The other day I read an article about how homeschooling is just “so expensive”, estimating anywhere from $600 clear up to $1200 per kid for one year.
Wow. They must not know how to bargain shop, huh?
Of course we want the best homeschooling materials for our kids, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be smart shoppers.
It also doesn’t mean we have to actually buy many of the resources either – how much can be made at home or printed off? I don’t know about you, but even though I’m just starting to look for homeschooling materials, I’ve found THOUSANDS of printable worksheets and activities.
I’m a bit of an eBay addict too, and have found quite a bit of items there. This includes books, games,and a whole lot of extras. Some of the stores there focus specifically on homeschool and teaching materials while others just have some “extra stuff” to sell. The drawback to ebay is you pretty much have to know what you are looking for. That’s really not as hard as you think though.
Not only can you get your supplies super cheap or free by using very simple frugal ideas, but many things you really don’t even need (despite was the companies selling prepackaged materials tell you). For my 2nd grader the only two books I need to buy are for math and English. Even then I really don’t NEED to buy them, and I really just want them as a guide for my own peace of mind. Worksheets can be printed, real life activities can be done, personalized spelling and vocabulary lists can be made (he’s very much into Garfield right now, and I’ve noticed there are quite a few “big words” in those books he stumbles over), and other things can be personalized. The school seems to think he has a reading comprehension problem, but the fact is he just doesn’t LIKE the stories he’s being given. When a book interests him, he tells you ALL about it.
Another thing I noticed from this article was it talked about how much you’d be spending on “extra” activities, trips, and games. I don’t know about you, but I spend money on these things anyway. I take my kids to fun places in the summer and on weekends. I buy them educational games because I want them to be ahead of the class. I put them in dance, Tae Kwan Do, swimming lessons, and so on. What’s “extra”?
So saying homeschooling is “expensive” is really not true. Does it cost more than sending them to public school? Absolutely! But it’s a far cry from hundreds or thousands of dollars quoted if you are frugal mom. 
Related posts:
- Frugal Friday: Pack a Lunch
- Frugal Friday: Saving Money on Gas
- Frugal Friday: Kids Bedding on Sale
- Frugal Friday: Mother's Day Game Sale
- Frugal Friday: Meal Plans
May 17th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Oh, you’re so right! There are many great online resources for finding inexpensive or discounted curriculum… even one resource I found offers free curriculum to families unable to afford it. I have a link to share: http://www.thehomeschoolingblog.com/2008/05/finding-used-discounted-homeschool.html
I agree with you that homeschooling doesn’t have to break the bank. The goodies you can find online, in the form of free downloads and printables is amazing. Many homeschooling communities additionally offer used curriculum fairs where you can buy from one another… what a great way to save!
~Wendy