With student loan debt at an all-time high, the high costs of text books hurt even more.

This year, save yourself a ton of money by buying your textbooks the right way.

This post was originally published in 2013.

Were resurfacing it now to help you get ready for back to school shopping!

Some methods obviously save you more money than others, but reach comes with its own set of sacrifices.

You may also need to combine a few methods to get what you want.

While they all seem straightforward, the details lead to the savings.

Unless you cant find what you need anywhere elseand well offera lotof options in this postyou should stay away.

Big retailers likeAmazonandBarnes & Noble, or even a local bookstore, should offer better deals all-around.

Whether youre ordering online or in person, keep an eye out forcouponsanddealsto save a little extra.

If you want to find the best deals across many textbook sites, check outBIGWORDS.

Itll provide comparisons for used books, too, and several ways to find what you need.

Rent Your Textbooks

You dont have to buy anymore.

Textbook rental gives you the books you need for the time you need them without the burden of ownership.

We likeCheggfor this purpose.

On top of the rentals, theyllplant a tree for every order.

If youre going digital and want a rental option as well, check outCourseSmart.

Itll let you read online or via a copy-protected PDF.

it’s possible for you to also access their content throughmobile apps for iOS and Android.

Kindle owners or apps users can alsorent text books from Amazon in a similar fashion.

If you plan to sell your books at the end of the course, you may as well rent.

Just avoid marking up them up or degrading their quality as much as possible.

If you do, you could end up paying a fee.

Photocopy Only What You Need

Things get tricky when you want to make photocopies of a textbook.

This can help you consolidate your reading material into a simple, smaller, and lighter solution.

For more information on digitizing books, check out ourguide to digitizing your life.

You also need to pay attention to the volume(s) you order.

If you cant get that information before classes begin, dont order anything.

you might always get the book later and photocopy the one in your campus library while you wait.

Photo byLeksusTuk(Shutterstock),Infrogmation,Intellistudies(Shutterstock), andAfrica Studios(Shutterstock).