How do I homeschool effectively without breaking the bank?

There can be challenges that come up in homeschooling, and one of the largest is how to homeschool on a tight budget. Most of the time when we choose to homeschool, one of the parents has to to stay home for the majority of the time.

Needless to say that this will impact the budget of any families out there that are more accustomed to having dual incomes. That brings us to the topic of this post, how do we accomplish our goals in education while being constrained by our wallets?

Misunderstandings about homeschooling budgets:

First, let’s discuss some possible misunderstandings as it comes to homeschooling and budgets.

Things that you can do:

How can I get started to homeschool efficiently and affordably?

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Misunderstandings:

1. I need to buy all the curriculum to homeschool on a tight budget-

A misnomer at the heart of it. While homeschool curriculum is important and definitely will keep you on track and organized, there is not one size fits all and there is certainly no reason to buy all of it. Some people may suggest that the best way to homeschool is buying lots of curriculum and letting it teach the information for you. I have heard that a lot. But just getting the curriculum book to keep you on track isn’t foolproof.

While in some part that is true, also know that getting every book may end up bogging you down and frankly, cause frustration. What if the books you got don’t work and the child doesn’t learn anything and suddenly you are overwhelmed with the amount of content? Now you have created more work for yourself than necessary. It’s not worth the time, nor the money to invest that much in curriculum. There are many ways to pick and choose that will benefit everyone and save on frustration and regret.

2. That homeschooling is the cheapest option or will save you money-

Homeschooling CAN be cheap but it can also get wildly expensive. Tailored resources and endless curriculum can lead to overwhelming content, too much text and too much money spent. It depends on what your goal is for homeschooling. Do you see this as a means to an end, a lifelong education or a temporary fix? We consider homeschool education a lifelong investment. But not everyone does. Buying resources and curriculum for homeschooling may seem costly up front, especially for new homeschoolers and also depending on the family size, the cost may compound. Expenses can add up in big and small ways.

However, education has costs regardless of where and when. Many public schools have lab fees, book fees and tutoring fees, so in many ways, it can be the same costs. On average, the public schooler may spend as much as $400 on books and fees for the year. That’s not even including sports fees and extra after school programs. While buying curriculum may not seem costly spread out over time, it can have a bit of sticker shock up front when first investing the start up costs. This misunderstanding is simply in your approach and efforts to homeschooling as well as your goals in mind, which we will develop more later.

3. That groups or co-ops are always worth it or necessary to homeschool on a tight budget-

We are biased in this regard due to the fact that we have researched many and have found nothing that truly fits our family. So while we are currently not actively involved in any co-ops or groups, we know of many that are successful and helpful. Committing to a homeschool co-op group may seem like a safe bet for many coming from homeschool backgrounds or public school backgrounds alike. It may also be the first go-to option thought of when your life is hectic or you don’t quite have the organization down.

However, homeschool co-ops have a varying degree of expectations, resources and opportunities that may or may not fit your family. Some may come with large annual or bi-annual fees as well as extra time and commitments you may not have. Co-ops can teach varying subjects that you aren’t able to- depending on the size and location. While not wholly bad, they may not be necessary if you have the right time and organizational commitments at home to teach the subjects yourself. It may not be that necessary overall in the long run with a little time and investment in the same material.

Things you can do:

Start with local resources- these are free or low cost homeschool tight budget options

I can’t advocate enough for local public libraries. While not every library fits every need and some are smaller than others, the point is that with the purchase of a library card you have an endless resource at the tip of your fingers. Our family uses the library for everything from supplemental resources to hands-on learning and the in between fun reading. Libraries are more than willing to help and you can bring in a list or just an idea and before you know it, you will have a handful of books and starting points to aid your child to learn.

How to use local resources…

For example, we use our local library primarily to access history books for our Story of the World Curriculum series. Instead of buying 40 or more books per unit, per child, we simply request the books on our additional reading list and have the children read them one time and return. We can incorporate this into journaling, discussions and supplement the lesson in meaningful ways. Sometimes the book may spark an interest and we can buy the book or books by that same author. It cuts down on costs and also saves the frustration of looking all over for the book. We let the library direct and search for us.  

Community events and resource centers – many local stores, shops or centers will offer low cost or free events. Our local Home Depot offers workshops to make wood working projects once a month or so. Our local magazine has nature walk tours that are free to the public and provides information on camps or trips or outings with the upcoming holidays or seasons. Some places have low cost art and P.E. classes like a YMCA or Salvation Army/Kroc Center.

Just keep your eyes and mind open to what opportunities are out there, it may not fit the same box you expect but there are places where you can take your child that will supplement curriculum in powerful unexpected ways.

Reduce the need for excess curriculum to save your tight homeschool budget-

Find inexpensive ways to supplement, use home resources, your own experiences and cheap dollar store materials. I buy a few inexpensive materials on the subject I’m unsure of or need guidance in,  such as a grammar and cursive worksheet book and then supplement with library materials and use my own experience and ideas to complete it. Yes, this takes a lot more time and investment to make my own spelling tests and spelling lists and spelling activities but it’s about reducing the need to buy year after year of the same curriculum for each grade level.

Buying everything every year may be completely unnecessary. I have been able to stretch one grammar workbook into three years because I am using the worksheets as a supplement. I’m also teaching them writing with that grammar lesson before buying IEW so we can incorporate it into other parts of the schoolwork. It has allowed us to teach the concepts in a deeper way and save money by spreading out the content of the book over the years.

There are so many home resources that just take a lot of time to research and think creatively about, but the resourecs are there. Maybe you have beads for counting in math or leftover scrap paper from your local business office that would otherwise be thrown out. Or recycled newspapers, shipping boxes and crayons.

We have a tight budget and are homeschooling three boys…

For our family we do about 50/50 on the formal curriculum books. 50% we have actual text books for math, science, and history but then for reading, writing, grammar, spelling and bible, we make our own. We type up the content, make the worksheets, create the word searches or lists and print them off weekly. Does that create a lot of work, yes, but the cost of paper worksheets or checklists or activities is much cheaper than buying book after book for each child. The costs do add up over time, and for us, the time and effort to replace that cost is worth it.

Know your limits- both in time and in money-

You can’t teach everything perfectly. The reality is we all have our strengths and weaknesses and so does your child. For us, math is not our strong suit so we invest more money into an annual math curriculum. However, writing and reading come naturally so we have created our own curriculum and schedule for this content. What we pay for in math curriculum we make up for by not buying a reading/writing curriculum. I also bought a few cheaper grammar and cursive books online. Then used that as a jumping board for my own ideas.

Use the free resources or reduced cost options you have in your local area. This can be a local library and with the people you know. It will add up to cheaper costs and not being bogged down by unnecessary curriculum. If you know the content yourself, trust yourself to teach it.

You aren’t alone…

Many, if not most homeschool families are on a tight budget due to one income household or time restraints on employment. If you have more than a couple kids, the expenses only grow exponentially in the daily living. Know what you can financially handle. Set aside time to budget what books you will need and the books you may not need to get quite yet.

We have set out a calendar for the next five years for each of our children for the books we know we need. That way we can plan ahead to order books and space out the costs over time. We also know when we can supplement or delay a book to review, catch up or simply save on a cost for that year.

Whatever your limitations, understand them, accept them and work with them. Over time you will find what you can feasibly afford and the areas you need to get a little more creative. You aren’t the only family getting creative these days, so keep at it and modify as you can.

Network with others- to cut costs and gain benefits-

A family we know has been a friend of a retired school teacher who enjoys teaching a small group of young homeschool kids once a week about grammar and writing. They meet with her every other week to help because the family is better at math and science than English. This is a great way to utilize the people you know to help you. Meeting people whether you have strong family connections in your immediate area or not can benefit you.

Finding a church family to help you make friendships, go on trips or connect with other homeschool families can make a life long difference that you may see bear fruit over time. It’s just a matter of starting somewhere and getting out there to meet people and tell people you homeschool. You will be surprised that many families are receptive and may even offer ideas.

Stay (or try to) stay organized- to save money and time-

Know your goals and save the resources you have utilized and found. I have great difficulty with this one. I have lists everywhere on the computer. Folders and files filled with worksheets and projects and ideas for lessons. Worksheets I’ve created for a lesson that I forgot to label. We don’t pretend to have it all figured out. In fact, just as you think you have a system down, your child gets older, changes interests or you grow your family. The point is, to never give up the organization. Keep at it. You can do this in big or small ways. Whatever your system, know that in time it will save you time, energy and money. The work doesn’t completely go away, but with a few inexpensive buckets, a shelf or two and a dry erase board you can make a big difference.

Create an organized system that works for you…

When I create a worksheet, I try to save it under homeschool — child’s name— then subject. I can then quickly reference it in the future, if the worksheet is lost or if I need to modify it for the next child. Create a room or just a folder. It just helps to start by finding a sense of organization, or find someone who knows organization well (we all have that someone who is super organized in our life) and go for it. You won’t regret it.  

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Homeschooling on a tight budget takes on many different meanings, shapes and sizes depending on your situation in life…..

Most homeschool families are single income households because one parent or adult stays home to teach while the other is at work. Perhaps one of you works from home and the other teaches from home, which also can affect your homeschool journey. Whatever the case, know that homeschooling on a budget is not for the weak and there are no “easy buttons”. For us, it is a constant weekly challenge and some weeks are better than others. The point is, with effort, time and research you can find the inexpensive cost-saving resources you need to make your homeschool affordable and efficient.

What are some of the ways that you make your homeschool affordable and efficient? Maybe incorporating a few of our ideas with your own will get you closer to that point and help save you money in the process. Hopefully these ideas will help you on to your own path of success while on a tight budget!