Fighting the book budget

The first year of college brings many new surprises. Between roommates, unusual professors and campus food, you would think that the shock ends there; that is, until you see your first term textbook bill.

With the inflated food prices and the escalated gas prices, textbooks are the last factor you want to see become a product of price gauging. Before deciding that you can only survive off of 15-cent Top Ramen, it would behoove you to look for the alternatives to buying the newest editions of texts from the PSU bookstore.

For me, once I know which books my professors will require, I immediately price compare online at Amazon.com. They ship from Roseburg, Ore., so you can get them quickly, usually with free shipping, and get a discount for ordering from their company. This often seems the easiest source, but even then, sometimes the texts are still expensive even with the price break.

Many math and science books come out with new editions nearly every year, making the supply of used copies nonexistent. With a limited print run of the previous edition, professors cannot always order the older edition in enough quantities to supply the whole class.

This is not the professor’s fault, so students shouldn’t blame them for this unfortunate routine, but it works as a money-machine for the textbook publishers.

To avoid this sad little scam, find out when the last edition came out. If it was only a year ago, try e-mailing your professor and ask if there have been any significant changes or if he or she would have any problem with you using the old edition if you can find one. Sometimes the new editions do have significant changes and could affect your professor’s lesson plan, so better to ask then regret the decision later.

The PSU bookstore won’t always carry the older editions, but you have alternatives for finding them. To being with, Amazon.com has a used textbook section online, so if you’re already purchasing books from them, you could also search there.

If Amazon doesn’t have it, there are other online alternatives, such as Alibris.com and Ecampus.com. Also, don’t forget Powell’s City of Books. Even if they do not carry the specific title in their Burnside store, you can still shop local by buying through them online.

Sadly, there are some books you simply cannot avoid buying. Some textbooks are bundled in packages and cannot be sold alone. If your budget is still too tight to purchase your texts, or you can’t find a used or cheaper text, don’t be afraid to find out from your professor how vital the book is to the class or how much it will be used.

Perhaps the book will only really be used for a chapter or two. If that’s the case, maybe you could buddy-up with a classmate and split the cost of a book, saving you time and giving you a study partner.

This summer, Congress passed legislation requiring publishers to sell all bundled books unbundled, which would help, except that legislation doesn’t take effect until July 2010. Nonetheless, don’t let the textbook moguls prevent you from enjoying your college experience. There is always a way to try to budget, even on the expensive textbooks.