I think we’ve all felt the sting of inflation lately.
Gas.
Groceries.
Restaurants. (Tell me why it recently cost me almost $25 to feed two of my children at Chick Fil A!)
It’s all expensive.
As a one income family, I’m always looking for ways to save money. Always willing to put something on the proverbial chopping block if it doesn’t fit in our budget. And always figuring out ways to get the things I want without breaking the bank.
When you’re a homeschool family, there’s a lot to consider when it comes to your budget. Curriculum, books, manipulatives, field trips, the list goes on.
It can be overwhelming to figure out how to give your kids a good educational experience without spending a ton of money. We’re heading into our fifth year of homeschooling and I’ve tried many things over the years to save money.
Here are a few super easy ways to stay in your budget, whatever that might be!
Use As Many Free Resources As Possible
This one seems obvious. But the internet is so huge, I’ve probably only scratched the surface of the free resources available for homeschoolers. If you need it, you can find a free option for nearly any subject for any grade.
Here are some of our favorite resources:
- Real Cool History for Kids Podcast
- 123homeschool4me.com for free science printables and craft ideas
- The Good and the Beautiful offers free Language Arts, Math, and Science materials as a digital download. *You’ll need to figure out if it is cost effective to print at home. I have used this freebie more than once!
- typingclub.com
- code.org
- Educational YouTube videos. Liberty Kids, Coyote Peterson, PragerU Kids, etc.
- Pinterest (this is vague, but use Pinterest as a search engine to find lots of free printable worksheets.)
I have never personally used it, but I did stumble across Freedom Homeschooling recently. They’re a great resource to help you find free curriculum for any subject whether you’re looking for secular or specifically Christian material.
Don’t Buy Everything at Once
This tip might not work for everybody, but since we loosely do school through the summer we rarely have a first day of school that starts with a pile of brand new workbooks. For the most part, I buy things only as I need them with the exception of science units that I might buy in multiples to save on shipping costs.
If you’re just starting to prepare for your first year homeschooling, I especially recommend this tip! When you’re just starting out, it can be tempting to buy all the new things and feel prepared for the whole year.
But if you’re not certain about your child’s learning style or your family’s homeschool preferences, you might find yourself heading back to the store when what you bought isn’t working out. A few years ago, I purchased a year’s worth of math for both of my sons, only to switch to a different curriculum half way through the year. I ended up with two unused books that cost me about $50. Fortunately it wasn’t more, but it was still $50!
Take time to figure out what you really need and when. Watch for sales and discount codes too!
Buy Used
This tip is also pretty obvious. But a lot of people might be surprised at all the homeschool supplies you can buy secondhand.
If you’re already using a certain curriculum, there’s likely buy/sell groups on Facebook (there is for TGATB).
You can buy educational games and manipulatives at thrift stores. Some cities even have homeschool stores with new and used materials. If you have one of these, consider me jealous!
Frequent your local Goodwill or used bookstores to stock up on read aloud books and classics that your kids will read over the years.
If you don’t want to spend money on buying science or history curriculum right out of the gate, reading lots of books on different subjects will suffice beautifully (especially with younger kids)! We have built quite the collection of books over the years, probably hundreds, and I’m always amazed at the things I can find for no more than a couple of dollars!
Find Free or Discounted Places to Adventure
The ability to go wherever you want, whenever you want, is one of the many reasons families are drawn to homeschooling. But tickets and passes can add up, especially if you have multiple children.
Hop on Google and type in “free homeschool field trips near me” and see what comes up. Visit nature preserves, go to museums on discount days, or go with a group to get a lower ticket price.
Don’t be afraid to get a little outside of the box here. While we love to visit our tried and true favorites like the zoo, we’ve often been pleasantly surprised by the new places we’ve been able to visit. We’ve even incorporated “field trips” when we’re out of town in new cities.
When you find a place you really love, it is usually more cost effective to buy a pass! Zoos and museums occasionally promote discounts on season passes so don’t forget to look for ways to lower your out of pocket cost!
Crunching the Numbers
While those are my easy tips for not going overboard on spending, I know what you really want to know is just how much we do spend.
Like I said earlier, we never buy everything all at once. But if we needed to, this is how much I would spend on curriculum for this upcoming year.
Language Arts Levels 3 (course book only) & 4 (full set): $101.95
Horizons Math Levels 3 & 4: $100 (2 books per level at $25 each)
A Reason for Handwriting (2 books): $39.90
Paleontology & Space Science Unit Studies from The Good and the Beautiful: $63.94 *
History Level 1 from The Good and the Beautiful: $77.97 **
*Science is a subject we supplement a lot with things we already have (plus free resources), we occasionally try new unit studies for fun.
**In total honesty, we started this year and didn’t love it. Now that the kids are one year older, we’re going to give it another try before moving onto a different curriculum. If I were to choose another curriculum right now, I would probably go with America’s Story by Angela O’Dell ($55.98)
Total Cost for Curriculum: $383.76
Nearly $400 is still a decent chunk of change. But this is for two students for an entire school year. Compare that to Sonlight ($932 for 3rd grade) or BJU ($1,099 for 3rd grade) and it’s considerably cheaper.
For our family, I can buy curriculum, supplies, and experiences for the same price as some companies charge for curriculum. Which is a win for me!
Sidenote, I shouldn’t have to clarify this, but since it’s the internet…
There is nothing wrong with more expensive curriculum! If it works for your budget and you like getting everything from one place at one time, I say go for it!
How much do you spend each year homeschooling? What are some of your favorite tips for saving money?