There was always one big rule when I was in college: My parents would pay my tuition if I ponied up for all my school books. (What a joke.) Mom and Dad got a nice, neat payment plan that extended throughout the school year, while I got stuck with hundreds of dollars of text books that somehow dropped 75% in value by the time the semester was over and I was ready to trade them back in to the bookstore. Mom and Dad’s return rate eventually paid off — I flew the coop and landed a job in NYC, but I still have a bunch of books gathering dust in the attic that aren’t worth the paper they were printed on.

If you’re on a tight budget and don’t want spent $100 on “Intro to Anatomy,” you might want to check out CampusBookRentals.com. The site works just like NetFlix: You search for title, enter the ISBN number of the book you need, choose the right edition, and bam! The book is shipped to you. Students get a free 30 day grace period and can return any book within that time and get a 100% refund.

The best part about this is that each rental period is based on the average semester. Fall and Winter semesters give you 150 days access, while Spring and Summer average 55 days (students are even given a 15 day grace period after that time to return the book at no extra cost).

Ok, sure, this might not seem a little quirky, but considering the fact that they’re ok with you highlighting the crap out of their books, it sounds pretty win-win. At an 85% savings, CampusBookRentals.com might be the only recession-friendly aspect to your college adventures (well, besides ramen noodles, ladies night at your local bar, and a free gym membership for the next four years).