Hey, College Kid!

Hi y'all! I know it's literally been FOREVER since I've written. I'm struggling with my blog, while balancing everything else. This move has definitely taken a toll on my "fun" - decorating, settling in, and now I've started my second semester of grad school for my Master's program!

If you're like me, you have close to $500.00 in college textbooks each SEMESTER. I'm not kidding... that number kills me. My first quarter (I started school when we had quarters, not semesters!), I spent $750.00 in BUYING books... want to know how many times I looked at those books after I bought them? ZERO.

I am not kidding you... I didn't open the books and they just sat in my room. Why? Selling back was going to give me $15.00 ... from the $750.00 I spent. Yes, yes, I know $15.00 is better than nothing, but I wasn't going to waste my time and just gave them to incoming freshman the next year that were taking the same classes...

But, multiply those textbook costs by 3 (for the 3 quarters) and you're already at $2,250. NO, I wasn't going to do that... no way, José!

So, the next semester I began renting my textbooks. Yeah, renting! Books that would cost me hundreds upon hundreds of dollars, I began saving anywhere from 40% to 90% off the sticker price. YES, I'm not kidding... that much. It was unbelievable and I knew something was up...

Nope, nothing was up.

CampusBookRentals.com gives students this amazing deal to rent textbooks (flexibly) instead of buying... should you need your books for another quarter - easy peasy. Just extend your rental period - for still LESS than you would pay to BUY the book.

The other perk is that, while you're not picking this book up at your local bookstore and instead, you're getting it shipped... shipping is FREE. Yes, free! BOTH WAYS. Whaaaat?! You get it shipped to you for no cost, and once you're done, shipping back is free! Cool, huh?

Oh - how many of you highlight in your books? Raise of hands - me! I have to.. it keeps me in line. Welp, with CBR, you can highlight, underline & take notes in any book - similar to what would happen if you BOUGHT the books. Only, you're not paying the same price!!

Beyond that... how many of y'all like to donate to different charities? Ever heard of Operation Smile? Well, it's a children's charity for cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries. How amazing is that?

Well, CampusBookRentals.com donates to Operation Smile with every single textbook rental. Now, if that's not a reason to use CampusBookRentals.com alone, I dunno what is!

Anyways... now that you know all about CBR, you should probably know about another program they run - RentBack.com. Those books that you've bought and don't want to sell back for next to nothing... well, they can go to RentBack.com and be rented to other students - just like you! For as long as the book is in demand, YOU get paid each time someone rents your textbook you "sold" back to RentBack.com.

Now, if you're still not sure what's up with all this and are a little uneasy about renting - why the heck should you rent versus buy?! - watch theis video below.




Now, how many of y'all are going to start renting?? I love renting and am SOOO happy I found out about the process before it was too late (and I was too in debt).

I hope that this post helps some of YOU save money in the long run. As college students, we all know about that "M" word.... or lack thereof ;)

Have a good night, y'all!