Price Jump in hs'ing (poll)

[Aubrey]

When did you see a jump in the cost of hs'ing? Choose as many or as few as you like & explain. Please. :001_smile:

 

1. The 1st yr was the worst--bought too much stuff sight unseen.

 

2. When kid #2 began schooling--costs doubled.

 

3. Some other time (when?), mysteriously--maybe it's that you know what you need & just buy it instead of trying to find a way around it, maybe the stars are aligned just so.

 

4. Jr high.

 

5. Highschool.

 

6. Other.

[Aubrey]

1. The 1st yr was the worst--bought too much stuff sight unseen.

I didn't spend much the 1st yr--the worst thing I did was buy Saxon new. Otherwise, I was old school WTM, & I'd bought the stuff for that when ds was...1yo, lol.

 

2. When kid #2 began schooling--costs doubled.

We reuse/share so much, dd #2 has been *cheap* to add in.

 

3. Some other time (when?), mysteriously--maybe it's that you know what you need & just buy it instead of trying to find a way around it, maybe the stars are aligned just so.

This is where I fall. (4th g) For me, I think it's a) realizing I need to get stuff that will work instead of beating my head against a wall w/ stuff that won't, & b) having littles around. I just don't have time to agonize over the decisions. I know NOEO works for us, I hate to spend the $, & I know we didn't hardly do science before. So I buy it. And MCT. *gulp* And BW this yr, too. And HIGs for Singapore.

 

4. Jr high.

Not there yet, but in reading around for next yr (not Sept), wow. SOTW was cheap. *sniff* I'm expecting the escalating prices to start around 5th g.

 

5. Highschool.

Not there yet--see the $$$ coming, though.

6. Other.

[imhim]

I don't know, it is expensive all around. I am only in my 3-rd year, and just adding a K this year - but prices for swimming and PE doubled, and I am trying more new stuff this year for 2-nd grade - AAS, some RS, several others.

[WishboneDawn]

This year has been the biggest jump for me because of three things.

 

a) Wanting to have more rigourous work.

 

b) My daughter going into Grade 7.

 

c) Actually having the money to spend on the stuff I want to get.

[mamato3 all-boy boys]

We're moving into D level work for the first time, so I'm needed to by that level of book. It is costing more, so I'm back to the library and borrowing books some this year to make it more affordable.

[patchfire]

Our costs dramatically increased this year, but it could have been several things.

 

1. Jumping into the logic stage meant I was no longer willing to ignore art & music appreciation, so two additional subjects came on the roster.

2. Dd is doing an online course for the first time.

3. Ds is officially kindergarten age.

4. More money was available this year, so I picked up resources I might not have otherwise.

 

At the same time, almost everything that's been purchased for this year can be used again. Dd's only workbooks are for Latin Prep. Ds has more workbooks, but they aren't what is pricey.

 

I do think there's a component of just biting the bullet at some point, too. For us, one happened last year - I realized that if I wanted science experiments to happen, we were going to have to just buy kits. Even if it was more expensive than collecting the materials myself.

[rootsnwings]

I tend to spend based on available funds. Our first year was a struggle for us financially so I made do with what we could afford. I'm starting to invest more money now that it's available, also keeping in mind that my two littles will be using much of the curricula I buy for my older ds so so spending a little more on quality programs can be justified as more of an investment purchase. I'm trying to make it as cheap as possible to hs my two little ones (buying consumables only) by spending a little more upfont on kits with good, re-usable, non-consumables & activities.

 

This has been our most expensive year thus far! :blush: Extracurriculars are insane around here!!!

[DarlaS]

1. The 1st yr was the worst--bought too much stuff sight unseen.

 

I spent money, but it was on books (WTM books 1'st, 5th and 8/9'th grades) more than curricula.

 

2. When kid #2 began schooling--costs doubled.

 

I jumped in with 3, so adding #4 was no big deal.

 

3. Some other time (when?), mysteriously--maybe it's that you know what you need & just buy it instead of trying to find a way around it, maybe the stars are aligned just so.

 

It's been pretty consistent year by year.

 

4. Jr high.

 

Not really a big jump there. Possibly even less. There can be more textbook use for some classes which can cost considerably less.

5. Highschool.

 

Highschool courses are definitely costlier both in terms of books, outsourcing (if you do it) and equipment.

 

6. Other.

 

This year it's going to be higher overall as eldest ds is taking 13 cr hours of classes at the college. This semester alone will be $1700--not including books.

 

I will probably only add about another $300-$500 or so for the younger three this year (It's hard to say as we spread it out over the year somewhat.).

[Paisley Hedgehog]

nm

[Carrie12345]

I'm anticipating a pretty big bump up next year, when we might be considering ds to be a 9th grader (depending on how this year goes).

 

I think there was a bit of a jump this year, because I chose some pricier items, like AAS, Mapping the World with ARt, etc.. But it hasn't felt too awful, b/c I started buying some of the less expensive things last year, with bits and pieces of surplus household funds.

 

I have pretty much everything I need for when #4 starts up in another 2 or 3 years. At that point, #2 will start getting some hand-me-downs from #1. #3 and #2 share some programs now, and others are being passed down. And I'm vowing to do my best to ignore new programs when #5 starts up!

 

In my fantasy world, my only expenses for #4 and #5 will be printer ink and pencils, lol.

[Susie in MS]

During highschool.

 

When doing unit/literature studies.

[atozmom]

1. The 1st yr was the worst--bought too much stuff sight unseen.

I was a total newbie the first year (dd - 5th grade) and just ordered BJU all the way around. We ended up ditching half of it and adding other things. It was a pretty pricey year.

 

2. When kid #2 began schooling--costs doubled.

DS began K when we were in our 3rd year. Adding him did not really increase things by much the first couple of years.

 

5. Highschool. & 6. Other.

This year dd is in 9th and ds is in 2nd. This has been our most expensive year by far. High school subjects do seem to be more expensive. However, ds curriculum was not cheap this year either. In the past I had always balked at trying the pricier curriculum. But after working with ds more, and seeing what works best for him, some of the pricier (at least for us LOL!) curriculum has been the perfect fit. Which actually in the long run, will end up being cheaper. Now that we have found what we like, there is no more curriculum hopping. (at least that is what I am believing for. :lol:)

[NanceXToo]

I only just completed my first full year homeschooling. The year prior, I'd only homeschooled like 2 1/2-3 months out of the year after pulling her out of public school. And we haven't officially started this coming year yet.

 

With that said, I didn't spend tons of money on curriculum stuff, especially since I pretty quickly settled on Oak Meadow, bought K-8 used for a great price, and tend to buy other supplies at Walmart instead of fancy expensive places.

 

I think I spend the most money on field trips and outings, we do tons of those, often more than once per week.

[artchristie]

When did you see a jump in the cost of hs'ing? Choose as many or as few as you like & explain. Please. :001_smile:

 

1. The 1st yr was the worst--bought too much stuff sight unseen.

I did buy way too many things the first year - especially for pre-K. This was not our most expensive year but looking back there were many wasted dollars there.

2. When kid #2 began schooling--costs doubled.

I homeschooled 2 at once - both in the same grade so costs were double for consumables that year but teacher's materials were shared. Not too bad.

3. Some other time (when?), mysteriously--maybe it's that you know what you need & just buy it instead of trying to find a way around it, maybe the stars are aligned just so.

I have been trying to build our home library with great books. That being said yes the costs go way up - but I try to purchase the books that are not available in the public library first and then go for the rest if they are at a decent price. I try to find them used if possible.

4. Jr high.

We are approaching this level and yes it is getting more expensive. I try to plan ahead one year and look ahead two and the prices are rising because we are adding a subject here or a co-op class there as she is taking on more responsibility.

5. Highschool.

We are not here yet but looking forward we plan to do dual enrollment so YIKES! :)

6. Other.

This year I have spent more money on manipulatives than I normally would have. This was at the suggestion of dd. She was bored with just going downstairs to do schoolwork and that's it. So I have incorporated posters, games, etc which has cost a bit more than I planned but it has been a lot of fun. We have also made our own to save money which has been fun too.

[Emmy]

1. The 1st yr was the worst--bought too much stuff sight unseen.

 

I spent quite a bit my first couple years but some of it was simply because the money was available, we were stocking our family library, and we were building up our stash of learning toys and games.

 

2. When kid #2 began schooling--costs doubled.

 

Not at all. As I've added more kids, the cost for them has been minimal.

 

------------------------------------

 

What level of MCT are you doing with your oldest? I'm really interested in Bravewriter but I see a lot of people mentioning using it with MCT. When I go to look at MCT my head spins.

[TKDmom]

#2 (sort of)

 

I started hs'ing mid-stream about 2 years ago when dd was in 2nd grade. I didn't like any thing I used at first, so I won't be reusing most of those resources. This year, I am officially adding dc #3. It has been a very expensive year. :001_huh:

 

I'm looking forward to next year, or maybe the year after next. At that point, I will start reusing SL cores, MCT materials, Singapore texts... I fully expect my costs to drop in half from what I am spending now.

[woolybear]

I'd say for me it is definitely #3. I have changed direction, figured out more what we need, am past trying to "just make do" with whatever, and am more willing to invest for what we need. All that together is expensive. Unfortunately (and fortunately) that is this year. I'm really excited for next year, but worried about the money. I know people often say you can make what you have work, but I can see how some of these things will be so much better. And I'm trying to sell the things that don't work for us to offset the cost.

[elegantlion]

When did you see a jump in the cost of hs'ing? Choose as many or as few as you like & explain. Please. :001_smile:

 

1. The 1st yr was the worst--bought too much stuff sight unseen.

We were close to broke the first year of homeschooling. I spent less than 250.00 and that still felt like a lot.

 

2. When kid #2 began schooling--costs doubled.

I started doing self-education, that the only kid #2 I have. :D I do order some things for me to work through. Some of them I know I'll have ds do down the road, so it MAY be saving me money in the future.

 

3. Some other time (when?), mysteriously--maybe it's that you know what you need & just buy it instead of trying to find a way around it, maybe the stars are aligned just so.

When we started using a classical method our costs increased. Before I had been spending no more than 300. One year I only had 100.00 and bartered a lot. But when you add Latin for 100.00 and CW (used) for 50, that seemed like a lot for two subjects. Well worth it, but I had to change my mindset about investing into his education vs just buying stuff.

 

4. Jr high.

We're there. I think I've settled into a budget, but this year I bought two language programs and still need more science supplies, which increases the cost.

 

5. Highschool.

I feel pretty fortunate. I've been collecting books we may/may not use in high school. Technically I have books for several subjects to cover most of high school. I suspect our budget will still be about the same as we invest into higher level of science equipment, Teaching company DVDs, and additional activities.

6. Other.

[southcarolinamom]

During high school, when we switched from BJUP to Sonlight. Rosetta Stone is pricey too. And used Teaching Textbooks....

 

I try to buy a really gently used set of books for the kids, and re-use it for child #2. When Child #2 is finished, I am usually able to re-sell those sets of books for what I paid for them.... as long as they were bought "gently used."

 

If I had to buy curriculum brand new, I lose half its value when I re-sell them. However, Teaching Textbooks math books hold their value -- new, they are $185 for high school. Used, they sell for about $150.

[Karen in CO]

Highschool - picture 2 classes at the CC each semester with each book for each class costing at least $100 and each class needing more than one book. Add to that books for the other classes taught at home and expensive teacher's guides so that I can be more prepared for the class instead of just constantly winging-it. And throw in an online writing class, a test-prep class, maybe some educational trips and college visits. :D Any one of those makes a splurge at RFP look like dollar day at the fair.

 

Okay, I'm good now. My next is only in fourth. I'm in that groove of being able to stay in a reasonable budget and reuse for the younger. I have a few years before I have to decide if the expensive private school might be cheaper after all.

[Miss Marple]

I spent the most money when the boys were grammar school age and some up through junior high. High school has been the cheapest. Many consider high school expensive because they put their kids in multiple online courses which, IMO, are very expensive. In our case, I bought so many art, science, music, history kits in the early years which really increased the price. Also, the upper grade materials are usually less/non consumable.

[LisaKinVA]

Year #1 was our most expensive year, only because nothing I bought "worked." 3 phonics programs and 2 math programs later... UGH.

 

We did experience a cost jump year 3 -- but that was because we were using K12 (I was working full time, and just did not have extra time to fiddle with lesson plans constantly). Had I not been working full time, it wouldn't have been that expensive.

 

Junior High -- Our costs will start going up next year (from about $1k a year to $3.5k). I am buying mostly non-consumable programs, so that will keep costs down later -- but the initial investment has me choking a bit. I just keep telling myself that the costs are amortized over at least 3 children, so it's not that bad. :lol:

 

I have no idea regarding extra costs (on-line classes, community college classes, etc.) yet. We'll get there when we get there. But, until then -- we'll do as much at home as we can utilizing open courses from sources like MIT, and video-classes from The Teaching Company.

[Aubrey]

What level of MCT are you doing with your oldest? I'm really interested in Bravewriter but I see a lot of people mentioning using it with MCT. When I go to look at MCT my head spins.

 

Island w/ both--so fun. The site/samples made my head spin, too. Finally, dh just ordered it for me.

 

It's not nec. for BW or vice versa. Dh tried to order writing for me, too. I gave him my top 3 choices, he chose 1, & I cried. Then I ordered BW. :lol:

 

Try using BW off of just the schedule she emails & the articles (at least at first). I've barely read the book yet, & I'm a total fan. (It's cheaper to be a fan w/out the book. I'm hoping the book is really, really worth while.) :001_huh:

[Ohdanigirl]

1. The 1st yr was the worst--bought too much stuff sight unseen.

I did pretty good the first year as far as spending went. I didn't buy too much. I had just pulled my dc from a private Christian school and chose to go with the curriculum from there the first year while learned. It was not the curriculum for us, but t allowed me to learn a lot about my dc'd learning styles.

2. When kid #2 began schooling--costs doubled.

Thankfully, no. My second seems to be able to learn by osmosis, so he can use just about anything and uses his brothers stuff from years past.

3. Some other time (when?), mysteriously--maybe it's that you know what you need & just buy it instead of trying to find a way around it, maybe the stars are aligned just so.oh man, I'll be looking out for this. Thanks for the heads up.:tongue_smilie:

 

4. Jr high.

Well, I do agree that once the Logic stage began I dd see a bit of a jump. Science seemed to get much more expensive. expect the same for the next stage. I also spend a little more on art stuff. The whole quality vs quantity.

 

5. Highschool.See above. I also expect expenses for AP tests, some online schools, college level courses and who knows what else?

 

6. Other.Well ds #3 will be starting 1st this year, I already had OPGTR, but needed math. All in all not to bad. I also purchases ETC and may get AAS, bit still can't complain. As the younger two get older I expect more $ to be spent on supplies in general.please let me know what else I should be looking out for.:D

[Whereneverever]

This year has been more expensive then last, for sure. We added foreign language, and I just bought four years of science at once. Hopefully there's no more jump until middle school!

[Holly]

For us it seems to gradually go up each year. Partly because older students need more books and partly because we add another student every couple of years.

 

I don't think I've ever gone overboard with curriculum. We've done a lot of unit studies where I bought a little at a time. This year we spent quite a bit at once, but I think we'll come out cheaper in the long run. I also try to buy non-consumables as much as possible, but the few workbooks I buy for my 2nd child have added onto the consumables and non-consumables I've buy for my oldest. I also spent a bit on my 3rd child.

 

Jr. high and high school scare me...I think I need to start a savings account right now to cover those years. :eek:

[robsiew]

When did you see a jump in the cost of hs'ing? Choose as many or as few as you like & explain. Please. :001_smile:

 

1. The 1st yr was the worst--bought too much stuff sight unseen.

 

This is only the start of our 2nd year. I spent about the same both years. I have a budget and need to make things fit into it. I never under spend!

 

2. When kid #2 began schooling--costs doubled.

 

I started 2 at the same time. Adding in 3 and 4 (now) isn't costing me anything additional. We can reuse most everything.

 

3. Some other time (when?), mysteriously--maybe it's that you know what you need & just buy it instead of trying to find a way around it, maybe the stars are aligned just so.

 

I'm guessing next year could be less expensive. My eldest will be in 5th which may add some additional resources, but he is still young yet. Everyone else is still grammar stage and can reuse much of what ds1 has already been through.

 

4. Jr high.

 

Not here yet... hoping to hold off on a lot more expenses until HS

 

5. Highschool.

 

I could see this getting costly...

 

6. Other.

 

We have spent quite a bit on hsing, but most of what I buy is expensive up front, then reusable. I buy as many "workbooks" on PDF as I can so I just can print out future copies for subsequent kids instead of buying new workbooks. I have an outlet for very inexpensive copying so this is ideal for us.

[Splash]

I've seen the cost go up as the kids get older. Jr. High and Sr. High especially. When I added additional kids to the mix cost went up but not as much since I could reuse a lot of materials I already had.

[mom2jjka]

This year. :glare:

All (4) of my kids are now 'doing school' and they aren't combining on hardly anything. Separate subjects for everyone x4 = $$$$

[runamuk]

Our first year was expensive. I bought the entire WP American Story boxed set and none of it worked for us. I ended up buying different history, spelling and LA programs. I bought most of them used - I learned my lesson pretty quickly, :tongue_smilie:. It would have helped if I had been able to resell AS1, but it didn't sell and so I ended up spending way too much our first year.

 

My son is starting 1st grade this year and we're recycling and re-using as much as we can. I won't be spending much more than last year on curriculum.

 

This year (#3) is proving to be expensive, but not because of extra materials. I've signed Elle up for classes at a homeschool studio. They're more than I'd hoped to spend, but they're subjects I'm not comfortable with, so it's worth the money. They're taking more lessons (piano, tennis, and swimming), too, so I need to be extra vigilant with our budget and really plan ahead.

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

I have spent by far more this year than any year before. I still do not have repeat grades yet, but now I have 3 kids. (K, 3rd and 7th) I spent atleast double what I have before.

 

Now that being said, the first year we homeschooled I chose the WRONG curriculum for my dc. I did abeka because through talking to many people all telling me it was "THE BEST" I decided to go with it. Because ofcourse who wants anything but the best for their dc right?! That was THE WORST option I could have chose for them. That was also our least expensive year.

 

Last year (our 2nd year) I started getting closer to the right curriculum, but still had many duds. That was more expensive than the first. This year I am VERY happy with our choices (finally :001_smile:) but like I said above, it was by far our most expensive. More than double last years costs! (maybe triple??) but I am doing more "off brand" curriculum (if you can call it that) and I am not finding as much used as I did the first 2 years. This fall will be our 3rd year. I will have my first repeat grade next year (when my k goes into 1st) but I will not have any repeat curriculum because we changed EVERYTHING since then) So it will be expensive for a while! (but worth it go get what REALLY works for my kids needs!)

[AngieW in Texas]

High school was a big price jump here. I wasn't able to really combine much anymore and high school stuff costs more.

 

Adding my youngest has also been a price jump. My middle dd has been able to use everything that my oldest used (although I got rid of some of those programs after seeing what they were really like). My youngest doesn't think or learn like her sisters though. She is dyslexic and is an auditory rather than visual learner. I have had to go through several different programs to find things that work for her.

Edited July 29, 2010 by AngieW in Texas

[Guest Cindie2dds]

When did you see a jump in the cost of hs'ing? Choose as many or as few as you like & explain. Please. :001_smile:

 

1. The 1st yr was the worst--bought too much stuff sight unseen.

 

:lol: How did you know? Seriously, I had no clue who I was as a homeschool mom or what I wanted our "school" to look like. My oldest has been a guinea pig for the last three years. The good news is, I've found our niche in Oak Meadow, so my spendthrift ways are through.

 

 

2. When kid #2 began schooling--costs doubled.

 

No, in fact, they've decreased considerably. We are reusing everything, so we just need a lot of blank books to write in. That's it.

 

3. Some other time (when?), mysteriously--maybe it's that you know what you need & just buy it instead of trying to find a way around it, maybe the stars are aligned just so.

 

Um, no.

 

4. Jr high.

 

Not sure yet.

 

5. Highschool.

 

Ditto.

 

6. Other.

 

Art supplies. :D

[Dmmetler]

This is our first year and it's cost more than I'd expected because I ordered based on the grade level on books, and ended up wrong in almost everything. Eventually, I'm going to have to have a sale of barely used materials.

[Veritaserum]

Last year saw a jump (oldest in 4th grade) and we've jumped even more for this year (oldest in 5th) owing to the addition of new subjects and the fact that she's not going to be grouped with everyone else anymore on history and literature (among other subjects).

[Tree House Academy]

The first year was the most expensive for us. I only have two kids and the youngest was starting K that year, so no adding in later for us. I think the first year was tough because of all the curriculum changes I made and all the second guessing I did. *sigh* The past two years have been wonderful compared to that first one (where I bought and sold Calvert for two grades within 8 weeks!!!)

Edited July 29, 2010 by Tree House Academy

[shinyhappypeople]

Option 6: It got more expensive when I discovered this forum. Seriously.

 

Having said that, last year we had almost nothing extra to spend, so we didn't and the kids made progress. This year, we have a lot more to spend, and I expect the same results, but I think my life will be a lot easier :)