Meet Emily

Hello there!

I'm Emily Clark, a third-year journalism student at the Rochester Institute of Technology in the lovely Rochester, New York. I am also from Rochester, so no, I didn't branch out much.

In case you're wondering what "Textbookless" is all about, let me explain. As a college student, I am normally required to buy textbooks for my classes. Supposedly the textbooks are necessary, required, mandatory and all those other scary words. Often students buy them simply because they think they're supposed to, only to rarely use them. I know this isn't the case for EVERY college student, but it has been my experience thus far.

AND I'M SICK OF IT.  

So why the heck am I putting my college career in jeopardy by refusing to buy textbooks?

Textbooks are expensive, like REALLY expensive. I also stink at saving money and therefore do not have a lot of it. In the past, when I've needed textbooks I've either a) had to turn to Mom and Dad b) use loan money or c) somehow find a way to come up with the money on my own.

I might sound like a baby, but I'm not ashamed. Yes, I have a job. Two to be exact. Like I said, I just stink at saving money. Cash literally burns a hole through my pocket and my lovely little debit card doesn't help much either. I spend money on clothing (duh!), food (at least four times a week), nail polish (I have an obsession with anything Essie and Blue), and often gifts for other people (sister, boyfriend, friends, etc).

The more I write, the more I realize how ridiculous I sound.

My point? I'm spending money on stuff that I don't need. I probably have enough clothing to wear something different each day for a year and I'm currently living at home with my parents. Therefore, they provide  food for me. I don't have rent to pay but do make a monthly car payment (around $180) and a monthly cell phone payment (around $50).

So why are textbooks the first thing I'm choosing to ditch? They're simply another luxury I think I can live without. Please note that I am going to also try to cut down on my other "non-necessity" spending. However, I won't bore you with that. 

RIT operates on the quarter system, so for the next ten weeks I am REFUSING to buy any textbooks. I am going to track my grades in each class and match them up against classmates who buy the required textbooks. I'm going to see how much "required information" can be found online (Hello, Google!) and through other resources.

On top of this experiment, I'm going to include other money saving tips. Every Tuesday, I will be feauturing "Money Saving Tip Tuesday." Have any suggestions or something that helps you save money? Please share and let me try it!

I am officially declaring this blog one of my better ideas. Welcome to my little experiment.