Thank you @amy9998 and @“beth’s mom” for the insight. Since books and supplies are coming out of my pocket I want to be as economical as possible. I will make sure to utilize others for used books and to rent when possible 
I really hope I can keep those access codes to a minimum…but it happens so I will budget for it accordingly.
DS says he will google the specific text book name and version hoping to find a free PDF download.
Re: Access codes - I’ve been seeing references to these; can someone explain these to me? Do you purchase them separately from the textbooks, and if so, where? Thanks!
I learned this as a student and told my daughter…it was echoed in a just-released video of what last week’s graduates would tell themselves as freshmen: don’t buy books until after the first day of class. More than once I went to class and the teacher said, “We won’t be using the textbook for this course, instead we’re going to use this workbook.” or “Be sure to get the 20th edition, not the 19th.” There are a lot of ways to buy and rent textbooks now, but I have not seen this piece of advice fail.
For what it’s worth, faculty aren’t supposed to announce textbook changes at the start of the semester, but we get forced into it by a well-intentioned law that turns out to have had unintended knock-on effects. The law, passed a few years ago, was intended to allow students to know all of their costs ahead of time—so textbook orders have to be submitted long enough before schedules go live for registration. (So, for example, I had to submit my textbook requests for fall semester in early February.) However, if someone ends up, say, having to take over someone else’s course, the textbook chosen by the originally scheduled faculty member might not work well with the new instructor’s teaching methods; similarly, there are situations where the edition originally ordered isn’t actually available in time for the course (as happens sometimes when a new edition scheduled to be published in the summer is assigned).
RE: access codes. They’re required for most physics, engineering and science classes from my experience. It’s just a code that you have to buy to access your homework. Typically it includes 1-2 semesters and a virtual textbook. I have priced out buying the access code from the school and a used book online, and it’s typically more expensive than just buying the bundle. They are expensive. I bought them for CH 101 (used for 102 also), PH 105, PH 106, ME 215, AEM 201 and all my math classes. I also needed a code for my Econ class.
Edit: most engineering majors need a couple codes freshman and sophomore year. I don’t know many other majors who need these codes. Just the hard sciences and engineering.
(1) Two options for access codes: (a) get a new book (access code is included) or (b) get a cheap used book and buy the access code separately. Check the price for the access code before you decide!
(2) Is the book even necessary? Don’t wait 'til the first day of class - email the prof ahead of time and ask!
(3) Used books - the older, the better! Sure, the book listed for your class at the SupeStore is the 2016 edition at $300 . . . but the 2005 edition is available at the Amazon Marketplace for $2. Reach out to your prof ahead of time and find out if the older edition is acceptable. Sometimes the older edition will work just fine, and sometimes it won’t. Ask!!!
(4) Join the various Bama student FB groups, and look for your used books there. Books will be listed at the end of each semester and again at the beginning. (And, yes, you can join now and see about lining books up for the fall!)
(5) The “clicker” - you’re eventually going to need one. You have two options - buy it new at the SupeStore, or get one used from another student. If you decide to go with used, just make sure you have the current version - they changed it in 2014-15, and the older one won’t work anymore.
P.S. Don’t forget to list your own used books for sale on FB at the end of each semester!
thanks @dodgersmom and everyone for the info! One other thing I was wondering…what are thoughts on getting a tablet for notes and studying to save on printing costs?
And if buying from the Supe store, keep the shrink wrap on the book until you absolutely need to use it! Then if you don’t crack it, you can return it for a full refund.
^ per question about getting a tablet to take notes - this is an excellent idea, but note taking can be done on any laptop too with the right software. Those in engineering, especially, need to be able to take notes ‘free-hand’ in order to write very complicated formulas and equations (with lots of variables) and free-body diagrams, etc. My aero son recently purchased a surface and absolutely loves it for that reason. Be sure to download and back up your notes regularly, regardless of what system or method you use.
Thanks @aeromom and @Rdtsmith for the insight! I will keep your info in mind for the future. I have been considering getting a new laptop since it is 4 years old, but works perfectly fine. Should I wait till later to go for the tablet or computer or would it be a good investment to go with one of them for freshman year?
If yours “works perfectly fine,” why buy a new one? In my opinion, better to keep that cash in reserve until you actually need a new one.
Thanks @dodgersmom! I will save laptop money for a rainy day. For a tablet (since I am rather new to them) what kinds would you recommend for an engineering student who wants to keep notes and files for management and to have the convenience to read textbooks at ease?
Or for the day your roommate accidentally sits on your laptop. Yep - happened to my kid! That’s why I’d always recommend saving your laptop money 'til you really need it.
@atomicPACMAN07 : will you use a computer for gaming or for any other purpose other than school work? The reason I ask is we made a mistake with my son’s laptop purchase, thinking it would serve multiple purposes and it did not. It did not suit his school needs nor his personal needs. My son hated lugging his (at that time, very large, very heavy) laptop around to class. (He used an iPad for taking notes up until his recent Surface-Pro purchase, which he uses for all work now and ditched the laptop.) Most of his eng’g classwork calculations needed to be done in the computer lab because (I guess) of the programs used and the size of files and processing power?
Now, having said all this, in just 4 years, technology gadgets have changed quite radically from my point of view. 4 years ago, my son got his first smart phone (and now he’s on his 3rd version); 4 years ago he came into college without having used a personal computer or a laptop of his own during high school (now, most kids have used these extensively in high school and/or have one themselves). I seriously would recommend waiting until you get the lay of the land and see what you really need once you have classes. You might not need anything at all. Or, there will be something in a year that you just ‘gotta have’. 
Thank you @aeromom Like you said technology changes over time and it’s better to hold onto the funds until it’s absolutely necessary. My computer plays games just fine and as much as a better laptop (or desktop) for gaming would be nice, I am not sure I will have time to play them anyways haha
I recommend a laptop over a tablet. Especially for CS or engineering. A lot of the websites for homework don’t work on tablets. Maybe some tablets would be able to run them, but I know iPads definitely won’t. Websites like webassign and mastering_____ require different softwares that run best on laptops. You could always go to the library to do your homework though. I don’t use my tablet for class. But I use my laptop for sure. I know classmates who use the 2 in 1 type. So maybe that’s an option.
For textbook price comparison, bigwords.com beats all others. It compares at tons of sites and has good filtering for new/used/rental/international editions, etc