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Features: The Cost of Homeschooling So, how much do you spend on homeschooling?

I spend a lot more than I need to. I bought the full program from Riggs plus reference and testing books for around $300 that will last all three kids through grade school at least. In addition I am now being paid to tutor kids in reading using this message because it has worked so well.

We are using Math-U-See Foundations with a workbook for each child, but the next level up we will write the answers separately and reuse all the books. Once again I will use them for all three kids.

Now for the expensive part, I have no idea how much I have spent on CDs and books. We have all the Magic School Bus CDs (I have to remind my kids not to believe everything, they are very humanistic). I have some foreign language CDs and Jump Start. I buy books at Costco and used bookstores. I bought the Henty books in hardback. I have bought science supplies and books. This really isn't necessary and I would skimp on all this stuff if I could not afford it, but at this point we have been very blessed.

This may sound crazy, but the library makes me nervous. I read many books there as a child that led me astray.

I am also taking my son with me on a trip to Italy in November. No one really needs this but we will definitely get lots of schooling in. Somehow when he sees the Coliseum live I think it will be easier to get him to study Roman history. I am debating on the catacombs. Florence will be our main destination because I have friends there. 

I spend gobs!!!!! I have 3 daughters and I do spend any extra money I have on books for them to read, curriculum, videos (not cartoons!), etc. My husband says I'm the only person he knows that would rather spend money on books than on clothes. That's true! I would say on the average for magazines and all the extras I spend around $1500 a year. I do resell all non consumables and make around $1200 a year - a couple of years ago I ran a used curriculum booth and made over $2300! That was a good year! Don't be afraid to spend - just be sure you have prayed about what you are purchasing. I will readily admit that I have purchased things that didn't work out - so what, I resell it. Sometimes curriculums just don't work the way we think they will, no matter how great they look or how much everyone else says it is.

Sarah (1st grade) and Anna (18mo):
Start Write, $44.95 (or $22.48 for last year and this... so far!)
"Five in a Row" Volume 1, $19.00 (Will use again...)
Math-U-See Foundations, $77.83 (Will use again...)
Polished Cornerstones, $40.00 (or $20.00 for last year and this... so far!)
Blue Backed Speller, FREE
Modern Curriculum Press Phonics, FREE

Gateway, $40.00
Home school Legal Defense Association, $85.00
MHEA, $29.50
Zoo Membership, $ ?

I guess I'm looking at about $350. Knowing me, I've managed to spend more... but justified it by calling it a Birthday gift or something! 

Wow! I wish we could spend over $1000 a year! What a blessing! But, alas, that isn't possible for us so I do my buying on a definite prayer!

I live by Debbie S. and we are very blessed to have a homeschool store within a half hour that we go to and can get used books. They do consignment as well so we can sell stuff there. My rule of hand is that when I am sure I am all done with teacher's manuals, I sell those and I keep ALL of son's work. It is all store in the shed. I did pretty good on consignment this year! I just got $60 worth of books for $5! (Considering God's Creation, 3 D'Aulaire books - all new)...so if there is ANYTHING you can get rid of, check the yellow pages for used/consignment bookstores. I have been to some regular used stores, but you really have to search those. Being that we are in a college town, you can get any version of any Shakespeare book ever published (well, just about..you know the paperback ones) for under $2. Also can get cliff's notes there and stuff like that. Also old college textbooks if you think your kids are leading in any specific direction. We also found a huge section of religious stuff like study aids, Bibles, etc. But like I said, that was a hunt!

I have scouted thrift stores, garage sales, and library sales for used books and been blessed to find a lot at them. I want to make one note about the library. If they do used book sales, still try one out. When I went to my first one, I was really surprised. Many (over 3/4 I'd say) of the books were not books they ever had in their library!! They were donations they couldn't use b/c they had too many or it didn't fit a subject matter (they have no homeschooling books there - or very few) so when people donate them, they just go in the sale pile. I also got several copies of old homeschool magazines there for **free!** Some of the stuff is outdated as far as curriculum but I still got some great ideas I can adapt as far as unit stuff goes.

Trading is also good, and when I was at my wit's end once, I made a wish list (on either Amazon or B&N - I can't remember which did it) and I sent it to my mom and dad and my brother for a gift list and got a few books that way. Hey, every little bit helps.

Bargain hunting is what I do best! :) And to be truthful, I have to do it that way or my son would never get the quality of education that I am able to give him. But I account this all to the Lord. He knows our needs, which I constantly keep before them, and He has never failed to provide just what we need when we need it!

Let us know if you find any other ways to save, ok????
Will be praying for you and your search!
Love,
Jamie 

Alexisse
Easy Grammar Used teacher's edition $10
Daily Grams $3 used curriculum sale last year
Math-U-See Intermediate Math $50 used
Math-U-See Blocks $30 or so NEW as I couldn't find these used
Understanding Writing Used $25
Science Apologia Pilot program $80
History Streams of Civilization 1 $11 used
Streams of Civilization #2 new from the Mary store...$23?
Lotsa of library books

Keilah
Sing, Spell, Read, Write used for $50
A Reason for Writing used $2
History and Science Lots of library books and craft books relating to period in history
Math Math-U-See (split with older sister $60)
Rod and Staff Teacher books current edition $1 each at thrift store
Rod and Staff Math Workbooks $4 used
Alphaphonics to supplement the parts that I felt Sing, Spell, Read, Write had gaps (lessons 16-20) FREE someone gave it to me (old but still usable)

Just sold my Saxon Math:
K $25
1st $55
2nd $25
Miscellaneous other books we're done with and made $150 in addition to above products we sold.
Total proceeds from book sales: $255

Total expenditures for year $349

Actual totals after subtracting proceeds from used curriculum: $94 for 2 children --my total expenses for the year last year 

Call your local School Board and ask where they sell their old desks,etc. They usually have old books for sale very cheap. Sam's has excellent workbooks for under 9 dollars ($8.49) for every grade. Call private schools to find out what they do with their older edition books when they are finished with them. Call ORU and ask the same question. I know many parents get sent home at the end of the year with readers, workbooks, and unused materials from some Christian schools and they don't know what to do with them. Put a want to buy ad in the Tulsa homeschoolers newsletter. If the board of education doesn't have a surplus sale location then call the local school for the grade you want and ask them what they do with old books and would they let you have or buy any. I have several books that a local high school was throwing away from their library, they let me have all I wanted. Call, Call, Call.

Don't forget the local library, you can have books sent to your branch from all over the city. Also, I forgot to mention, a friend of mine (before we moved) would buy all my books at the end of the year because her son was a year behind mine. She started borrowing them the first year or so then started buying them because she wanted to keep them for her daughter too. She paid me 1/2 the price I paid. In fact, I would have been more than happy to give them to her but she wanted to buy them. Check with homeschooling families with children a year or so older than your son, you could do a borrow, rent, or purchase, similar to my friend and I. Saved her a TON.

Love, Julie
(Note from Mary: I found 3 discarded school desks at a salvage yard for $10 each, and the new desk was what inspired 6 year old Daniel to start school early!)

My favorite place to buy school books is Goodwill and Salvation Army. Its become somewhat of a hobby for me. I try to go at least once a week because they sell so fast. You can find many older textbooks without all the politically correct garbage and revised history. My favorites were printed in the '60, '70's books are okay and I never buy any textbook printed after 1979. And they're only $.50 - $1.

Sam's also has good workbooks. I think I've paid about $5 for each and they're not the skinny ones you find at K-mart or other stores. 

But this year here's my picture:

Yvette 5th:
Easy Grammar $25
Saxon $44 (should have bought it used for $25)
Maps Charts & Graphs Modern Curriculum Press $7
Library for free
Occasionally extras like Usborne cut-out models and field guides that I want to own (cheapest from http://www.allbooks4less.com )
Just bought Spelling Power used for $20 (for 3 kids)

Roger 2nd:

Sing Spell Read Write (bought used, split with Daniel on price) $60
Saxon worksheets $33
Saxon TM used $25
Modern Curriculum Press Maps book $7
Library

Daniel K/1:

Sing Spell Read Write (split with brother) $60
Saxon worksheets bought used (missing a few pages) $10
BOB Books $45 (he just couldn't get it between lesson 16-19 on Sing, Spell, Read, Write with the easy readers from the library). I'll sell them used in a couple months.

I will be able to sell off all the nonconsumable materials and come very close to breaking even on all of the above when we're done! We do have a lot of software that is just "extra" that I didn't include, and I just spent $50 on a Geosafari globe and some geology supplies. I could have saved the money on the globe and skipped that purchase without missing it!

The above totals up to $336. When I sell off the used books that are nonconsumable, I'll get back $215, making the cost $121 for 3 kids for one year.

Mary

My Excel Spreadsheet shows that I have spent $663.60 for the coming year. There are still a few purchases I want to make before we begin. I will also probably purchase a few more items on an as-needed basis during the year. This is for my 2 boys - 9th grade and 3rd grade and an almost-two-yr-old girl.

I really enjoyed reading Sarah's post, and have to say that I agree with her. We are also a one-income family although I have a handful of music students (and this $ helps fund our school). I save a little here and there throughout the year so I can make my purchases by cash. I will use a credit card occasionally, but only if what I am spending can be promptly paid.

I, too, have access to the world's worst libraries. They are useful basically for enjoyment reading.

I think it is a good thing to be frugal - many are that way by necessity. I know that God wants us to be good stewards, but that means with our children as well as our time and money. I consider the money spent on my children to be an investment to God and that there will be many good returns on that investment.

Well, this year for us was a bad year to compare. I have two going into junior high curriculum and we decided to switch gears a bit. That cost us a little but not as much as I thought. The math killed us though. We decided to go with Math-U-See and husband got everything new. The rest, we sort of had here and there. I sold a lot of our old stuff and it went directly to payments of the new books.

A lot depends of course on the ages of your kids. Younger kids can get away with a lot more from the library than the older kids.

Depending on your "curriculum", you might be able to do what we did. For the rest of schooling we will be using The History of US by Joy Hakim for all US History reference. Streams of Civilization. for World and US and I have a few other world history books. That pretty much takes care of that.
Science in the early years can be books from the library if you can find any. Just study off time from the public school so you can find what you want.

Maybe this will give you some ideas.
Blessings
Donna in IN

I have come to the conclusion that homeschoolers are afraid to admit it if they spent a good bit on home schooling, a kind of weird pride in not spending. I have decided this because of the number of "non critical" items people sell and look for. So, most who respond here will be the ones who are very frugal, the rest of us generally don't want to admit what we spend! However, I am willing to tell you what I spend:

TECHNICALLY SPEAKING, my budget will say I spent $1,000. However, I sell lots and lots of textbooks & helps every year, so I enter those sales into the budget. In all honesty, I probably spend around $1,600, possibly more. Are we rolling in money? No, we're single income, though my husband has a good job. But we skimp on everything else (well, okay, we slip up on eating out, but other than that, we are really frugal).

This is what is included: textbooks (and the books that go along with those, such as test books, etc), historical fiction, science experiment kits, Christian videos (ie: Moody), Discover magazine (creation science), God's World News (Christian weekly newspaper), Critical thinking books, foreign language programs, educational CDs, cassettes (Diana Waring, Your Story Hour), and supplementary educational books (biographies, landmarks, Usborne, unit studies).

Be diligent with checking sale boards and posting on wanted boards, it really pays off. Also, sometimes inter-library loans are worth looking into, though like you, I cannot find anything in our libraries, they are very liberal around here. I have no home schooling group either, so that is one of the reasons I buy so much, there is no one to borrow from!!

We were paying about $6,000 a year (and getting into debt) to the Christian school, so this is much less! In my opinion, while we need to be good stewards, I don't want to rob my children, and give them a "cheap" education. With a good library, homeschool friends to borrow from, you probably can spend a lot less, I just don't have the opportunity. Also, I bet if you looked hard enough, you could find (though maybe too late for this year) a used curriculum fair. I have to travel over 45 minutes to the one I use, and only heard of it because of our Christian radio station that sponsors it. So ask around!

Lastly, don't forget that the Lord is interested in your children's education. He says He will supply our needs - so pray!! Ask!! Don't be shy, He loves to give good gifts to His Children! People have posted some neat testimonies as to how the Lord has provided for their homeschool!!

Let's see.......for two children(one high school and one junior high) we spend less than $500 per year. I buy lots of "extra" reading books and helps for writing, but usually get these used at a homeschool store we have about 30 minutes from here. the bright side is that in a couple of years I won't really have to buy anything because I can use most of what son is using for daughter when she gets up there. Are you in a homeschool group where you could trade, borrow, or rent books from someone? I have borrowed books from a dear lady and this has been such a blessing in my home! The only things I have to buy new this year is the science, which we are going to use Apologia. I don't know if we could afford to homeschool if we weren't so blessed with being able to get used materials. Everything I use if purchased new would cost me almost $1000 for both children. Sorry this got a little long-winded. Why don't you post up a list of what you are looking for?! I am sure these dear ladies can help you find what you are looking for.

My "budget" this year is also around $1500.00(I say around because unlike Sarah, I don't keep track of every dime spent-I keep all the receipts but rarely look at them again! :( ).  It does sound like a lot, but a lot of the items I purchased this year I will be able to use for all four kids and over several years.  Here's my list: Math-U-See:  This will be my first year using this, so the start up was a lot( I needed two sets of manipulatives) but for the next couple years all I need to buy is a workbook for each child, and  one teachers manual for the oldest. Grammar:I am using English For The Thoughtful Child, which was only 18.95. I will use it for all four kids.  When my oldest is finished with that, I will buy another program I can use the same way. Science: Considering God's Creation and lots of supplements.  Using it this way I can make stretch over 2 to 3 years.  You could easily do science for free using books from your library(or any other subject for that matter if you have access to a good library-I don't ) History:Usborne Book of World History-I will use this for all kids through 4th grade, along with a lot of supplemental reading. Kingfisher Illustrated History of the World(newly revised to Kingfisher History Encyclopedia)-Use for all kids through Jr. High, with supplements. The only totally consumable books I purchased were Italic Handwriting, and Spelling Workout, and they are both inexpensive.  Another big purchase was the Noah Webster 1828 Dictionary, which will last the rest of my life and my children's lives!  So I will be spending considerably less over the next few years.

Alright since the rest of you are fessing up I will too. We spent more this year than we ever have because we have one entering the junior high level. (But I rationalized our spending more on curriculum because we didn't have to buy all the name brand clothes she would have needed if going "out" to school.) Let's see if I can figure this all out....

Far Above Rubies (  A Proverbs based unit study that we can take 6 years to complete)..used $15

Math (we were burned out on Saxon) Spectrum Math book I picked up at Staples ...$6.95.

Apologia Science (which we we'll water down to use with the 3rd grade son)...$80.00.

Spelling..Spectrum $6.95.

Grammar..Journey Through Grammar Land ....around $40 for 4 books.

History (Story of the Old World) and supplementing with Henty Books (not included in the cost because I look at Henty books as an investment and not an expense.)$15...also picked up an American Heritage book at Goodwill for .50 and the teachers manual I ran into at a used curriculum fair that somebody was giving away for FREE! Both of which will be used for 2 children. I have had Story of the Old World for 2 years but we can go over that again as much as we want. If you look at what they do in "other" schools they review and repeat everything they learned in grade school.

Reading..this is where we use our library card, and I have probably spent over $1000 on good Christian Literature books in the last 5 years collecting books from Goodwill and used books sales, garage sales etc. (I'm not including that in the total cost.)

For art, gym, music lessons and other extra areas like that we have co-ops in our local homeschool group and it seems there is always some family that has a talent to share with the rest of us. I am thinking of teaching a class on computer saavy...like html and let each child make their own homepage. This year we will be attending quilting classes, woodworking, basic auto mechanics, sewing, physical education and it's FREE!

For Bible (which should be listed at the top), we have family devotion books that we do together. We also have a copy of the Daily Bible which is read in chronological order to go along with our Far Above Rubies. That was $30.00 (for Bible and devotion books)

Math...Developmental Math....$14.95 (2 books)..
History (with sister)..
Science(with sister)
Reading (spectrum..$6.95)
Spelling (used Bob Jones $6.00 (Teacher's manual and student book)

He will also sit in on Henty readings and devotions. He will also participate in the extra activities.  So give or take a few dollars we spent between $200-300 this year on curriculum. Not including Henty books (working on my collection) and field trips etc.

That's all I can think of :) 

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