When I was a student, I hated buying text books. For me, it just seemed like such a ripoff. Every single year, a newly revised edition of a text book would come out. This textbook is generally between 1-5% more expensive then the last edition. I decided to go against the system, so I printed all of my books.

It was certainly not the right thing but it was the cheap alternative. Instead of paying $50-$100 per book, I was spending 1/10th of that amount. I would photocopy each chapter we were using and place it in a folder. So what are a few alternatives to buying the fully-priced textbooks?

1. Your School Library

   At my Universities library, they had each textbook available for borrowing. You were not allowed to take it out of the library, but if you were studying you could take it out for three hours at a time. Perfect for someone who wants to get study work done without buying the textbook.

2. Purchase Second Hand Textbooks

   Some textbooks can be used second hand. Generally there are extremely small changes in the book, that you can just scratch out or add on. If there are a few pages difference, photocopy the new pages and just add it into your second hand book. You can find second hand textbooks on Craigslist or eBay.

3. Rent textbooks online

   There are websites that rent out your textbooks for you. With a saving of between 40% and 70% you can’t go wrong with this option. You can rent out the books for an entire semester, one quarter or sixty days.

4. Print your books

   If you want to be naughty like me, just photocopy your textbook. You can either do it chapter by chapter (as you work) or get it all done at the beginning of the year. I would print out chapter by chapter because occasionally we would be told to leave out entire sections. I would not print out these pages (saving paper!)

5. Find the ebook

   A few really considerate students are scanning in their textbooks and providing an online version of it. Some publishers are even offering the eBook for a fraction of the price of the actual hard-cover version of the text book. See if you can find an ebook version of your textbook to save space and money.

You don’t NEED to purchase your textbooks. Save money by looking for an alternative solution for your textbook needs.