Back to School: Saving Money on Textbooks [sponsored]

It's that time again! The "back to school" season is in full swing! This time of the year is one of my favorites: it's full of excitement, the anticipation of new classes, new people, and new challenges. It's also a very rewarding time of year: students returning to school to complete degrees and pursue something that can positively effect their lives!  

But it's no secret that college costs a pretty penny. Everything from tuition to room and board, and everything in between. I remember, as a new student fresh out of high school, I spent an exorbitant amount of money on textbooks. It was close to $500, and that was only for the first semester. In fact, according to The Huffington Post, the average college student pays $1,168 on textbooks and materials each year. Let's be real. That's a crazy high amount.

After that first semester, I didn't want to pay that same amount of money for textbooks. I decided to pursue other options for acquiring my textbooks. One of the ways that helped me save a huge amount of money was by buying used books and renting textbooks!

There are so many perks to renting your textbooks instead of buying them from your school! One of the most reliable online book rentals that I've encountered is CampusBookRentals.com. First of all, their website is extremely easy to use, and the layout is clear and uncluttered. This is a huge deal for me. Acquiring textbooks is difficult enough, the last thing I need is to stare at a webpage that offers no direction to the viewer.

CampusBookRentals.com offers so many other perks. Their prices are 40%-90% off of bookstore prices and they offer free shipping, both ways (whaaat??). Yup. That's a huge plus. There are some crazy-heavy books out there and no one wants to pay $10+ for shipping charges.

Another huge benefit is their 21 day risk-free return policy. If you accidentally order the wrong book, or you realize, two weeks into the semester, that your professor never uses the book, you can return it for a full refund. In fact, when you rent your books, CampusBookRentals sends you a prepaid USPS label and a bubble envelop so you can return it with complete ease. I've never seen a return policy this easy. They also have one of the largest selections of books in the nation with very flexible renting periods!

Perhaps one of the major reasons why I'm excited about CampusBookRentals.com is the fact that they donate to Operation Smile with each textbook rented. Operation Smile is an international organization that offers reconstructive surgery and medical attention to children born with cleft lips and cleft palettes. While I had heard of Operation Smile and was familiar with the charity and aid that they offer to children born with cleft lips and palettes, I didn't realize how serious those birth defects were to the lives of the children. According to Operation Smile, many of them die before their first birthday, as they are unable to eat, socialize, or speak properly, if at all. Sadly, many of these children's parents are unable to afford the medical care required to help their children.

That's where Operation Smile steps in: since 1982, they have offered free cleft surgeries that result in productive lives for each of the children who receive care! With their hands-on approach, Operation Smile operates under a volunteer basis, and trains medical professionals in developing countries to help provide care! I, personally, love doing business with people or businesses that give back and provide help where it's needed!

So, for those of you returning to school this semester, check CampusBookRental.com out! In addition to the perks and benefits I described, they're also having a Fall sale! With every $70 purchase, they'll give you $8 back. Simply enter the code Fall70 at the checkout. Whoot whoot!

When you are finished with your textbooks, they have a system called RentBack where CampusBookRentals will rent your textbooks to student after student after student. Each time your book is rented, you make money! You can learn more about their RentBack program in this video:


So tell me, how do you save money each semester??  

This is a sponsored post. In exchange for a post about their products and services, I received compensation.

5 Ways I Save Money on Groceries

When I was a kid, I found grocery shopping both frustrating and exciting. My mom was a slow shopper, leaving me no choice but to stare at everything on the shelves as I followed along. As a result, I would beg for everything that caught my eye. Mom, can we get some Pop Tarts? Mom, can we get some juice? Mom, can I have this box of cereal? Her answer was almost always no (and good for her).

I learned a few things from my budget savvy mama and, having lived on my own for a few years, I picked up a few of my own good habits and tips on saving money. These are pretty straightforward, but have helped Luis and I maintain a healthy diet and cut expenses along the way.

1. Learn how to cook.
Sometimes people believe that cooking fresh meals, full of produce and meat, is more expensive and out of their budget. This is a fallacy. Some produce items might cost you more up front, but they always always always produce a higher yield that a boxed or prepared dinner. You can eat more and fill up on your home-cooked meal without guilt! Plus, I believe that the more you cook fresh meals on a daily basis will save you money in the long run on healthcare costs. If your body is consistently being fed healthy, fresh produce, meat, dairy, etc., your body will be stronger longer.

What to do if you are a hopeless cook? Learn how to assemble food. In other words, make sandwiches, tacos, quesadillas, etc. That way you can still use fresh ingredients without resorting to buying a ton of prepared meals.

2. Plan your meals in advance and stick to a list.
When you cook your own meals, it only makes sense to be sure that you have all the items necessary to complete each meal. I actually enjoy doing this! (Does that make me weird...?) When you plan each meal and create a grocery list, it helps you stay on track while in the store. Along with a list, my hubby and I always have our phone's calculator up and we add the cost of each item and make sure we don't go over a certain limit. We don't have a strict grocery budget that we adhere to, but we try to make sure that our costs don't exceed a certain price.

One resource that helps me meal plan has been to create a Pinterest board. It helps me compile foods that I like and choose from that list so I don't have to spend too much time pouring over recipe books and pulling my hair out. Pinterest is a God-send.

3. Keep track of what is already in your pantry. 
Knowing what's in your pantry and cupboards can help plan meals with ingredients you already have, eliminating repeated purchases and saving time and money at the store. Also, try to plan your meals around what you already have.

4. Bring your lunch to work at least 4 days each week. 
This one doesn't need much explanation. Food prices in stores are usually overpriced and add up very quickly. As I said before, when you create fresh meals, it usually yields quite a bit of leftovers. Put them aside in containers to take with you to work. You can also keep salad materials on hand for an easy lunch. Fatten them up with chicken, almonds, tomatoes, cucumbers, and homemade salad dressing (this stuff is amazing!!).

5. I try and only buy ingredients if I know I'll use them more than once.  
Some dishes seem fun to make but contain ingredients that you have to go to a special store to buy. Don't restrict yourself, but if you're going to buy that ingredient, plan on making additional dishes that also include it. Again, it goes back to tip number 3.

What do you do to save money on food and groceries? I'd love to hear your ideas and tips!

More resources:
My 5 Day Gluten-free Meal Plan
What's in My Grocery Cart?