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Articles & Tips
Money-Saving Ideas, Information, Site Help and Resources

Rent, download or buy used to save a lot.

Its back to school time and it seems like you’re blowing your entire budget on single-use books.

Fact: Students are spending up to $600 a year on books at community colleges, $900 a year at the state level, and well into the $1300 dollar range at some private schools, med school, and other upper echelon education facilities.

That’s a lot of money! Even if it is dad’s money…he would appreciate it so much if you could save him up to 60% on expensive college textbooks every single year, year after year.

The are many alternatives to standing in line at the university bookstore and racking up a huge bill for brand new textbooks. Right now we’ll show you five ways you can save big money every semester on books that you buy for school.

1. Don’t go “print,” go “printable.”

Yes, you read it right. Printable textbooks are becoming as mainstream as that dreaded math class. Imagine being able to download a textbook (the entire book) or only the portion you need, like a single chapter, and pay just for the chapter(s) you need.

Buying a single chapter or multiple chapters electronically can save you literally hundreds of dollars a year, and you’re not limited to reading it on your computer. Downloaded textbooks and chapters are printable documents that make them easy to use wherever you may be. And should you ever need to re-access the information, you have a saved, printed version. Now you won’t have to waste time on Facebook or texting friends asking to borrow their books!

[Tip: Visit CengageBrain, CourseSmart, and eBooks.com for a large selection of printable textbooks.]

2. Be a Renter, Not a Buyer.

You’ll never “own” the information in a book, so why “own” the book? Instead keep the information tucked safely away in your brain where it should be and save money on textbooks by renting books by the month, project, semester, or longer.

Similar to downloading ebooks, renting college textbooks saves you money and you get the book you need as a less expensive alternative to new textbooks.

Renting is a lot like buying used textbooks. The books arrive in good condition, are usable, have all their pages and you save money. However with renting college textbooks you’re only paying for the time you need, then you return the book.

If you decide to rent college textbooks you’ll save yourself about 70% over buying the same books in brand new condition. This means you can actually rent more books than you budgeted for such as alternative readings, unexpected lab books, etc.

The other benefit to renting is that you’re not sacrificing a tree to earn an “A” in Micro-Fungal Theory, so your personal “carbon footprint” is reduced, making for a happier planet.

[Tip: Two popular online providers of rental textbooks are Chegg and Campus Book Rentals.]

3. Buying Used – Now a Much Cheaper and Safer Option

Yes, in bygone years there were real life horror stories about buying used books, but those days are [click to continue…]

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Hire meIn light of today’s economy, looking for a new job is a daunting, intimidating task. With unemployment continuing to stay at an uncomfortably high rate nationwide, the availability of good paying jobs for most people is low. In spite of the poor job market though, it’s still possible to find and land a good job. Most people are well aware of the basic tools required to successfully venture into the job hunting market; however, many people are unaware of some newer tactics used by many companies to gather information about a potential candidate to fill a position in their company.

The following are a few important tips to consider when you’re pursuing a new career or contemplating a job change. These tips range from what not to include on your resume to carefully monitoring the information you put out on the Internet about yourself.

1. Carefully Edit Your Social Media Footprint

The advent of social media websites such as MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter has changed the way companies investigate potential employees. Regardless of whether we like it or not, most companies will check what you’re saying, what you’re involved in and try to glean a general idea of what type of person you are by looking through the sites and viewing your participation there. The profiles you have built on these various sites reflect your character. Companies will check these sites and determine if what they see about you is compatible with their business philosophy. They will also do a general search for you via the search engines to see what type of information appears about you. Again, what is on the Internet about you readily serves as a character reference to a potential employer. Be sure that what they find when they search speaks well of you and supports your efforts in your job hunting rather than serves as a detriment.

2. Be Able to Quickly Articulate Your Abilities and the Value You Bring to the Table

Create and refine your personal elevator pitch. It’s a two minute or less synopsis about yourself and your skills that you have rehearsed, that you have tucked away, and is ready to roll off your tongue whenever you [click to continue…]

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