Homeschooling can be expensive and if you have a limited budget it’s easy to get frustrated. The cost of private schools has caused many people to choose the option of homeschooling. Although there are many books and programs out there, it doesn’t mean that you need to spend a lot of money or more than your budget allows. Here are a few tips to help you home school and still work within a limited budget:
1. Create your budget and stick with it. It’s pretty easy to start buying a bunch of books and programs that you think you need and then find that you have spent a bunch of money and still don’t have everything you need. Realistically look at what you have to spend on homeschooling and make that amount work for you.
2. Do your homework. When you come across something that you want to purchase for homeschooling, start looking on forums or even just Google it by typing in the name of the book or curriculum and “review” after it. Chances are someone else on the Internet has used that book and has some advice to offer. Make sure you know your child’s learning style so you are purchasing items that fit in with that style for a greater chance of being utilized. Check with other home schoolers you know and trust and ask them what they know about the books or curriculum you are thinking of purchasing. I always like to ask Moms who have several children that are well educated and well behaved.
3. Consider using used materials. With so many more people homeschooling now, used curriculum is very available and affordable. Some support groups have used book sales at the end of a school year. I have found many valuable resources at garage sales and thrift stores. My favorite place to find used curriculum and books is at homeschoolclassifieds.com.
4. Use your local library and free resources whenever possible. With the advent of online library requests, using the library has become even easier. I can get online, request a book that I would like, and usually receive notification of it’s arrival at my local library within a week. If I find that I really like the book and feel that I need to use it for a long time, I can always purchase it. The Internet has a tremendous amount of free resources that home schoolers can use.
Homeschooling doesn’t have to be expensive. You might need to trade a little time for money, but there is no reason for you to spend more money than what you have in your home school budget.
