Purchasing books in law school is no different from undergrad, I was always trying to save a dollar! My law school budgets almost $2,000 a year just for books! This semester bought 7 books, one of which was a supplement that was only sold in my law school bookstore -_-
I don’t know about you all but I don’t have that much money to spend on some paper & binding. So, what options do you have?
Amazon
Amazon is my holy grail for book purchases! You can almost always find the book you’re looking for listed for prices much cheaper than your law school bookstore. There are tons of reputable sellers & they’re return policy is great.
Buy used
Buying a book used is a great way to save money. You can often find used books online for half the price! An even better way to find cheap books is to ask your classmates, 2 & 3L’s are always trying to get rid of their old books. They’re also more understanding of your position as a 1L and will sell the books for a really great price.
Rent
I rented my books almost every year in undergrad. I never wrote in them (or read them) so it was the best option for me. Renting books online is really cheap, I rented a $200 book for about $35 for the entire semester. When it comes to law school this can be a great way to save tons of cash. I used Chegg.com & Textbookrentals.com If you like to highlight and write in your books, you may not want to use a renting service.
At the end of the day, as long as you have the book your professor requires it doest matter how much you spent on it. New books are cool, but saving money is cooler.
-LawToya
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