After lots of thought, discussion and planning, I've come to a major decision that I plan on following through with - returning to school to complete the degree program that I've been working on for longer than I care to dwell on.
Two of the struggles with returning were time away from home and the costs associated with returning.
I was attempting to not take out any additional student loans and pay for classes out of pocket using the payment program my school offered. The payment plan does not account for books so that's an expense that I'd have to pay upfront on my own - one that I was definitely dreading.
From previous experiences I knew that purchasing textbooks could be a headache - a very expensive headache.
One of my textbooks this semester brand new is $202. Used will run me $151.50. Honestly - that's still a bit out of my budget. We're talking almost a week's worth of daycare for a book I'll use for 3 months and then never look at again!
Enter textbook renting! I love this concept and wish it was more popular when I first began taking courses umpth years ago! The cost to rent the same book for the semester is $77.06 on Campus Book Rentals:
Another trick I learned a few years ago is to speak to the professor about using a previous edition. Many times the difference between one edition and another are barely noticeable and doesn't affect the your ability to use the book and follow along with lectures and complete assignments. Most professors will let you know if it's okay to use the older edition because they understand that most adult students have so many other expenses they are attempting to balance in order to complete their educational goal. The previous edition of this same book is only $12.62 to rent for an entire semester! I will definitely be reaching out to the instructor for this course to see if she's okay with me using a previous edition!
Another reason I enjoy renting textbooks is that you're allowed to take notes and highlight in the books as use them - meaning that I often get valuable information from previous users of the books that help provide extra insight into the course objectives.
Another reason I enjoy renting textbooks is that you're allowed to take notes and highlight in the books as use them - meaning that I often get valuable information from previous users of the books that help provide extra insight into the course objectives.
Campus Book Rentals has been in business since 2007 and there's no shipping costs involved with receiving or returning the books! They, also, offer:
~ No membership fees - you pay to rent the book(s) you need and there aren't any recurring monthly costs
~ 30 day risk free returns
~ live customer support
~ flexible rental periods (you can set your return dates if you need the book for a specific date range other than a semester or quarter!)
~ they give back to the community by partnering with Operation Smile and setting aside funds for textbook scholarships in our communities
As far as time away from my family - this upcoming semester I will be doing a mix of traditional face-to-face and online courses. The face-to-face course will be during my lunch break three days a week. I'm open with my kiddos and they know the long-range benefits of Mommy finishing this degree and we're all willing to make the short-term sacrifices.
Any other divas taking the back-to-school plunge this year? How do you balance work-life-school-home? Have you used an online book rental service before? Any tips on how to cut costs with back-to-school expenses?
Wish me luck, Divas!!!
~ No membership fees - you pay to rent the book(s) you need and there aren't any recurring monthly costs
~ 30 day risk free returns
~ live customer support
~ flexible rental periods (you can set your return dates if you need the book for a specific date range other than a semester or quarter!)
~ they give back to the community by partnering with Operation Smile and setting aside funds for textbook scholarships in our communities
As far as time away from my family - this upcoming semester I will be doing a mix of traditional face-to-face and online courses. The face-to-face course will be during my lunch break three days a week. I'm open with my kiddos and they know the long-range benefits of Mommy finishing this degree and we're all willing to make the short-term sacrifices.
Any other divas taking the back-to-school plunge this year? How do you balance work-life-school-home? Have you used an online book rental service before? Any tips on how to cut costs with back-to-school expenses?
Wish me luck, Divas!!!
~~Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post, but all experiences, scenarios and opinions are mine.~~
This doesn't work for everyone, but if you have a trustworthy friend taking similar classes you can share books and split the cost. Obviously it needs to be the right situation, but I've heard that it works great for a lot of people.
ReplyDeleteAlso, good luck with the new classes!
Definitely a good idea if you have a friend/co-worker taking the same class as you! Thanks for sharing and thanks for the well wishes :)
DeleteGood luck, we'll be here to support you!
ReplyDeleteAnd I so appreciate it :-)
DeleteI wish you good luck with back to school. I never used the renting system but it sounds awesome. I also used Albris.com to check out the prices from other bookstores and ordered it.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite was to see if I can use the book swap program that my school had, but not many people knew about it.
Great tips! Thanks for the information!
DeleteI wish you the best of luck!!! I have been contemplating returning as well to finish up my MBA but...I am not there yet. The book rental program sounds great!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much!
Delete