Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Stretching Your Homeschooling Dollars

Most families today are trying to make every dollar stretch as far as possible. Groceries, gas, utilities, taxes, insurance . . . every month seems to bring rising expenses. After paying all the bills, it may seem next to impossible to afford quality homeschool materials.

I have found that, with a little time and creativity, even a larger family CAN afford to homeschool. Here are a few ways to stretch your homeschooling dollars:

Buy used curriculum.

Never purchase brand-new materials until you have invested some time in searching for used items first. A few places to check:

Choose materials that can be passed down.

By selecting homeschooling materials that are easily adaptable, you can reuse curriculum with younger children, even those with varying learning styles. Keep an eye open for books that may be reproduced within your family, as well. 

Resell items your family is no longer using.

Hold onto the teacher's manuals and other books that you are certain you will be using with other children. Then list the other items for resale. Tuck away the money you earn by selling used curriculum; it will come in handy for purchasing new-to-you materials!

Trade with other homeschool families.

See if a fellow homeschooler might be able to lend you a particular book or manual for a year. In return, check for materials that you could lend during the coming year.

Utilize free resources.

You can find many books and other resources available for free at your local library. Dozens of classics and other public domain books are available for Kindle; if you don't own a Kindle, you can download a free Kindle app for your computer.

How do you stretch your homeschooling dollars?

2 comments:

  1. Judy, this is great advice! I have started selling the materials that we are no longer using. I am also going to look for used curricula as I am starting to panic as I am making my wishlist for next year and seeing the potential cost of it. :-)

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    1. Lisa, I totally understand the anxiety that comes along with planning a new year of homeschooling! Selling materials that you aren't using, and searching out used items, will definitely help stretch your budget.
      Thanks so much for visiting!

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