How to save money on textbooks

Confession: It's day two of the spring semester here at Mississippi State and I'm already irritated. Why? TEXTBOOKS ARE WAY TOO EXPENSIVE.

Grumbling about the cost of four small books for my ethics class, I ran into two friends at our bookstore. Their professor sent them to the bookstore for a "textbook:" photocopied pages contained in a five star ring notebook. The price? EIGHTY DOLLARS.

Here's what Barnes and Noble (our authorized campus bookstore) estimates for my spring semester. Keep in mind, I'm taking five classes with a combined total of eight books:
Used: $406.80 (average price: $50.85 per book)
New: $542.40 (average price: $67.80 per book)

That's absolutely TERRIBLE. I'm a communication major, so I can only imagine what it is for engineering majors, especially with all the custom-edition books out there. (Custom-edition is code for really expensive books written by a professor at your university. These books cannot be resold, even at the authorized campus bookstore.) Granted, the authorized campus bookstore is never where you want to go buy your books, but it gives you an estimate as to what most college students are currently facing these days.

Let's face it - most of us don't have that kind of money for textbooks. If I bought all those required books, I would be spending all the money I made over Christmas break, which is supposed to cover my food, gas, Internet, and part of rent for the rest of the semester. Not happening.

Here are my suggestions and alternatives for students:
1. Go around and start begging for books. Put in your Facebook status ("I need books for sociology, nutrition, and geography", etc.), tell your friends, ask your teachers, etc.
2. Don't really need to buy the book? Your school library (or an area library) may have it. (I just reserved my sociology book for a couple of weeks until the copy I bought comes in the mail.) If they don't have it, ask about an interlibrary loan.
3. Try the off campus bookstores in your area. Let's face it: the authorized campus bookstore is getting kickbacks (in some form or fashion) to charge you an arm and a leg for overpriced textbooks. Fight the system and visit your local stores to compare prices.
4. After visiting the bookstores (and obtaining the ISBN numbers, authors, and edition numbers), venture online to see what other students are selling their used books for. My personal favorite sites are Half (the sister site of Ebay), Amazon, and AbeBooks. By the way, if the campus bookstore won't your books back, try selling them online (I just listed two of mine today).
5. Still not happy? Trying renting your textbooks online. It sounds crazy, but it works and saves money. The site I've used is Chegg, but I almost used BookRenter this semester because it temporarily beat one Chegg's prices. The great thing about Chegg is the company plants a tree for every book you rent - pretty neat. They even send you an e-mail letting you know where your tree(s) were planted. They have excellent customer service and both web sites do a great job explaining how things work.
6. Bought a ton of books last semester and the school bookstore won't take them back? Don't worry, there are lots of students still looking for those books. Put them online using Half or Amazon. I use Half and it's really easy. If you're trying to sell custom editions (books specifically for your university), try advertising them using the Marketplace on Facebook and search Facebook for groups that resell/list books.

Let me know what you're doing to save money on books this semester (or what you've done in the past).

Oh boy, it's time for an update

Friends, it has been far too long since I've updated. Wow. I had no idea it had been September since I had last written down a few of my thoughts. That alone should show how busy I've been this semester!

Where to begin... :)

Early October was Fall Break, and I got to spend it on the Gulf Coast in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, working for Lagniappe Presbyterian Church. A group from MSU's RUF went down for a few days and we had a great time building, sheetrocking, lifting walls, building relationships, and exploring New Orleans! Here's our goofy group picture:



In mid-October, I became copy editor at The Reflector. Basically, this means I scour all the pages of the newspaper multiple times before it is printed to find errors; in other words, when there are mistakes printed, it's sometimes my fault. It's teaching me humility (because who likes having their mistakes pointed out for over 12,000 readers to see?) and patience with the other editors. (And oh yeah, since copy editor reads the whole paper, if we print anything libelous or have a lawsuit against us, I'm automatically involved. Yikes.) Prior to this, I had just been a news writer and photographer, so it's been quite an adjustment. I'm in the office ALL THE TIME and am never home for dinner, except on weekends. I really do like it, but it has been a challenge and a huge time consumer. The pay increase has been a God-send and I'm thankful for more time to be salt and light in the newsroom, even though it's difficult. I am sorely outnumbered in the newsroom on multiple levels, one being that I am the only girl among eight guys in the newsroom! (The editor in chief is also a girl, but she has her own office just down the hall from the chaos of the newsroom.)

I also turned 21 mid-October and survived. ;) I had a great time out with friends for dinner (and yes, a first drink) and then my incredible roommates had a ton of people over for cake and ice cream at our apartment, plus they decorated. This roomie made me a crown:



Other than that, things have just stayed constantly busy. School work consumes me (as usual), but I like most of it. I've recently discovered my passion for law (specifically media law) and am looking into the legal field since the journalism market is currently frozen (no hiring whatsoever). I know I don't want to be a lawyer, but I'm looking into the paralegal and legal secretary fields.

I think that's more than enough for now. You know, each semester, I pledge to make better use of my time, stay in touch with family and friends from home, and make some time to rest and chill. I think that last part has happened several times this semester, but the other two areas, eh, not so much. I look forward to being home for the Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks to catch up with everyone (and I guess I'm looking forward to a fresh semester so I can make yet another vow to use my time more wisely!). Please keep those blogs and pictures coming - while I don't always make time to write, I do make time to read. :)

Just got back from the presidential debate

All hell broke loose today in the newsroom with news that one, our current interim president and the head of IHL are currently under investigation; two, there was an emergency meeting regarding the hiring of our new university president; and three, IHL still says we will have a president announced by November. It was a MAD HOUSE...two reporters and two editors working online, on the phones, pulling up all that we could find. It's days like that when I realize how much I love the journalism industry.

As I worked calling several Mississippi agencies, my sister called. I took a five minute break to catch up with her, then received a beep in from a Gulf Coast number. Fortunately, I switched over to take the call. It was someone from the public relations department at the University of Mississippi (more commonly known as Ole Miss down here) calling to see how many reporters and photographers we were bringing to the debate tonight.

"I was under the impression that we couldn't get on campus tonight," I said.

"Oh no, you're welcome to come! No press passes left or tickets to the actual debate, but you're free to hang out in any of the common areas on campus - we're showing it in the Grove."

"Great! Thank you so much!" Click, close phone, run back into the newsroom. "WHO'S FREE TO GO TO OXFORD TONIGHT?!"

"WHAT!? WE CAN GO?"

"YES!"

Okay, I realize that was a little dramatic, but we were just so excited to get to be there. Three of us got to go - a fellow reporter and the photography editor. We had a good ride down there and the weather was incredible. Kudos to Ole Miss for a job well done - very well organized, friendly volunteers/workers, clean facilities, and decent parking. Not to mention excellent idea to broadcast the debate in the Grove on two big screens to enable thousands to stay on campus, even if they couldn't make it inside to the actual debate.

I'm in the process of writing a story about the debate - it'll be interesting. Still haven't figured out exactly how I feel about the debate - were questions really answered, who has solid ideas, where in the world are we going to come up with something to get the country out of this economic crisis?

Okay, enough researching, reading, Twittering, and typing. It's been a very long day and I'm headed to bed...FINALLY.

Links to articles on Palin and Obama

Got up early this morning to get some interview questions written for an interview that I have in less than an hour...need to go find some dressy clothes that I can be comfortable in all day on campus!

Found these two articles via Drudge Report while eating breakfast and thought I would share:

The first is a three page article from the International Herald Tribune about Sarah Palin and her Downs Syndrome infant Trig. Really well written; shows her struggle with everyone, examines the rapidity of which she went back to work after Trig's birth, and talks about how her family handled it. Here's the link: Palin fuses politics and motherhood in a new way

The second is a short article from The Washington Times about Barak Obama's verbal slip Sunday while he was being interviewed by ABC's George Stephanopoulos on "This Week." (In case you haven't heard, he accidently said "my Muslim faith" instead of "my Christian faith," and Stephanopoulos was the one who immediately corrected him.) I'm not an Obama fan, but I do pity that slip. I've definitely done things like that! (Yet no one's paying that much attention to me so it's not a big deal anyway.) Here's the link: Obama's verbal slip fuels his critics

So it's totally unacceptable to be pro-life?

Gov. Sarah Palin with husband Todd and infant son Trig, who has Downs Syndrome.

Today's issue of The New York Times featured not one, not two, but three stories on Gov. Sarah Palin's 17 year-old unwed and pregnant daughter Bristol ON THE FRONT PAGE.

Seriously? Who deemed all three front page stories necessary? Very tactful, NY Times. Excellent work.

As countless politicians and public figures (McCain, Obama, and Thompson, to name a few) have said, it's a private matter. Sadly, it's now under public scrutiny simply because Palin is McCain's running mate.

The press has been merciless in bringing this issue to light and honestly, it's none of their business (so one might ask why I'm blogging about it...). I don't believe in hiding the issue, but please, let the girl have some privacy. (Lord knows if McCain and Palin take office that neither Bristol nor the rest of the families will have any privacy.)

I'm cheering for Palin and for Bristol - why? Because it's obvious that they're pro-life. One, they've been open about Bristol's pregnancy, the baby's father, and the fact that she plans to marry the father and keep the baby. Two, Palin's fifth child, Trig, has Down's Syndrome. Due to pre-natal genetic testing, Mr. and Gov. Palin knew that Trig would be born with Down's Syndrome, yet they chose to keep him - even despite family pressures from Gov. Palin's own mother. I find it disgusting that the grandmother of a child that's already been born and a great-grandchild still in the womb would still talk about the possibility of abortion. Seriously, what is wrong with you?

So what do I think? Let's leave Bristol Palin alone and focus on Gov. Palin; after all, how is this side story really going to change Gov. Palin's ability to lead our country in the role of vice president? And let all the pro-life voters out there commend Gov. Palin and her family, speak up, and stick with them - after all, isn't this the kind of person we've been wanting in office for years?

Suffering from mouth ulcers/sores?

Yikes, what a gross title. I also realize this may win the award for the most random blog post (potentially ever), but I wanted to share this great product with anyone who might need it!

If you get mouth ulcers/sores (different than fever blisters that appear around the outside of your mouth), have rub spots from braces or dentures, or other irritations/injuries to your mouth and gum area, you should try Colgate's Orabase. I've had the worst ulcer on my gumline/inside lip for a week now, as well as two small ulcers on my tongue caused by a daily medication. I finally broke down last night and headed to Kroger to buy Orajel, which is what I've used in the past. Even though the relief doesn't last very long, it still keeps the spot numb for a few minutes.

After seeing the ADA (American Dental Association) seal on Orabase, I picked it up instead. Wow. If you suffer from any kinds of mouth sores, try it. Just by applying a pindrop-sized drop of the paste makes the spot go numb for a while, plus the pain decreases even when you start to regain feeling in the area.

It's a little pricey ($5.99 at Kroger and the box size is very deceiving - the tube is only 0.21 ounces), but it really does work. I bought the paste, but the web site shows that it comes in a gel form as well. As always, follow the instructions and check with a doctor or dentist if anything strange happens. I'm no expert, but I really do recommend this product. Thank you, Colgate!

Olympic spirit

I'll be the first to admit that I was less than excited about some of the things that I've heard about the Beijing Olympics. After watching the opening ceremony tonight, my expectations changed.

Kudos to China for a truly spectacular opening ceremony! Watching Li Ning light the cauldron was an experience that I'll remember for a long time. Incredible vision, engineering, and just plain skills over there.

Watching China's Yao Ming carry the Chinese flag into the stadium brought tears to my eyes - not because of Yao, but because of the nine year-old boy walking beside him. Second grader Lin Hao survived the May earthquake of a 8.0 magnitude that killed 28 of 31 students in his class. After freeing himself from the rubble, he went back in to save two of his classmates. When asked why, he said that he was a leader (a hall monitor) and it was his responsibility.


Photo from http://en.beijing2008.cn/ceremonies/headlines/n214518587.shtml

Wow. And that's coming from a nine year-old. That's the Olympic spirit.

Read the story from the official Olympic web site here.