There are usually used copies available online, and quite frequently you can get away with not buying the text. You can also sometimes get away with an older edition of the book, too. In larger classes, we'd have a couple of copies on reserve in the library. In smaller ones, profs were often nice enough to not require us to buy one. They used materials (which were usually higher quality, as well) the school had digital rights to instead. Way smarter, in my opinion. Profs generally test what they teach, anyway.
I can sympathize with you on the prices of texts. Many of my books would have been around $200 at the campus store. Two words: captive audience. Don't shop there unless you have to.
I think it was probably silly to sell your bike for books. This is coming from someone who once sold his violin for way too cheap to pay rent. I bought a better one, in the end, but it was definitely a losing transaction.
A couple hundred is not too much to put on credit, if it comes to that. Credit is a tool. Be smart, but use it to your advantage.
Last edited by tadawdy; 01-03-10 at 05:11 PM.