How long do you hang on to curric (for next kid)?

[Aubrey]

Reusable things, like textbooks or teacher guides--how long do you save them? At what point do you sell & figure you'll re-buy later?

 

My 1st 2 are 2yrs apart, so it's been completely logical to keep the stuff from #1 for #2. But #3 is 4yrs younger than #2. It's just occurred to me that I might actually be better off selling & buying again later. For ex, new editions, etc could make holding on to items a) kind-of worthless for reselling after going through 4 dc, & b) hard to get matching workbooks for, if there's a new edition.

 

Fwiw, I've got Lively Latin, Singapore, MCT (which I plan to sell, since the bigs use this together), NOEO (which I can't really imagine selling...but maybe I should?), etc.

 

WWYD?

[NanceXToo]

Well, my daughter is 10 and my son is only 5 and I have no intention of getting rid of any of her things until either A) he's done using them, too or B) I decide without question that I don't intend to use it for him at all.

 

I would never sell it figuring "I'll rebuy it later." If I already have it, and if I'm planning to use it, I'm holding on to it.

[foxbridgeacademy]

I understand what you're saying, if the publisher comes out with a new edition (that you want), it makes your old ones not worth much. I haven't had this problem, I always buy used;).

 

Here's what I would do if DC had a 4 year gap. First research to see if any of the publishers have announced a new edition in the works. Also see if these new editions will have any significant changes (they rarely do). If when your DC gets to that age the resource will be 10 years, or more old, then I would consider selling it. Also to keep in mind, will my younger DC like this particular book/style, or would something else be a better fit.

[5Wizards]

My kids are 9, 5, and 2 (so 4 years and 3 years apart). If I think I may reuse something, I hold onto it, even if a new edition comes out. I always figure that if one edition was good enough for one child, it should be good enough for the next. I don't always think that revisions improve programs. That being said, I have held onto material from my oldest that I now don't plan to use for my younger children (even though I thought I was going to before). I tend to make copies of originals since I always want to have the option of reusing with others. There are some books that we actually do write in though, such as Explode the Code. These are relatively inexpensive and I got tired of copying everything. Even if a new version comes out, it won't make a real difference. I personally am not attracted to the idea of selling an older version to buy a newer version down the road, but I'm sure that works out fine for people too.

[8filltheheart]

LOL......I'm using the same answer keys for Horizons that I used 15+ yrs ago w/my oldest. I still own all of my 95 eds of Voyages in English even though I don't teach directly from them anymore. My oldest 4 all used the same Foerster's alg book..........(I won't bore you with the list!! ;) )

 

I sell materials I don't like and know I will never use again (CW, IEW, and a long list of others). If I like the materials and might want them for a reference or for showing/helping new homeschoolers, I hold on to them.

[Crimson Wife]

I haven't sold anything yet and probably won't. I have been fortunate to be on the receiving end of HS families in my support group with older kids giving away their outgrown curricula, so I'm planning to "pay it forward" once all my children are done with a particular program. If it isn't in great condition after having been used 3 (or more) times, so what? I'm sure there will be someone happy to take it for free no matter how much shelf wear it has.

[Aubrey]

My kids are 9, 5, and 2 (so 4 years and 3 years apart). If I think I may reuse something, I hold onto it, even if a new edition comes out. I always figure that if one edition was good enough for one child, it should be good enough for the next. I don't always think that revisions improve programs. That being said, I have held onto material from my oldest that I now don't plan to use for my younger children (even though I thought I was going to before). I tend to make copies of originals since I always want to have the option of reusing with others. There are some books that we actually do write in though, such as Explode the Code. These are relatively inexpensive and I got tired of copying everything. Even if a new version comes out, it won't make a real difference. I personally am not attracted to the idea of selling an older version to buy a newer version down the road, but I'm sure that works out fine for people too.

 

No, I wasn't thinking that *I* would want a new ed, but that once a new ed comes out, it's harder to sell the older one. AND if a new ed comes out, sometimes supplemental consumables are harder to come by.

 

It doesn't add up to a lot of $ either way, but basically--use the materials you have now to finance next year's books OR keep them, to save $ down the road? Maybe it comes down to one's personal financial situation & which is easier for the budget.

[SnMomof7]

I'm a keeper, but I'm also not someone who needs the latest edition of anything. I won't buy a super-old edition used, but anything in the past 5 years is generally good for me. If I like it, I'm keeping it, it goes with the books I have, so I'll just use it as-is with my upcoming kiddos.

 

Now if I KNOW that *I* can't make something work, I get rid of it (like Phonics Road), but I keep most everything else even if we didn't finish it, in case I need it for a younger child.

[Harriet Vane]

My kids are four years apart. I keep everything until I *know* it will not be used again. It doesn't make sense to me to re-buy later--you never know what the cost will be or if it will be available or if I'll have the money. It's cheaper to keep it and sell or pass on when we're done with it.

[K&Rs Mom]

I don't know if we'll be having more, but at this point that would make them 7 yrs younger than my current youngest. The stuff I would definitely use again, I keep (SOTW, science spines, Phonics Pathways); stuff I didn't love that much the first time I get rid of. Stuff we're done with but I would want in case I have more, I mostly lend to friends with kids the right age - it helps them, doesn't sit on my shelf, and hopefully I'll get it back in a year.

[Aubrey]

Does it make a difference if you a) buy used, b) use it for 2 dc, & *then* c) will save it for 4 more yrs for the next kid?

 

I'm looking at my Singapore textbooks in particular--really just trying to declutter more than anything, lol. They're taking up less than a foot of shelf space, but...I don't know. I bought MUS brand new last yr, & this yr when I tried to sell it--still in the shrink wrap--nobody wanted it because apparently, a new ed came out right after I bought mine. :glare:

 

Alright then. I guess I'll keep them.

 

SOTW? I'd never sell that! :svengo: It's got my notes in it, I use it for ref, etc.

 

Money's tighter this year than it's been in a long time, though, & I thought selling stuff we're not currently using might be a clever way to declutter & pay for next year's books. Esp if we end up moving out of state, it seems silly to pay to move the stuff that we won't even need for several more years.

 

Hmm. But 3yo will be 4yo before this school year is up...maybe it's not that many more years until she'll need this stuff after all...gosh 6yo seems smaller than it did 5yrs ago. :lol:

[texasmama]

I will be keeping all of my Sonlight Cores and all of my Singapore math (US editions) textbooks until my youngest child is done with them. I will also be keeping all of my WWE and FLL texts. I would rather keep these and chance that a newer edition might come out and make mine obsolete than sell them and have to rebuy, always taking a loss financially. I should need very little but consumables by the time my third hs'ed kid uses the stuff. I will be getting my money's worth out of those items. There is a five year gap between my oldest homeschooled child and my youngest.

[Meriwether]

Reusable things, like textbooks or teacher guides--how long do you save them? At what point do you sell & figure you'll re-buy later?

 

My 1st 2 are 2yrs apart, so it's been completely logical to keep the stuff from #1 for #2. But #3 is 4yrs younger than #2. It's just occurred to me that I might actually be better off selling & buying again later. For ex, new editions, etc could make holding on to items a) kind-of worthless for reselling after going through 4 dc, & b) hard to get matching workbooks for, if there's a new edition.

 

Fwiw, I've got Lively Latin, Singapore, MCT (which I plan to sell, since the bigs use this together), NOEO (which I can't really imagine selling...but maybe I should?), etc.

 

WWYD?

 

 

I buy 4 workbooks for every teacher's manual I buy. If I ever get to the point where I just don't want to use it anymore, I'll sell the workbooks with the manual.

[PentecostalMom]

 

I hold onto Sonlight history & read-alouds, but will sell the non-consumable portion of MP K for the reason you mentioned. If there is an update or revision, they may not be compatible. Easier to sell now and buy again later instead of being stuck with unusable curriculum.

[tinkgumby]

I have almost a *9* year difference between my youngest two, and I'm hanging on to things (Sonlight, SOTW, etc.) - on the other hand, I'm really terrible at getting around to selling things or I might reconsider. :D

[Dinsfamily]

I have a 7 yr difference between my oldest and youngest. I'm another who'll keep everything until I know I won't use it again. I think I remember Singapore math saying on the website they weren't going to discontinue the US Ed of PM so I think I'll be safe there. Horizons hasn't changed anything in eons. I'm definitely not selling anything literature based like Noeo and SL. It would be too expensive to replace. I'm reusing materials for the first time next month and like that all I need to buy is a couple of math workbooks.

[Barb_]

I've held on to some stuff so long it's like part of the family. I don't know if I will ever get rid of it. I'm so happy I kept my Singapore around because I still have my original Topical Problems Sums books from the mid 90's. They have paid for themselves many times over. What happens if you sell and then don't have the money to buy again when you need them? Nope, with lots of littles still in the house I'd find a way to hold on to them if at all possible.

[janainaz]

I saved everything from ds11 to use for my ds6. I've got to replace a few workbooks, but that's it.

[ChandlerMom]

I still have my high school math textbooks for over 20 years ago, my oldest is 7 and I plan on using them. So you can probably guess what I'd do! :lol:

 

Fortunately they're from well-regarded editions. The content hasn't changed much and I'm familiar with the books, so that's worth more than glossy "new editions" to me. Actually, I also have all my old college texts and lecture notes and I'm not afraid to use 'em! :D

[mamachanse]

I save what we love and am hoping to use them for all four boys.

[mompotter]

I am just getting rid of things that I don't really like and can't imagine using with my youngest. If it is something that we liked I hold onto it.

[Deniseibase]

Mine are six years apart. If we really loved it, or it's expensive, or if it's out of print, I keep it. If I can pick it back up cheap, or there's some doubt as to whether I will use it again, it goes. Mine is a small house tho, and I can easily see myself keeping EVERYTHING just in case if I had the room!!! :)

[hsmamainva]

I am just getting rid of things that I don't really like and can't imagine using with my youngest. If it is something that we liked I hold onto it.

 

That's what I've done.

 

If I didn't enjoy using it the first time, then sell it.

 

Those things that I did enjoy using, I keep until my youngest has outgrown it.

 

This year, I'll be selling all of my preschool & Kindergarten materials. My youngest has autism so I'm hanging onto my 1st grade stuff for another year .. just in case she needs to review phonics or math skills.

[txhomemom]

I have a unique situation, my girls are 12 years apart. When I first started homeschooling I was homeschooling an only child so a lot of the stuff that did not work I sold off quickly, kind of wish I would have kept some of it. At this point, I pretty much just have junior high stuff and up so I will have to repurchase all the elementary stuff including simple things like early readers. The curriculum I am using with my 12 year old right now I plan on mostly selling if it is just workbooks or something on the cheaper end. I have decided I will keep a lot of my homeschooling resources like Natural Speller, homeschooling how to books, writing resources, science books, history books, poetry books, math manipulatives/games, and dictionaries/encyclopedias. Most of that stuff is good no matter when it was made and can be quite expensive.

 

I don't think 4 years is a large enough gap that you could not use materials from the other children. I would just save whatever would be the most useful and most expensive to repurchase so you can save some money.

[Aubrey]

I don't think 4 years is a large enough gap that you could not use materials from the other children. I would just save whatever would be the most useful and most expensive to repurchase so you can save some money.

 

It's not about not being able to use them; it's about $$. If we don't sell stuff this year to buy next year's stuff, we can't buy next year's stuff. It's a little bit about space, too.

 

I know it's cheaper to keep it in the long run, but sometimes you can't afford the vat of olive oil at once, so you have to pay a little more to buy the smaller size more often. ;)

[TheAutumnOak]

It's not about not being able to use them; it's about $$. If we don't sell stuff this year to buy next year's stuff, we can't buy next year's stuff. It's a little bit about space, too.

 

I know it's cheaper to keep it in the long run, but sometimes you can't afford the vat of olive oil at once, so you have to pay a little more to buy the smaller size more often. ;)

 

There is a 4 year gap between my oldest and my second child and I have thought about this...I am holding onto stuff and would only sell it if it was expensive and I was in the situation you describe...If I could at all afford to keep it, I will...

 

I do not plan to sell anything I plan to use again and will not buy an updated version unless the updates were MAJOR and it is not very expensive to replace...

[JudoMom]

I get rid of anything I don't love.

 

I've done some hopping over the years, and found that the things I hopped away from to find what works for me just sit on the shelf and

 

• Mock me "Look at the money you wasted on me!"
  
• Distract me "Your kids will be smarter if you use me in addition to that other book! No, you have plenty of time to do both!"
  
• Make me feel guilty "Why aren't you doing Spanish? You know your kids want to do Spanish. What's wrong with you?!"
  

 

 

I've rarely regretted selling anything, though I do miss some of the books sitting on the shelf. It's really hard for me to resell science books, but I've forced myself to. It just doesn't make sense to have money sitting on the shelf unused (my guys get most of their official science at a one day a week enrichment program).

[Ellen in PA]

I keep most of my materials for my second daughter even though they are very different in abilities. I find that once something better comes out and I purge the older materials. I had multiple programs for science before Apologia elementary came out, so out they went.

 

Just a side note, I frequent used curriculum sales and have found that people keep materials a long time. It makes these materials hard to sell and are not always priced accordingly. Otherwise if materials still work, why sell and have to rebuy.

[Karen in CO]

My ds is almost a senior in college, and my oldest dd is in fourth grade and is now reading from the box of books I'd saved from when he was in middle school. When she finishes them, they go back into a box to wait for the youngest. I've also given away and sold things over the year, but I've kept stuff that I thought would work later.

 

But, when I need more money or less clutter, I cull out the stuff with a good resale value.

Edited May 19, 2011 by Karen in CO

[zippymom]

For us it really just depends. We used SL 3+4 a few years ago and I kept the IG and most of the books. I may use it for my 2 littles at some point but know I will not use their LA or Science so I sold those items. We used Trail Guide to Learning Paths of Exploration this year and I will keep the books that go with the program but will sell the IG. It just wasn't a good fit for independent DD12. I keep TT and buy used when I can for BJU materials. It does help with $ to sell somethings to purchase others. I have kept a good bit of "spine" type books and library building books for future use. Overall I think it is a decision between "do I want the hassel of selling this for possibly more $ now to use for current purchases" or "keep for future use and save then". Depends on your current situation. When we need money to buy books then I sell those I think I will be least able to use later. If it has been a good year I am a tad pickier. All that being said...the lure of shiny, fresh new books is difficult to resist.:lol:

[Violet Crown]

I haven't sold anything yet and probably won't. I have been fortunate to be on the receiving end of HS families in my support group with older kids giving away their outgrown curricula, so I'm planning to "pay it forward" once all my children are done with a particular program. If it isn't in great condition after having been used 3 (or more) times, so what? I'm sure there will be someone happy to take it for free no matter how much shelf wear it has.

:iagree:

The only "charge" I levy is a promise to pass on the materials gratis when the current possessor is done with them.

 

There are several advantages to passing on curriculum for free (and no, I'm not laying down any judgment on those who must, or prefer to, sell). One is greater efficiency: a homeschooler is more likely to try a curriculum that's free and then pass it on if it doesn't suit, making it more likely that the person who keeps it finds it to be a good fit. I know of a few of my curriculum items that have gone through several hands since I unloaded them.

 

Another is cost-saving; obviously, the more homeschoolers who pass on their unwanted curriculum for free, the more people are getting free curriculum. The used bookstores don't end up profiting from curricula that homeschoolers can't find a market for. The market for curriculum will tend to correct, if buyers are less willing to pay more for curriculum than they think it's really worth, because they're not assuming that they'll re-sell it later.

 

A corollary of this is another efficiency: curriculum will tend to get paid for by those who can most afford it. Dh and I are well able to buy the curriculum we need, and so we would be in the group that's more likely to pay at the front end. Back when we started homeschooling, we were much poorer and really needed the curriculum that older homeschoolers gave us for free. Like Marxism, but voluntary. :D

Edited May 19, 2011 by Sharon in Austin
saving kittens

[abacus2]

I've been replacing consumables for the things I'm keeping. That way I can reuse it for younger children or sell it later as a complete set. However, if you need to sell to buy curriculum this year, then sell.

[Holly]

My DC are ages 8-1. The only things I've sold have been duplicates or programs that absolutely didn't work for me (if one DC hasn't liked it, I've held onto it). I'm hoping there won't be any new Singapore editions soon, but I'd probably just work around the new workbooks if they did. Otherwise, most of our curriculum is non-consumable or workbooks without a teacher's guide.