40 Ways To Save Money On Textbooks

Money Saving Tips For Students

First Published Date : November 26, 2008 ADawnJournal.com

Recently, I have noticed a lot of students are visiting ADJ. I can’t mention names from the U.S. (because there are simply too many to name), but these Canadian institutions have highest concentration visiting ADJ: University of Manitoba, University of Toronto, York University, and Seneca College. I guess ADJ’s simple language and easy-style articles are able to appeal to students. I thank you all for visiting this site and today’s article has been specially written for you, whether you are a 20-year-old or 50-year-old student.

Buying textbooks is something every student goes through in their school career. An average textbook costs about $100 and each year you will be spending nearly $1000 on books. The objective of today’s article is to show you how you can cut your textbook costs considerably by taking some simple steps. I will discuss this in two parts. In part one, I will show you what you can do to save money on textbooks. In part two, I will mention some websites that can save you money.

Save Money On Textbooks – Part 1

Borrow From Someone Else

Find someone who already completed the course and borrow their book. One thing you need to be aware of – make sure your borrowed book still applies to the course. Publishers often change editions so old books no longer do the job. That’s how they make money.

Buy Used

Buying used books is a great idea to save money but you need to find someone who is selling what you are looking to buy. You can check your school notice boards, newspaper ads, and online ads to find used books. I will be giving you some sites to find used books online in part two.

Photo Copy Those Pages You Need

Get a book from someone and copy those pages you need. Before doing this, make sure it does not violate any legal terms and conditions.

Trade books

Trade books with someone who has the books you need. This is simply giving someone the books he needs and taking from him/her the books you need.

Sell Books

Don’t forget to sell your books once you are done with them. Your friends will likely want to buy from you if you give them a good price.

Avoid Campus Bookstore

Avoid campus bookstore unless they have books on sale. Usually items are always overpriced at campus bookstores.

Group Buy

Take courses with your friends, divide the book’s cost by how many of you are taking the course and each contributes to buy the required textbook. Make agreements beforehand stating how long each of you should keep the book during the term. During the exam, do group studies so all of you can use the book. Once you complete your term, sell the book and divide the money equally.

Use the Library

It may not be always possible to obtain a copy from the library; however, make sure to check the library before buying. The library has limits on how long you can keep a book. Taking a course with friends helps to keep books within your circle – another advantage of registering for courses with friends. Also, if your library has the book on reserve, you can go there and read it.

Campus website

You can buy and sell used books on your campus website. Since you will be dealing with other students, you will find good bargains and hard-to-find books because both buyers and sellers are dealing with the same institutions.

Save Money On Textbooks – Part 2

Websites That Save You Money On Textbooks

Here is a list of websites that will save you money. Keep this list handy by saving this page on your favourite online bookmark.

Buy Textbooks Online

Check these sites to buy online. Always compare many sites before buying. You will find great bargains if you spend a little time researching different sites.

Amazon.com – The biggest online retailer. Remember, Amazon also displays items from other merchants. Usually these items are a lot cheaper than Amazon’s own. So don’t place your order after checking Amazon’s own listings only.

CollegeBooksDirect.com – You may be able to find books for less than Amazon

TextbooksNow.com – You may be able to find books for less than Amazon

Comparison Online Sites

BigWords.com – Pulls new and used books prices from sites. You can compare them on one screen.

CheapestTextBooks.com – specialized in academic books.

Half.com – eBay owns Half.com. It is possible that you many find items here for less than Amazon.

BooksPrice.com – Easy to use price comparison site.

CampusBooks.com – Buy, sell, and compare textbooks.

ValoreBooks.com – Student’s textbook marketplace.

AbeBooks.com – Find old, new, rare, and out of print books

Alibris.com – Find old, new, rare, out of print, and international version books

BestBookBuys.com – Compare new and used books. International versions can be 80% to 90% cheaper than U.S. versions.

BuyUsedTextbooks.com – Specialized in academic books.

CampusBookSwap.com – Buy and sell used books.

TextBookX.com – Buy and sell new and used books. Also, you can buy and sell through your Facebook profile.

Rent Textbooks Online

It is possible to rent books these days. You will be paying one third or less than book’s original price for a semester

CampusBookRentals.com – Rent your textbooks.

Chegg.com – Rent a book and Chegg will plant a tree.

Legally Download Textbooks Online –

FreeloadPress.com – Download your textbook free.

Project Gutenberg – Download free eBooks and audio books. This site was made by volunteers. They gathered materials from the public domain and put together on this site. 

Textbookrevolution.org – Get your free books from a site run by students.

Electronic Textbooks

These sites offer to share, subscribe, and print (some limitations apply) electronic textbooks or eTextbooks online.

CafeScribe.com – Share, subscribe, and search notes and textbooks. You need to have MyScribe reader and it’s free.

CourseSmart.com – You can save up to 50%. Buy and access eTextbook instantly.

Springer.com – Specialized in scientific, technological and medical books, journals, and reference works.

Misc

The Internet Public Library – Not only students but anyone can take advantage of this huge Internet Library. I highly recommend it.

Open Course Ware Consortium – 200 educational institutions from around the world are sharing digital publication of educational materials. I highly recommend it.

Bonus Tip

ADJ has lots of money saving articles. These articles are primarily located under Personal Finance or Smart Tips categories. Reading and applying these articles will save you money. Also, I’ll be writing more on this topic in the future, so keep checking back. Don’t forget to bookmark this site for later use.

Internet is opening the door to a new world of endless possibilities and opportunities. Students, educators, and anyone who wants to broaden knowledge can do so without spending bundles of money these days. Until recently, textbook publishers were able to charge ridiculous prices for textbooks because we did not have any options. However, those days are gone. Equipped with powerful information, it is possible to acquire knowledge these days without paying a fortune.

Taipei to Singapore - Eva Air Business Class | Flight Review

Toronto to Singapore via Taipei Nov 23, 2018

I talked about my Toronto to Taipei journey before. Today, I will write about the rest of my trip from Taipei to Singapore. Because I am flying the same EVA AIR business class, I will skip some of my experiences to avoid redundancies. 

Transfer Experience at the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE)

I already had my boarding pass from Taipei to Singapore, but I still needed to go through airport security. The overall experience was pleasant. It felt like it was an expedited security procedure for transfer customers and was completed very fast.

The Star Lounge

EVA Air has 4 business class lounges at Taipei’s airport. I had the option to take either the Star Lounge or the Infinity Lounge. I chose Star this time. It has a shower facility and a variety of food.

I found some exotic Asian dishes, which I videoed. The lounge was nicely designed with a bright blue sky ceiling mural.

Inside the Business Class Cabin

This trip (TPE - SIN) was only 4 hours and 30 minutes, which was much shorter than YYZ to TPE (15H 40M). I saw lots of empty seats in business class on this segment. It was the same Boeing 777-300ER aircraft and the same configuration of my previous trip.

The Amenity Kit

There was no amenity kit or pajama set provided this time. The flight attendant offered a blanket and I took it, as it will get colder once the ship is in the air.

Food & Drinks

Food and drink selections were not as great as my previous flight. I guess this was due to the short flight. I didn’t write down the food and drink names, but you will be able to see the menus I tried in the video.

The Washroom

The washrooms were extremely clean and well-maintained like last time. However, the amenities were lacking. I didn’t find one-time toothbrush & toothpaste, mouthwash, and other female necessities like last time. But there was lotion, handwash, cologne, and face spray in containers.

Entertainment System

There were fairly recent movies and TV shows; I watched Mission Impossible Fallout. Eva Air does not provide free WiFi in business class like Turkish Airlines.

Final Thoughts

 My flight had a night mode feature on the ceiling, creating stars in the night sky. It looked really good when all the lights were out and I liked it a lot.

My overall business class flight experience with Eva Air was pleasant and satisfactory. This is my second time flying EVA AIR and I am looking forward to my future trips returning to Toronto on EVA AIR.

Dominican Republic; An Endless Summer

Where to visit in Dominican Republic

It is vacation time again and you have decided you want one with difference this time. You may have saved up your monies for so long and if there is anything you want it is value for your money. And actually if you can you are looking to experience more value for less dollar, and for this reason you have chosen to visit the Dominican Republic. If you are the usual traveler who just goes by the tide, you will spend all your time in a hotel or resort that was recommended to you by the travel agency. But that is just a tip of the iceberg, so get ready to keep a bagful of tips for you to consider in your trip.

There are many good things that happen to you when you visit the Dominican Republic because the activities are just in the plenty. Whatever you love to have in your holiday, you get it here in very pocket friendly packages. Whether you want to go for windsurfing, scuba diving, a little tan on your skin in the sandy beaches or even some little indulgence with the beautiful local women, this is a place you will want to come again and again especially if you discover the good hidden places.

Anyone who has been on vacation in Dominican Republic and never got to visit Bavaro and Punta Cana missed half of their experience. It is this beaches that are located on the South-eastern part of the republic that are the crème de la crème of the beaches in this part of the world. For the new comer or the returning visitor, ensure you have it in your itinerary, because this is a must visit. Your eyes will view miles upon miles of sandy beaches and you will just love the experience.

Words are not enough to tell what experience you will get visiting the renowned La Costa Del Coco because this is just another must if you are to experience in relaxation and joy in your Dominican visit. The long beach is dotted with coconut trees and every class of hotel or resort for everyone’s special liking. There is also the place they call Casa de Campo which you will find nestled in the south coast in an agricultural city known as La Romana. Getting to La Romana is not a problem at all because it is aptly served with an international airport that is close to all the resorts which means you get there fresh and raring to go. But just in case you begin from some other part of Dominican Republic and you want to get here, there really should be no hassle because there are adequate helicopter services that operate to La Romana.

But for the really adventurers person who loves nature, there is no better way of touring Dominican Republic and enjoy all the trappings of Mother Nature than to do a bus ride. You will get a chance of savouring the magnificent landscape and remember to carry your camera along because the pictures you will click away are simple breathtaking. While at Caso de Campo the theatre lover will be reminded to ensure they visit Altos de Chavon whose architecture is inspired by traditional Mediterranean village as well as the famous Las Minitas beach. Enjoy an unforgettable holiday in Dominican republic and you will surely come back again and again.

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the Travelnowsimply.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to Ahmed Dawn Dot Com site. This article originally published on the above website on Nov 24, 2009.

Canada's Arctic

Canada’s Claim Over Arctic

Why Now?

Just a few years ago the world has not paid much attention to the vast, abandoned arctic but nowadays its hard not to notice that Canada and arctic being mentioned everywhere, specially after Canada’s prime minister Steven Harper’s trip to Nu navut to reaffirm Canada’s claim over the North. But the question is why now?

It’s all about Global warming, which is opening up huge economic potential in the arctic north mainly for 2 reasons.

1. World is using up its oil fast and to survive the future, we need to look for places which have not been explored yet. Arctic holds oil, gas, minerals, fish and other resources under it’s frigid, barren landscape which stretches thousands of miles. Surveys show that the Arctic contains an estimated one-quarter of the world’s undiscovered energy resources. Also studies suggest that up to 50 per cent of the earth’s remaining undiscovered reserves of hydrocarbons are located north of 60°n latitude. However, the extraction and transportation procedures still remain difficult and expensive. New technologies should cut down the cost considerably by making extraction and transportation procedures efficient and cost effective, just like Alberta tar and oil Sands.

2. The effects of climate change could open up the Northwest Passage to summer commercial traffic by 2015, which links the Atlantic and Pacific Oceanand offers a 7000 KM shorter route than the Europe to Asia voyage through Panama Canal. This summer the Arctic sea ice cap shrank to the smallest size ever measured and scientists believe that in 25 years not just the Northwest Passage, but the whole polar cap could thaw and by the end of this century, summer sea ice could disappear entirely. Some countries are already testing the waters. A Russian ship traveled through the Northwest Passage to Bermuda in 1999 and it saved them a lot of time and money. Japan and other countries researching to find ways to travel through Arctic for large ships.

Canadian or International Waters?

How much of Arctic is Canada’s? Canada claims that the Arctic waters of the Northwest Passage constitute “historic internal waters”, and under Canadian jurisdiction. While most countries agree that many islands dot the Arctic to the north of our mainland belongs to Canada but some countries, most arguably the Unites States does not recognize Canada’s right over waters separating Somerset Island from Devon Island or Melville Island from Banks Island. These countries see the Northwest Passage as an International strait or waters that any countries should be able to use. Hans Island in the Arctic Ocean has already been a matter of diplomatic issue with Denmark. Recently, Danish troops landed on Hans Island and planted a flag (2002 and 2003).Canada responded by doing the same right after (2005), which was the right thing to do to show the world that although we are peace loving people; we won’t tolerate anything when it comes to maintain our sovereignty.

Canada’s Plan For Protecting The Arctic

– Three new armed naval heavy icebreakers in the area of Iqaluit. The icebreakers will include 500 regular force personnel for crews and support and will be capable of carrying troops. This commitment will establish a Canadian naval presence in the Arctic.

– A new military/civilian deep-water docking facility in the area of Iqaluit. 

– A new Arctic National Sensor System for northern waters which will include underwater surveillance listening posts, such as acoustic or movement sensors, that will detect the movement and position of any foreign submarines and ships in Canadian Arctic waters.

– A new Arctic army training centre in the area of Cambridge Bay. 

– New fixed-wing search-and-rescue aircraft in Yellowknife. 

– Provide eastern and western Arctic air surveillance. New long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) squadrons will be stationed at Goose Bay and Comox to provide continuous Arctic and Ocean surveillance and patrol. Also, the Aurora aircraft and the satellite surveillance system will be upgraded to provide a complete Arctic surveillance capability.

– Revitalize the Canadian Rangers by adding 500 additional Rangers. The Rangers’ level of activity and training will be increased and equipment will be upgraded.

– Provide an army emergency response capability for the Arctic through a new airborne battalion at CFB Trenton.

Conclusion

Although Canada and the U.S. may disagree on the Arctic waters issue, it hardly becomes dispute. We can not work this out militarily with our southern neighbours for the obvious reasons. An Arctic cooperation agreement with the U.S. is in place and has worked well so far. Under this agreement, we are to suspend our differences and cooperate in one another’s Arctic waters. This agreement can be extended to include naval cooperation, Arctic security cooperation etc which would be beneficial for both and cost effective. Recent government activities are very positive and hopefully it will not wither away. Further policy discussions have to be arranged to secure Canada’s future most efficient and effective ways.

Originally published on www.adawn.net. I will be transferring all my articles from Canada’s Personal Finance Website. You will see articles from www.adawn.net being posted here once in a while. Thanks.

Are Book Readers Becoming Extinct?

Reading for enjoyment

Many of us, in everyday life, spend a hefty proportion of our time reading. The reasons for this reading will vary from person to person. Mostly, though, it will either be for the purposes of keeping up with the news, or for work purposes. This is a perfectly good reason for reading, of course. There is, however, some sense of injustice in the fact that merely living is taking the element of fun out of something that we used to do almost entirely for pleasure. Reading a book just because we want to do so, as a simple pleasure, is something that disappointingly few of us are doing. There are numerous reasons for this, and they say a lot about how the meaner side of human nature has taken hold among many of us.

There is a sense among a sadly growing number of people that reading is simply something for the college kids and the wannabe intellectuals. Who reads for pleasure these days, people will seriously ask, when we have DVDs, cinemas and the TV for our entertainment? There is even an element of distrust shown towards those of us who like to read. It is a massive shame, but it seems that there is a tendency to dumb things down and to actually wear ignorance as a badge of honour. Just to clarify things, there is nothing shameful about cracking a book every once in a while and reading for fun. Don’t be concerned about people looking at you in a slightly dimmer way just because you enjoy the written word. It is something that gives life a bit of flavour. A good book can take you outside the confines of the everyday and turn free time into dream time.

Now, this is not an order to go out and read the classics. If you don’t like Shakespeare you don’t have to read him. If Dickens doesn’t do anything for you, don’t buy his books. It really isn’t about who you read, or even what you read. It’s about why. And the fact is that sometimes reading for pleasure can make a real difference. It relaxes you physically while at the same time exercising your mind. Even a fairly simple and pedestrian novel that won’t win any awards will keep your brain functioning at a higher level, exercise that it needs in order to keep operating at the level you are used to.

So, if you have a favourite childhood book that always used to make you laugh or smile, why not pick that up once more? If a friend is reading something that they deem excellent, ask if you can borrow it when they’ve finished with it. Reading just for the sake of pleasure is something that makes us richer as a people, and something that should survive the prospect of being sneered at. It really is good fun, and we should see it as such. Find a new favourite author and read as many books as you can find, and before too long you’ll be reading a couple of books a week!

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the Simplepersonaldevelopment.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to Ahmed Dawn Dot Com site. This article originally published on the above website on June 14, 2009.