Thirty percent of the debt students owe after college graduation is due to the high cost of textbooks. Okay, I totally made that up, but it could definitely happen! Especially if you’re one of those rare people who still buys books from the campus bookstore and purchases the recommended readings. College textbooks are fucking expensive, and there’s no nicer way of putting it. With new versions constantly coming out, it’s sometimes hard to find a used copy on Amazon that won’t arrive halfway through the semester. After spending multiple years avoiding buying books at all costs, by my senior year I had a full proof method to never having to spend more than 100 per quarter on books. And even in those situations, I always made sure the book got passed on to someone next quarter, cause karma and stuff. Since most of you reading this are either broke or cheap, two things I definitely was while in college, here are my tips for never having to pay for college textbooks again.
While most libraries keep textbooks on reserve, meaning you cant check them out for more than a few hours at a time, novels usually go by different rules. If your course is asking you to buy a copy of a novel, chances are your library has a copy you are able to check out for weeks instead of hours. This is a great option if you are an English major who is faced with buying dozens of books every semester. This isn’t an ideal situation, but great for courses where you won’t be needing to use the book on a regular basis. We’ve all taken those classes where we only open the book before an exam, and we know which subjects we won’t waste time reading the book as the class goes along. Pinpoint which courses only use the book partially and which you won’t be reading regularly, and instead of purchasing the book take a few hours a week to go visit your library’s copy.
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If you live in any type of campus housing, this is your best option, especially if you’re early in your undergraduate degree. The first two years of college consist of thousands of people taking the same prerequisite classes, which sets you up for the perfect book swapping situation. Round up a large group of people and see what books everyone has accumulated. You can choose to just swap for the semester or permanently, depending on how attached you are to the books you bought.

When my best friend told me she had been using free PDF versions of textbooks for years, I was 1)pissed she didn’t tell me about this sooner and 2)shocked that was even an option. There’s no real rhyme or reason to which textbooks you can find online for free, at least not that I’ve figured out. Usually the older versions are up online but if you’re searching for something like a history textbook, chances are nothing more than the page numbers have changed. My recommendation is that you search the book title along with ‘free pdf version’ to find the best results.
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I’m not encouraging you to violate copyright law, or whatever those posters above all the printer/scanners on my campus say, I’m simply encouraging to get your reading done by any means necessary. Your campus will have a book on reserve, I’ve never heard of a college that doesn’t. Instead of taking the book and reading it for those few hours it’s yours, walk over to the scanner and make yourself a PDF copy. Emphasis on yourself! If you are jailed for selling an illegal PDF copy, that’s on you, we were never here.
What’s your best advice for saving money on college textbooks? Do you always buy used or try to get by without them at all?
I have a love hate relationship with Netflix. On the one hand, I love all the options available to stream. I am crazy about the fact that I can use my account from all my devices, and I can share that account with my mom. And the video quality, don’t get me started. Netflix is great, especially for those of us who like to binge our favorite series. Summer 2013 I did nothing but sit in my stretchy pants and watch Dawson’s Creek start to finish. I laughed. I cried. I overheated my laptop. On the other hand, I can’t stand Netflix. It’s tough to convince myself to pay monthly for shows I can watch on other websites for free. Is it legal? No. But I occasionally do it so don’t judge me. Plus, with my recent move across the country, I sort of need to start saving all my nickels and dimes.
April 17, 2021
WHY IS NETFLIX HARASSING ME | When Life Gives You Rubi
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My biggest problem with Netflix is more of a problem with the person I become when I have an account. An addict. That next episode button has stolen hours of my life and persuaded me into watching way too many episodes of early 2000s teen dramas.
I eventually cut ties with Netflix a few years ago for whatever reason *cough free options cough* and hadn’t thought about it since. Last summer though I spent a lot of time at home, a lot. I mentioned to my mom possibly starting a Netflix account again, she had no idea what I was talking about then I never thought about it again.
Somebody explain to me how a free trial offer pops up in my inbox the next day?
The next day!
Instances like this make me paranoid that someone is watching my mundane life from a satellite in space somewhere because how did they know? How did the people at Netflix know I was entertaining the idea of coming back and all I needed was a free trial period for them to sink their teeth into me. Since that day I’ve received other offers to start my second free trial, and like an addict it’s getting harder and harder to say no. I cant be with you Netflix! I’m moving soon, summer semester is killing me plus I’m job hunting, I just don’t have the time to devote to us right now! Then again, the offer expires at the end of August, so maybe I’ll take the bait as a reward for finding a job. Either way, Netflix has a great marketing and outreach team, because they found me just as I was playing with the idea of coming back. Seriously though, good job guys!
Do you guys have a Netflix account, and if you do, are you able to exit out after just one episode? What’s the longest you’ve ever sat and watched Netflix?