Post-secondary students heading back to school in September may be shocked by the price of textbooks. The University of Victoria suggests that students budget $1,700 annually for books alone. And depending on your course of study, you could be paying even more. Before hitting your school bookstore for all your reading materials, be sure to cut some of your costs with these six ways to save on textbooks.

To help counter the steep cost of your study materials be sure to save your receipts and claim the Textbook Amount when filing your tax return. This federal non-refundable tax credit allows full-time students to claim $65 for each eligible month of study, while part-time students can qualify for $20 per month. There are many other tax credits post-secondary students can claim -- see 8 Reasons even broke students should file a tax return for the money-saving details.

University profs often pad their class reading lists with optional books. Buying every tome on your list before class starts might put you ahead of the class, but it could also be an expensive mistake if only a few titles are required reading. To save maximum dollars, talk to students who have taken the class or wait until classes start to buy only the essential textbooks for each subject.

Skipping the university bookstore and buying used textbooks through a student network is a surefire way to save at least 25 percent on each book. Many college campuses and university centers boast a website or a back room where students can meet to swap texts. Seek out these money-saving networks on Facebook, a public school forum, or a class chat room to get your books for far less.

For example, by searching Facebook for a few minutes I quickly found the UBC Textbook Exchange with over 2,100 members looking to buy and sell used books. Need English, Economics, Anatomy, or Chemistry books this fall? It's all there!

Cost-conscious students with a class booklist can save huge by shopping for textbooks online. Online book retailers like Amazon.ca, Alibris.com, ThriftBooks.com, and Abebooks.com all have virtual bookshelves loaded with used textbooks ready for shipping to Canada. The trick is to have your required textbook's ISBN code handy to ensure you get the right book for your class. Just because a particular book has the same author or title doesn't mean it's the right edition for your course.

Don't be afraid to make a few friends the first day of class. You may just find some fellow cash-strapped students looking to share or trade a textbook for the semester to help lower costs. Many school libraries often carry a few copies of each textbook, so be sure to check the shelves for the expensive texts each semester since borrowing a book is free.

It makes little sense to shop for any back-to-school supplies without knowing how much money you have to spend. Download this free Student Budget Planner to tally your tuition costs and calculate your campus expenses. You may just find some additional cash in your budget for that $200 engineering book, after all.

Your Turn: Got a tip for saving on textbooks? How much are you spending on textbooks this year?