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Biz Beat: Personal finance involves patience

Theo Keith
FNCU intern

I've been sharing some personal finance tips lately. Today's tip is ...

Comparison shop.

If something you want to buy seems too expensive, it probably is. You'll need a little common sense to avoid that impulse purchase. And you'll need patience if you want to save money by shopping around. Take textbooks, for example.

You could go to your school's bookstore. It's the easiest option: no driving, no hassle, you know you'll find the books you need. But it's also the most expensive option because they have a monopoly on the campus book market. For two years, I've relied on my campus bookstore for my class reading materials. But after getting a measly 20 percent back at the end of the year, those days are over. I'll be comparison shopping for the fall semester.

This involves going to other stores around town and shopping online. Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com are two places to start. You can get a list of the books you'll need from your college. Find out how much they cost at your school bookstore, then start bargain hunting. I have friends who have saved 50 percent or more on books, and some even make money by selling them at the end of the semester. I don't know why I haven't done this sooner!

The funny thing is, I do comparison shop for other items. I'll do it at the grocery store. I'll do it with chain restaurants to find the cheapest meal. When I needed a television for my dorm room, I searched online and all around town, got a coupon, found a price match, and ended up saving more than $50.

Starting to comparison shop now will make it a habit for later in life, when your expenses will be greater. Textbooks are a great place to start because there's so much money to be saved.

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