Cutting Costs On Illustrated Anatomy Textbooks And More

By Judy Sullivan


After you have spent months meeting with guidance counselors, filling out college applications, visiting campuses, and going on interviews, no one can question the thrill you feel when you finally receive that acceptance letter from your first choice college. But that excitement can quickly turn to anxiety when you begin to think about all the expenses associated with student living: housing, illustrated anatomy textbooks, and everything else. There are lots of ways you can save on those costs, if you think ahead and use your resources. Ask around and find out how other students are coping with the same costs. Here are a couple of areas where you can save, and ideas for doing so.

Buying Your Books: This is often a rude awakening at the beginning of each semester. Even though many colleges give book vouchers, which advance some of your financial aid money, this can still be a burden. Here are some ways to save on books.

1. Use the Internet. There are many websites dedicated to book sales, and some that sell textbooks only. You can often find books for more than half off of the cover price, even when you consider shipping prices.

2.Ask around to other students in your program. They may be able to sell or lend you their books, or may have electronic copies.

3. Ask your college bookstore about used books and rentals. Buying the books used (if they are available) will save you a good percentage of the bookstore's price for new ones. Renting will be even cheaper, and let's be realistic; most people do not use their textbooks after they have finished a class.

Living Costs: This is a fantastic are in which to save. When you are in the middle of completing a fifteen page research paper, you don't want to suddenly find that you electricity is cut off or you can't pay the rent. Here are some ways to prevent those scenarios.

1. Live in the dorms. If your parents are covering your college expenses, or if you have received enough financial aid to cover more than just tuition, this may be a very sensible option for you. University housing plans often include meal plans, which will help you save money on food.

2. Live with other people. Having roommates, especially ones who are strangers, can be aggravating. However, it may be worth the aggravation if it will cut your living expenses down to a half or a third of what they would be otherwise. Perhaps you can even find friends to live with.

3. Live at home. If you are going to school in your hometown, continuing to live with your parents might turn out to be the wisest choice. It might seem like a horrible thing now, but if it will help you to save money and get on your feet more quickly, it is worth considering.

Starting college means that you have a thousand decisions to make in a short period of time. Planning ahead about the areas where you can save money will help to make these decisions easier. If you know that you have a budget and a plan, it will be much less painful to part with the money for those illustrated anatomy textbooks, student service fees, and all the other costs of being in college.




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