You can’t wait to get into that Psych 101 class.  It sounds so interesting and the professor has a great reputation and the textbook….the textbook cost $150 bucks!  What?  Textbooks for a semester of college can have an outrageous price tag attached.  A single semester of required college texts can run up to $600.  Just when you thought the financial piece of the college puzzle had ended, the dreaded textbook bill looms.

I started thinking about it as I read this article in the Wall Street Journal about the high cost of college text books and the increasing debate regarding the burden those costs put on already strapped college students. Traditionally, students have purchased their textbooks at the campus bookstore in the hopes of selling the used book back at the end of the term.  The problem is that the resale value of the text isn’t even close to the original cost.  Students can feel duped and stuck with a book they may never use again.

In recent years, financially savvy students have turned to the web to seek out inexpensive alternatives and, not surprisingly, they have found them.  Sites like Amazon and Half.com offer used textbooks at a fraction of the cost of what campus bookstores charge. 

Another growing trend is the idea of renting textbooks from a site such as Chegg.com.  The idea is simple.  Rent, read and return the books for pennies on the dollar.  It is kind of like Netflix for books!  If that isn’t enough to entice you to go the rental route, Chegg.com will plant a tree for every textbook you rent.  Saving money and saving the earth…your parents will think you are so responsible!

Best,
Kerry