Okay guys, it's close to the end of August and the beginning of September, so we all know what that means...

BACK TO SCHOOL!

Now, for all of my high school friends, good luck and enjoy your year!

Now for my college friends, going back to school is not as easy as getting a new wardrobe and some school supplies. Going back to college consists of filling out the FAFSA (please give us divine guidance to get through that!), working on scholarships, finding grants, and trying to get private loans to pay for the rest of tuition. Through blood, sweat, tears and plenty of stress we somehow figure all of that out and are enrolled into another year in college. Now, that tuition is paid, all you have to do now is get a new wardrobe and supplies, right? HAHA WRONG! You have forgotten the dreaded college textbook cyclone (we all know this means the terrible whirlwind of mandatory textbooks, that total out to the down payment of a small car).

In this article I am going to provide you with some useful tips and websites to find your college textbooks cheap. So, for those of you that are just starting college and do not realize how expensive textbooks cost, let me give you a little insight...

This semester I am taking 18 credits. For my classes I need like 13-14 books (for six classes), that's crazy right? My school, like most, has a bookstore where we can order our books. When I selected all of my books the total was $1,400.00!! I for sure cannot afford $1,400.00. I had a textbook budget of $450.00, so what did I do? I used the handy dandy internet to find cheaper prices. I feel like I did a really good job. I ordered all of my textbooks for under $285.00 and had enough left over to get a much needed laptop! As one fellow [poor] college student to another [college student], I would like to share my wisdom with you! My top websites to order books from is the following (they are in no particular order):

1. Abebooks.com

2. Valorebooks.com

3. Half.com

4. Amazon.com

5. TextbookRush.com

These websites are a life (and money) saver!

Now, some words of the wise kind. Always compare the prices of each and every book on the different websites. For instance Abebooks might have your Psychology book cheaper than Valorebooks, but Valorebooks might have your Sociology textbook cheaper than Abebooks. Moral of the story is to always compare prices. Hint two, search for online coupon codes. You never know when you might find an online coupon code that takes ten percent off of an order (can anyone say, "um yes please?!"). Another awesome little tidbit is that most of these websites offers free shipping depending on how much the order is (in my experience you generally get the free shipping and if not you can generally find a coupon code for free shipping [refer to hint two]).

Most of these places also allow you to sell your old books, but another idea (that is beneficial to you and the lucky buyer) is to just sell them to other kids on campus. Since you are getting the books in pretty good conditions (always remember the newer the book, the more expensive they get) for a cheap price you can get back close to the amount of money you spent on them! Also for those of you who think getting a newer version of a textbook is worth it because you think it might be embarrassing if you show up to class with a used copy, you should not feel that way. Kids in college are more understanding than kids in high school (well most of the time, they are), you will not be judged for coming in with a used copy, because a solid 95% of the campus population is in possession of used textbooks!

I hope this was helpful, and that buying your textbooks are less of a hassle for you (and your bank account)! Happy textbook hunting and have a great Fall Semester!!