by Suzanne Wielgos
When we first became a homeschooling family many years ago, my husband was in graduate school and I worked a couple of part-time jobs just to scrape up grocery money. Frugal living wasn’t a choice, it was a necessity. I learned quickly that it is indeed possible to create a rich, wide-ranging homeschooling curricula while spending very little money.
That was many years ago, when there were few homeschool publishers and certainly no online or DVD options. Today, with so many homeschooling products advertised everywhere, it is easy to waste money chasing the perfect program.
Even if money were not an issue, many homeschooling families are trying to live more simply, recycling materials and reusing as much as they can. With a little creativity, networking, and planning ahead, these families can produce a green homeschooling program that is equivalent or better than purchasing something new.
• When choosing curricula for your children, don’t rely on the advice of a sales rep or your best friend. Check out homeschool review websites for actual written reviews, with pros and cons. I can’t count the number of times I almost shelled out a big check for a particular program that a friend raved about—only to research it a bit more and discover it has drawbacks that just wouldn’t have worked for us.
• Check to see if your local or regional homeschooling conference will sell you a vendor-only pass. This is a great way to examine many different types of programs first-hand, even if you don’t plan to attend the entire conference.
• Organize a homeschooling garage sale. Contact all of the regional homeschooling support groups in your area (easiest to do online) and invite their participation. I’ve found that early June works well, since families are often finished with items they want to pass along, and searching for newer items for the fall. Get your local newspaper to publish a feature story about the sale, in addition to purchasing classified ads. Some of my best bargains and most valuable advice has come from attending homeschooling garage sales. Don’t wait for someone else to hold one; roll up your sleeves and do it yourself!
• Check out book recycling events in your area. Contact your municipal recycling organization and ask if they know of one in the near future. See if your library has a Friends of the Library fundraising sale. At these events, schools and bookstores often donate used textbooks and other materials that they no longer need. The county book recycling event in my area lets anyone bring books and take books—all for free.
• Of course, many people are familiar with the most popular bidding websites as an option for bargain shopping. Some of these websites have made it difficult for homeschoolers to sell their materials because of their ban on selling anything considered a teacher’s edition or solutions manual. But keep looking deeper. There are many sites without those prohibitions.
• Does your local school district allow you to “rent” books? In my area, homeschoolers can arrange to rent all the books they would receive in the public schools by giving them a check at the beginning of the year. As long as the books are returned in good condition, the check is returned to the parents at the end of the year.
• Don’t always consume consumables. I’m not suggesting you photocopy books, which is probably illegal, but why not have your children write their answers on blank sheets of paper instead of writing them in the books themselves? Then the books can be shared or passed down instead of thrown into the trash pile and replaced each year.
• Do you really need to buy a teacher’s guide for second grade math or third grade English? If the program is so complicated that a parent needs to see an answer key, maybe it is just too complicated. Period.
• You can find lots of free materials online. For example, many school districts publish their spelling words online, organized week by week for the school year. I print them out for each child, insert them with notebook paper in a three-ring binder, and have a great spelling curricula laid out for the entire academic year.
• Finally, get to know your library! Our local library has probably been the biggest blessing to our frugal homeschooling journey over the years. They can help you obtain books, and some libraries will offer you a “teacher’s card” with six-week check-out periods instead of two. One library in our area has been amassing a collection of homeschooling materials for some time now. Although they will not lend it out, you can drive there to use them or examine these items yourself before deciding on a purchase.
• Invest in quality. Be willing to spend money on items that you know you will use over and over. These classics generally hold their value, anyway.
Don’t panic if your finances don’t seem to fit your dreams of providing your kids with fantastic homeschooling materials. It can be done more easily and reasonably than you might think!
When we first became a homeschooling family many years ago, my husband was in graduate school and I worked a couple of part-time jobs just to scrape up grocery money. Frugal living wasn’t a choice, it was a necessity. I learned quickly that it is indeed possible to create a rich, wide-ranging homeschooling curricula while spending very little money.
That was many years ago, when there were few homeschool publishers and certainly no online or DVD options. Today, with so many homeschooling products advertised everywhere, it is easy to waste money chasing the perfect program.
Even if money were not an issue, many homeschooling families are trying to live more simply, recycling materials and reusing as much as they can. With a little creativity, networking, and planning ahead, these families can produce a green homeschooling program that is equivalent or better than purchasing something new.
• When choosing curricula for your children, don’t rely on the advice of a sales rep or your best friend. Check out homeschool review websites for actual written reviews, with pros and cons. I can’t count the number of times I almost shelled out a big check for a particular program that a friend raved about—only to research it a bit more and discover it has drawbacks that just wouldn’t have worked for us.
• Check to see if your local or regional homeschooling conference will sell you a vendor-only pass. This is a great way to examine many different types of programs first-hand, even if you don’t plan to attend the entire conference.
• Organize a homeschooling garage sale. Contact all of the regional homeschooling support groups in your area (easiest to do online) and invite their participation. I’ve found that early June works well, since families are often finished with items they want to pass along, and searching for newer items for the fall. Get your local newspaper to publish a feature story about the sale, in addition to purchasing classified ads. Some of my best bargains and most valuable advice has come from attending homeschooling garage sales. Don’t wait for someone else to hold one; roll up your sleeves and do it yourself!
• Check out book recycling events in your area. Contact your municipal recycling organization and ask if they know of one in the near future. See if your library has a Friends of the Library fundraising sale. At these events, schools and bookstores often donate used textbooks and other materials that they no longer need. The county book recycling event in my area lets anyone bring books and take books—all for free.
• Of course, many people are familiar with the most popular bidding websites as an option for bargain shopping. Some of these websites have made it difficult for homeschoolers to sell their materials because of their ban on selling anything considered a teacher’s edition or solutions manual. But keep looking deeper. There are many sites without those prohibitions.
• Does your local school district allow you to “rent” books? In my area, homeschoolers can arrange to rent all the books they would receive in the public schools by giving them a check at the beginning of the year. As long as the books are returned in good condition, the check is returned to the parents at the end of the year.
• Don’t always consume consumables. I’m not suggesting you photocopy books, which is probably illegal, but why not have your children write their answers on blank sheets of paper instead of writing them in the books themselves? Then the books can be shared or passed down instead of thrown into the trash pile and replaced each year.
• Do you really need to buy a teacher’s guide for second grade math or third grade English? If the program is so complicated that a parent needs to see an answer key, maybe it is just too complicated. Period.
• You can find lots of free materials online. For example, many school districts publish their spelling words online, organized week by week for the school year. I print them out for each child, insert them with notebook paper in a three-ring binder, and have a great spelling curricula laid out for the entire academic year.
• Finally, get to know your library! Our local library has probably been the biggest blessing to our frugal homeschooling journey over the years. They can help you obtain books, and some libraries will offer you a “teacher’s card” with six-week check-out periods instead of two. One library in our area has been amassing a collection of homeschooling materials for some time now. Although they will not lend it out, you can drive there to use them or examine these items yourself before deciding on a purchase.
• Invest in quality. Be willing to spend money on items that you know you will use over and over. These classics generally hold their value, anyway.
Don’t panic if your finances don’t seem to fit your dreams of providing your kids with fantastic homeschooling materials. It can be done more easily and reasonably than you might think!
Suzanne Wielgos became a homeschooling Mom in 1994. Today, her oldest of five children is in college and her youngest is finishing 4th grade. She coordinates her local homeschool group in the Chicago area, encouraging those new to homeschooling and providing a forum for discussion and support.
