Textbooks

With Ds starting college classes this past Fall, I got the shock of how much textbooks cost! Yikes!  Granted, my mom is covering the cost of this, but still....

And I've discovered quite a difference in prices when I started comparing around.  For example, a book he needs for one of his classes next quarter is selling at the campus bookstore new for $161.70.  Used it is $121.30.  A little online searching and I found it new at Textbooks.com for $96.00 and $80.00 used.  A little more searching on DealOz.com (a site that compares many sites prices for you) and I found a "like new" used copy for sale on Half.com for $30!!  Needless to say, I bought this one right away :-).  Plus I went through mypoints.com and got 5 points per dollar.  I'm sure Mom will appreciate being told it's $30 and not $161.

Ds is doing what our state calls the Running Start Program, where as a high school student he can take college courses that count for both high school and college credit. Tuition is paid for by the school district (we just pay quartely fees and books). He could have started last year in his Jr. year, but we didn't hear about this program until the end of his Jr. year.  But, by the time he graduates High School in June, he will have 40 credit of college out of the way, saving us $3080 in tuition.  Not a bad deal at all.