How to Save (or Make Back) Money on College Textbooks

This is a sponsored post, meaning I have received goods or monetary compensation in exchange for this post.  However, as always, all opinions are 100% my own!

My husband, Ben, just finished his Master's program.  I am SO glad that he is finally done!  It was exhausting (for both of us) and so stinking expensive.  You'd think that with being so frugal I would have helped him find his books for as cheap as possible, but I didn't.  Though, really, I was pretty impressed that he looked around on a couple sites before buying his books.  I wish we would have done better at finding ways to save money on all his super expensive books.  Those books add up!  Here are two excellent ways to save big on your college text books:

1. Rent instead of buy your books.

Other than hunting Craigslist or eBay for books, I was relatively unaware that there were any other options for saving money on books.  Campus Book Rentals is an incredible way to save on those costly books.  Instead of buying your books, you can simply rent them.  Isn't that awesome?  Typically, you can save between 40-90% off of your books, which is huge.  I love that shipping is free both ways, and if you happen to not need your book after all, you can just return it within 21 days.

I was always a highlighting type studier, so renting books before would have been an out of the question option for me.  Campus Book Rentals totally allows highlighting!  Seriously, I don't think this option for saving money on college books could get any better.

I always enjoy supporting companies that like to "give-back".  It makes me feel good about where my money is going.  With every book rented, Campus Book Rentals donates to Operation Smile.  Operation Smile is an international charity which provides free surgeries to children (and adults) born with cleft lip and/or cleft palate.  It really is an amazing organization.  I spent a good deal of time on their site.  I didn't fully realize what a huge deal a cleft lip/palate was until I saw their pictures and read their stories.  Go check them out, it'll be worth your time!

2. Rent out your books when you're done.

If you happened to have already bought your books, however, a perfect way to make back some of your money is by utilizing RentBack.com.  Instead of selling your book back to the school's buyback program, you can use Rent Back and make 2-4 times more money!  Basically, this website allows you to rent your books to other students.  All you have to do is ship your books to them, and they will rent out your books and pay you!  Almost no work, with a much better return than other options.  As long as your book is in demand, they will keep renting it, and you will keep getting paid.

If you are in college, or have kids in college, these sites are an excellent way to save (or make back) a little extra cash!  College is already so expensive.  There's no reason the books have to be, too!