Textbooks nowadays cost an arm and a leg. Education is draining the average Joe’s bank account, no thanks to how pricey books have become. It is through textbooks that we enrich ourselves through knowledge but, sadly, it is through very expensive textbooks that we just might end up broke.

For instance, a medical textbook can cost up to PhP10,000. Education, in this case, has become quite a hefty investment. People who cannot afford to spend this much on college textbooks, however, need to look for alternatives.

For instance, borrowing books from older schoolmates may be one solution. This may limit one’s ability to underline and highlight the book, something which a lot of students love to do, but when the wallet is thin, a little sacrifice is necessary.

Others prefer buying second hand books. This way, the buyers can treat the books as their own. It is much easier to read, digest, and remember what you read when you can make little notes on the sides of the pages and underline the important text.

The high cost of living has put a damper on education. But children and parents are fighting back – and they refuse to stop learning just because new textbooks have become too expensive for their means.

It would be easier to scrimp on textbooks than to do on school supplies such as pens and paper pads, given how school supplies need to be brand new. Textbooks, on the other hand, do not have to be brand new.

Everybody is free to learn, but books are seldom free. However, people are free to use their own cunning to avail of books and continue their education. Whether you decide to buy brand new books or cheap ones, it really doesn’t matter – as long as you don’t stop learning.