School and Books and Expenses, oh my!

Hello Everyone, and good Monday to you!  This past week has been a doozy so far, and any of you that are still in school (summer school - what was I thinking?) know this to be particularly true.

Classes have just started for me so I am still getting everything underway and the biggest thing on my mind?  College is dang expensive.  It really is, you guys.  Trying to convince myself that books are more important than a new tote is harder than it should be.  So tragic.   I'm constantly trying to think of different ways to spend less, or to get more out of what I DO have to spend money on when it comes to school.  amiright??  Because really, that bag is necessary, and expensive books, they're just jerks.

So, I'm taking Political Science and like a good student I made the trip to my campus bookstore just the other day to buy the book.  Because I'm being responsible, you know.  But here's where things went south: that baby cost over a benjamin.  So, responsibility flew the coup that day and I left with no book.  Because priorities.  And common sense.

So imagine my surprise when I found out about Campus Book Rentals, a company that lets you rent your textbooks online.  Stay with me guys, it's not just your run-of-the-mill book-rental-for-less place.  And believe me, I looked into it.  Here's how the conversation with myself went:

It may not be worth it if I don't get, like, a huge discount! 
Oh, wait, up to 90% off my books?  I can get down with that.

But I'm guessing they're gonna nail me with shipping charges. Bummer.
Free Shipping to and from??  What luck!

What if the renting periods are too stringent?  I don't want to be too rushed in returning my books.
AHHHH shoot, look at these flexible renting periods!  No worries there.

But what if I need to keep a book to reference later on...
NEVER FEAR! If I just so happen to want to keep my book, I can!  I just pay the difference at the end of the term.  Done and done.  

Also, my highlighter and I, we do books together, and we're really good at it.  I'm appropriately concerned about this.
Hold up!  I can highlight in these?!  Brownie points you guys, lots of those brownie points.

I'll be honest, I was kind of sold after that last one.  I rock a mean highlighter and I've become accustomed to striking little yellow lines in my books as I am studying, it's like my nerdy little ritual.

But can I keep going?

Campus Book Rentals also has a glorious little program in place called Rent Back (<--- click it, baby!) which is just like it sounds.  You can rent your books back to other students and make more than the chump change you get from local bookstores (okay, okay, you want numbers?! lets just say it's something like 2-4 times the regular buy back price).  Impressive, no?

So, I'm excited.  And rightfully so!  I think it's the best of both worlds, double whammy.  I get my books (to uphold my good, book-toting image) and still have some moola left over for shopping or something (to uphold my good, tote-toting image).  It's just good economics.  Or so I've read, in a textbook.

Also, I need to let y'all in on something that I really, really was impressed with: with each book rented, this company donates to Operation Smile, an organization that works to provide reconstructive surgery for children that are born with a cleft lip or cleft pallet.  Now, a company that gives back to a good cause, I like that. Don't you?

Want to hear from them yourself?  Watch this video, it explains it all:

This post was sponsored by Campus Book Rentals.  Check out their rental program here, their Rent Back program here, or Operation smile here.