As the new semester begins, so does the financial stress for many college students.

Not only do students have to pay the cost of attending classes, but they also have to pay for the books in their courses.

With prices ranging from $50 to nearly $250 per book, this hidden cost can be substantial, especially when you consider some courses require two, or three books.

Buying used books does reduce your cost, though not as much as you might think. You can save up to $50 on the more expensive books, but typically used books save you around $15 to $20.

So, you may be asking if there are any cheaper alternatives for buying books.

Although Amazon offers many college textbooks at a discount price, some books have an online counterpart like math and science textbooks that require a code to use software and must be bought new and therefore at full price.  After paying shipping and handling you may not be saving all that much money.

Half Priced Books is another alternative if you need any popular books, or fiction books for any of your classes. The copies, even though they may have some wear and tear, are generally cheaper and will not require shipping and handling, bringing their prices down even further.