College is expensive and if you are lucky enough to be able to afford tuition, you still have to come up with enough money to buy all of the necessary tools and supplies for each semester or quarter.

College textbooks are some of the most expensive college materials that you will have to buy.

Some books can cost hundreds of dollars and after your class if over, you are stuck with a bunch of heavy, large books that you no longer want or need.

Before you go to the college bookstore and spend thousands of dollars on new textbooks, consider these tricks to help you save money on them.

The cost of college textbooks in the US has risen faster than the cost of healthcare, house prices and inflation.

— Facts In Your Face (@FactsInYourFace) August 11, 2014

Rent The Books
Did you know that you can rent college textbooks? This is a great option if you have a lot of general courses and don’t plan on keeping your books to reference in other classes. When you rent textbooks you can’t write in them and you have to be very careful with them. You can rent your books for a fraction of the cost of buying them.

Buy Used
The Internet and websites like Craigslist have made it easy for you to find anything used and for sale. Used books are much cheaper than new ones. Check out online classified websites, online auction sites or even check with your friends and classmates. Some college bookstores will buy back books and sell them used as well.

Use Electronic Books
Nowadays, everything is online and many college professors are fine with students using the electronic version of a textbook instead of a paper version. You may need to carry your laptop to class with you if you plan to go electronic, but you can download the electronic version of a textbook for a much lower price than buying the paper version.

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