Mom28kds Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 I keep reading how people say Sonlight is so expensive. I just buy the main books I'll need all year for the curriculum which ends up only beigng a few and get all the rest from my library when I need them. Saves so much cost. Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelBee Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 I keep reading how people say Sonlight is so expensive. I just buy the main books I'll need all year for the curriculum which ends up only beigng a few and get all the rest from my library when I need them. Saves so much cost. Just a thought. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jyniffrec Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 I wait until the last minute before buying new. Sonlight can be quite affordable if pieced together from different sources. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SevenDaisies Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 It's not that bad if you spread it out, and it is so worth it to have all those wonderful books. I buy what I must from Sonlight and buy the rest as I need it from Amazon - in $25 or greater increments of course. Many of the readers and read alouds are buy 3 get one free on Amazon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnMomof7 Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 It is no more expensive than buying books! The IG is only around 10% of the core's cost, the rest is books! BOOKS! Glorious wonderful books! I love books and buy them anyway. Makes more sense for us to have a teaching plan to go with specific books. That way I remember to use them! You can often get them used as well. Personally - I think TOG is much more expensive up-front :O! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnMomof7 Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 (edited) Oops. Edited February 11, 2011 by Jennifer Bogart Bad dial-up! Making duplicate posts. Bad! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3peasinapod Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 I may eventually buy a Core from Sonlight, but so far after buying 4 cores (not all from SL) I have been piecemealing. And I think I like it! It must be the joy of the hunt. :001_huh: I never knew I was a hunter! I buy IGs and stuff from them, and if I can't find it used, I'll finish it up with Amazon (4 for 3!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 I bought my first core from SL, and have been piecemealing the 2nd one ever since I got the first one. I've discovered that lots of SL stuff on e-bay are usually under $2/book, and I bought the Homeschool in the Woods timeline figures DVD, so I can go through the IG and make my own timeline figures (even with buying label paper, it will still be less expensive after about 2 cores). I really like SL and the wealth of books that go with a topic. I don't know that it will always be our primary history, but for right now, it's a great fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 (edited) It's not that bad if you spread it out, and it is so worth it to have all those wonderful books. I buy what I must from Sonlight and buy the rest as I need it from Amazon - in $25 or greater increments of course. Many of the readers and read alouds are buy 3 get one free on Amazon. This is what I do. I buy a used IG and then I piece together all the books I can on Amazon, taking advantage of their 4 for 3 deals. I have an Amazon CC and we put everything on that thing and I use my rewards points for Amazon gift cards. The only thing that comes directly out-of-pocket are the few purchases I need to make from SL directly. I have looked at buying used sets for the convenience, but so often it seems people want at least 2/3 of the retail price if not more. There's no way I can justify paying that when I can get brand new books at that price. Lisa Edited February 11, 2011 by LisaTheresa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heatherwith4 Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 So how much of a savings do you get by putting the core together yourself? I'm going back and forth between Sonlight and SOTW, and cost is one of my concerns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 For Core 3+4, I've spent $35 on the IG and Landmark book. I'm planning to use the Complete book of US history ($6 at Costco) instead of the history of the USA workbooks), and the readers/readalouds will come from the library, minus a few I've picked up here and there for under $1 (Goodwill has a bookstore here, and children's books are cheap). I suspect the core will end up costing me under $100. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PentecostalMom Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 With ds we borrowed SL cores (three of them) and I pieced one together. It about drove me bonkers! :willy_nilly: Dh said, "Just buy it!" We will keep and use them for all of the dc's, so it is really a good value. They offer a 1/2 price IG upgrade if you want to do that. It's much easier for me to get one box than to wait on 20 separate ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mothergooseof4 Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 When I used SL, I purchased the cores new. Once I switched to other stuff, I started searching out stuff used. I actually enjoy the hunt and the fun of getting bunches of packages over time. I usually save a bunch of money, too. Getting books at the library is not an option for me. Our library rarely has books that any curriculum schedules. Inter-library loan here costs $5 per book. Most books I buy used for less than that. I am using MFW right now and purchased all of the scheduled books. We are 6 weeks into the schedule and so far our library has only had two of the books recommended for book basket. It works because I just search for books on the topic we are covering. But, if I need specific titles, I have to purchase them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 and buy a used IG that is several year old, certainly you can save money. I have two good library systems that are very accessible, many friends who use Sonlight, and access to a good homeschool consignment store and many used bookstores. I averaged less than $100 a year and recovered some of that by reselling the books. It did take time and planning though, and that is not something that I could do now. It was kind of fun to search out the books and build the next Core though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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