New school year, new courses, new books… The cost of buying textbooks can do some serious damage to your wallet — especially on a college student’s budget.
According to The College Board, students attending a four-year public college will spend about $1,200 a year on textbooks. The burden has become so great that many students choose to not even buy the books required for the courses they’re enrolled in.
RELATED: 13 smart money moves to make in your 20s
How to find the best prices on textbooks
But here’s the good news: If you do a little research, you can find a lot of books at much better prices. Consumer Reports recommends students use price comparison sites to find better prices on textbooks for this school year.
These tools are basically like Kayak for textbooks. They do the searching for you and aggregate prices from all the major sellers on new, used, rented or even e-textbooks. Here are some of the sites you should check out:
Plus, here are some more sites Clark recommends:
- OpenStax.com
- Chegg.com
- BookFinder.com
- ValoreBooks.com
- Texts.com
- AllBookstores.com
- CheapestBookPrice.com
- Half.com
Check out more ways to save on textbooks at FinAid.org.
Read more: 5 ways to save on a college degree
Best Credit Card Sign-up Bonuses for 2023 - Team Clark spent hours reviewing the market for credit card sign-up bonuses and evaluated them according to the guidelines for usage set by money expert Clark Howard. Clark believes credit cards with exorbitant annual fees are a bad idea for most… 
Best Cell Phone Plans in 2023: The Cheapest Plan for Every Need - Team Clark ranks the best cell phone plans and deals! See our favorites for unlimited data, families and cheap plans starting at $10/month. 
