I am SO thankful that we have the ability to choose homeschool as a way to educate our children. I am deeply grateful to have this freedom. Homeschool regulations vary from state to state- some being highly regulated, while others are not regulated at all. I live in a state with minimal regulations, and again, I am very thankful to have the freedom to educate our children how we see fit.
However, one of the downsides of being able to choose your curriculum, is that you have to pay for your curriculum.
Wah, wah, wah.
Anyone who has spent even a small amount of time shopping for homeschool curriculum knows that the bottom line can add up fast. So today I’d like to give you some ideas and resources to help you budget and save money on those books, computer programs, technology and enrichment programs.
- Literally reserve money in your monthly budget to go toward homeschool curriculum and activities.
- If you expect to receive a tax refund, set aside a percentage and put it towards homeschool needs.
- Use websites such as Half.com, Amazon.com, and Bookfinder.com to search out gently used homeschool materials. This can save you a great deal of money.
- Check out Homeschoolclassifieds.com for a huge listing of homeschool curriculum. This website also lists local homeschool groups and co-ops across the nation, as well as homeschool events.
- Shop local homeschool used book sales!! If you are not aware of homeschool groups in your area, go to homeschoolclassifieds.com or HSLDA, and you should be able to find the homeschool groups closest to you.
- Sell your old curriculum on the above used book sites or at a local homeschool used book sale to make money for the coming year’s curriculum and homeschool needs. And BONUS, it cuts down on the clutter in your home! Yay!
- Join local Facebook groups and put out a request from the other parents to see if someone will loan or sell you the used books you need.
- Collaborate with a friend who is using the same curriculum. Perhaps you can purchase alternate years of curriculum and swap the following year!
- Use the local library to check out books or Overdrive to check out ebooks.
- Use the Bible as your curriculum! Karen DeBeus at Simply Living for Him is an author and speaker who shares how her family did this and how it impacted them. Though I have not tried this method, I must admit it sounds intriguing and would certainly cut back curriculum expenses (however, that was NOT her primary purpose in studying exclusively out of God’s Word).
- Shop curriculum fairs at homeschool conferences! I am always able to find great deals and discounts on homeschool materials when we attend annually.
- Reuse materials! I do not permit my children to write in their textbooks, unless I deem it more cost effective to buy a consumable book than to make copies. My children will write out their math problems on a piece of notebook paper, write their papers on notebook paper and store it in a binder (which we also reuse, if they are in good enough shape), and so on. This way, textbooks can be passed down to siblings and reused when possible.
Well, there you have it! I hope that you find something useful in there to help you save up for curriculum or cut down the cost of curriculum. If you have other tips and tricks for saving money for homeschool curriculum and activities, PLEASE SHARE IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!! We want to hear from you and learn from you, so don’t be shy!!
Until next time, keep Doing Life Deliberately,
Trisha
Doing Life Deliberately 