookstores often have the needed books, jot down the prices and compare them with the price of the books outside the campus. This way you will know whether or not you are getting a good deal. But don't wait too long, otherwise all the cheap books will be sold out.

Sell

Remember there are many students out there looking for cheap books just like you. So be sure you maintain your books well, and sell them at the right price. Cover the book and keep markings minimal, using only pencil markings. You can either sell to an individual or to a used bookstore.

ISBN

Check for the ISBN (The International Standard Book Number) that is used to identify books. This will ensure that you are purchasing the exact book you require, as sometimes the author's name, edition etc can be confusing.

Keep in mind

1.The books you buy second hand, may have certain pages missing which maybe crucial for you. So it is better to check before purchasing.
2.Keep track of all the sites that you have ordered the books from. This way you can contact them if the delivery of the books are delayed.
3.Order early, to get the best deals and to leave ample time for your books to arrive.
4.Maintain your books well, in order to resell them at a good rate.
5.Check bulletin boards in your college to see if any books are sold second hand by your seniors or friends.