How to Beat Book Expenses in St Andrews
By Abigail Fero
Monday 28th September 2009
Monday 28th September 2009
Book list longer than your bank account?
Life in St. Andrews can be expensive, from the May Ball to the books required for your classes. By the time you hit third year, you’re sure to have figured out the ways around Blackwells, the bookstore in the student union, which, for lofty prices, can provide you with your required reading. But for the first years who don’t want to figure it out their own, for the second years who couldn’t be bothered and for the third and fourth years who, by now, should really know better, here are a few ways to avoid unnecessary expenses and save money on your books.The cheapest way to get your required and recommended books is the library. It’s free for those who remember to renew online. For the procrastinators, however, a word of warning: if you wait too long, all the books you’ll be looking for will be gone. So the best advice to offer about the library is to get there first. However, if you’ve put it off too long and need a book, you can recall books from your library account. It takes up to three days for a book to be handed in on a recall so if you’re in dire need of the book, it’s probably best to go elsewhere. Another option for those of you who want to keep your books is amazon.com. Used books from the internet can be a very cheap way of acquiring what you need. However, shipping does take time and they won’t always have your book, so make sure you do this ahead of time. Charity shops, of which there are many in St. Andrews, are another good place to find books. The charity shops, however, only carry what people drop off and this can make for limited stock, so, again, the key here is to get there first. The Barnardo’s book shop on Bell Street is the best place to start looking, especially for those English students who’ll find a very long list of required books. This is one of my favourite options: cheap books and charity in one go. During fresher’s week, the student union has book resales, where you can find second hand books for half the price of those you’ll find on Blackwell’s shelves. You can also sell back your own books here at the beginning of each year to make money on your old books.Sometimes though, you really just need that book, money be damned, and the best place to be is in Blackwells. As the University’s bookstore, they have the books you need 99% of the time. They also have a reward card that, over time, will give you money off on your purchases. Overall, St. Andrews offers a lot of options for a variety of budgets, and now you can tailor your book expenses to your own budget and hopefully save a bit of money to spend on the balls, now good luck getting tickets!
.
Life in St. Andrews can be expensive, from the May Ball to the books required for your classes. By the time you hit third year, you’re sure to have figured out the ways around Blackwells, the bookstore in the student union, which, for lofty prices, can provide you with your required reading. But for the first years who don’t want to figure it out their own, for the second years who couldn’t be bothered and for the third and fourth years who, by now, should really know better, here are a few ways to avoid unnecessary expenses and save money on your books.The cheapest way to get your required and recommended books is the library. It’s free for those who remember to renew online. For the procrastinators, however, a word of warning: if you wait too long, all the books you’ll be looking for will be gone. So the best advice to offer about the library is to get there first. However, if you’ve put it off too long and need a book, you can recall books from your library account. It takes up to three days for a book to be handed in on a recall so if you’re in dire need of the book, it’s probably best to go elsewhere. Another option for those of you who want to keep your books is amazon.com. Used books from the internet can be a very cheap way of acquiring what you need. However, shipping does take time and they won’t always have your book, so make sure you do this ahead of time. Charity shops, of which there are many in St. Andrews, are another good place to find books. The charity shops, however, only carry what people drop off and this can make for limited stock, so, again, the key here is to get there first. The Barnardo’s book shop on Bell Street is the best place to start looking, especially for those English students who’ll find a very long list of required books. This is one of my favourite options: cheap books and charity in one go. During fresher’s week, the student union has book resales, where you can find second hand books for half the price of those you’ll find on Blackwell’s shelves. You can also sell back your own books here at the beginning of each year to make money on your old books.Sometimes though, you really just need that book, money be damned, and the best place to be is in Blackwells. As the University’s bookstore, they have the books you need 99% of the time. They also have a reward card that, over time, will give you money off on your purchases. Overall, St. Andrews offers a lot of options for a variety of budgets, and now you can tailor your book expenses to your own budget and hopefully save a bit of money to spend on the balls, now good luck getting tickets!
.
