nosy post of the day -- credit cards for curriculum?

[dragons in the flower bed]

We don't buy school stuff on credit cards, but use the cash in our PayPal account. I was thinking about the love of buying one program after another which is present here (no criticism, I like it too) and wondering how ya'll finance it. My partner reminded me that most homeschoolers are middle class and most middle class have serious credit card debt. Do you? Surely the wise women (and you three wise men) here on these boards know better . . . or do you?

 

This is an anonymous poll. No one will know your financial habits, so fess up!

[elegantlion]

We use one time use debit cards for all of our online purchases. It's for safety and budgeting reasons.

 

Coinstar now has an option to get an Amazon certificate number when you turn in change or bills. I have used this several times. They charge no fees and it prints a code for you to use. It was a little scary sticking a $100.00 bill into the big green machine, but it worked fine.

[dragons in the flower bed]

We use one time use debit cards for all of our online purchases. It's for safety and budgeting reasons.

 

How did you answer that before I posted it?

 

ETA: Oh, and that's brilliant.

[ncmomo3]

Paypal and visa-check (debit) only.

[beansprouts]

Well of course I use someone else's credit card, who doesn't???

[Trivium Academy]

Absolutely nothing on credit, but I use debit and Paypal online to come straight out of our bank account. If we can't afford it, I wait or come up with a cheaper solution.

[elegantlion]

How did you answer that before I posted it?

 

ETA: Oh, and that's brilliant.

 

It's what happens when you've been online too long, you start to read each other's posts before they actually appear. :D

[Plucky]

I wish we could edit our poll answers. I read it wrong. I'm the lone credit card/pay off monthly vote. I use my debit card 90% of the time. When I use my credit card we do pay it at the end of the month.

[Night Elf]

I can certainly be classified as a curriculum junkie. I use our ready available money for most of it, much to my DH's dismay. We're blessed to have extra money each month and I've been in the habit of buying books and curriculum just because I want to rather than trying to save that money.

 

I have used a credit card for big purchases like our K12 and Calvert programs. I also use a credit card when I'm purchasing from an online source, but for most purchases I transfer the money from our checking immediately to cover the purchase about to be put on the Visa.

 

We have $4,000 in credit card debt. It's from vacations, home repair, car repair and our recent Calvert purchase. We're working on paying it off. (and then the lawn mower broke, cost $60 to repair it, and it broke again with 30 minutes of using it, so DH bought a new one) (Oh and the shower has a huge crack that needs to be repaired) *sigh*

[iquilt]

I have my own separate account to manage our education expenses and use the debit card related to that account. Keeps it separate from our ordinary household "stuff" and I know exactly how much I have to spend. Although I would love to spend someone else's money!

[*anj*]

I voted for checks, debit, funded PayPal, but I also use cash. If I'm ordering something online I use the above, but if I'm buying in person I use cash exclusively. For instance, last week we had our homeschool convention and I made a few purchases, paying cash for all of them.

[Tracey in TX]

Credit card--I dislike Paypal and would never use a debit card via internet. We pay off monthly (and accumulate air miles!).

[MamaFran]

Credit card. I use my credit card for most purchases, but we don't charge anything we can't pay off that month. We don't have any creadit card debt. I try to spread out any major purchases so my monthly bill doesn't get huge all in one month.

[Jenny in Atl]

I use CC/pay-pal/cash. And we have a lot of debt.

[TraceyS/FL]

Same here - cash if i can, otherwise funded paypal, and occasionally the new pre-paid debit card DH got.

 

Basically, no cash, no buy.

[Gamom3]

I have put a couple of things on our cc in the past, when things aren't working for us, but that has been paid off.

[Brindee]

OH NO!!! I just messed up by pushing the wrong button! I'm the 1 that shows for using credit card and paying minimum or more. BUT, we use credit cards, but ALWAYS pay it off every month! Our only debt is our mortgage payment right now......until one of our cars starts falling apart!:001_huh:

 

Sorry I messed up!:001_unsure:

[Crissy]

I use my credit card for everything I purchase, and we pay our entire balance each month.

[Kelli in TN]

We prefer to run up consumer debt on more important things, like dh's honkin' big television. :tongue_smilie:

 

I have a set amount of money that goes into my account each payday. Out of this money I feed, clothe and educate my children. No credit card and I have to buy year round to make it work.

 

When I have something big to pay for (dual enrollment classes for example) dh comes to my rescue. In exchange for his generosity I feed him out of my budget too!:lol:

[reservejagmom]

I always use the credit card and we pay it off in full every month -- and get the airline travel miles.

 

Glad to know I'm not the only curriculum junkie here! :001_smile:

 

Carol

[nukeswife]

Every year out of our tax refund or my dh's bonus we set aside a hs budget. I usually make a list of what I want, the highest price I've seen (If I buy it lower woohoo, more money for something else) and then add a couple hundred dollars to that total for field trips, basic supplies like paper, pencils, art supplies etc.

 

That amount goes into a separate checking account that is in only my name. It has a Checkcard that pulls money from which I use to make all my school purchases.

 

Also anything I sell and am paid via paypal gets deposited into that checking account to so I make a little each year from selling in addition to my regular budget which is used for whatever fun school stuff I may want to try out.

 

I feel very blessed to be able to do this.

[jail warden]

Well, since Dave Ramsey, I only use debit card or PayPal. Cash if in person, but that's so rare that I don't know I've done that yet! Knowing that Visa guarantees even your debit card is great info to know.

[Emmy]

Last year I used part of our tax return, this year we included homeschooling in the budget and I have a set amount each month to spend on curriculum and kids' activities. So I pay cash or a virtual cash equivalent.

[camibami]

I use Paypal if I can -my goal is to some day fund our hs purchases through sales of old curriculum, outgrown Gymboree on eBay, etc, but hasn't happened yet! Debit card if I can't.

 

We have CC debt- oh yes we do. But its not from hs'ing purchases, at least. It is my fault though- I have had some really yucky and $$$ major dental work done lately, and some trips we had to take for family reasons (my family!) so I am responsible for the CC debt, I guess. Just not on hs'ing books, which if you knew how I covet them and love them, you would understand is a major deal for me!:D

[Adrianne]

We use our credit card any pay it off at the end of the month. We do this for a lot of our purchases (except food, I can't bring myself to charge that).

 

We do it because we really like the LLBean rewards coupons. We really like their clothes for the quality and can't afford it otherwise.

 

Although this year, for the CHAP conference I saved cash ahead of time and had that to spend just to see if I could stay in a budget. When I buy FLL4 this summer, I will use my credit card and pay it off.

[Amy in NH]

We don't have any credit cards, and we like it that way.

[swellmomma]

yes and no. I only have a secured credit card so I have to put the cash on it first before I can use it, but then I use the card to order curric online. OTherwise I use purchase orders from my school board.

[LunaLee]

What about other... sshhh... don't tell anyone but I rob banks and use my ill gotten loot to fund our homeschool.

 

Just kidding. Actually I am fortunate enough to work at a homeschool book store, and what I buy gets taken directly from my paycheck. Everything else I pay cash or check debit for.

 

I budgeted about $100 from our tax return for some things, but I am such a curriculum junkie it seems like I am always buying something. It's a problem yes I know, but at least it's books and not booze.

 

It too is my dream to be able to buy our new stuff with proceeds from the old but I'm a procrasitnator and I keep meaning to open a paypal acount so I can sell the stuff that we are done with or didn't work out. You know like FLL 3 TM, or the Homeschool Through the Woods Exlorers CD, but I am such a procrasitnator.

 

We don't have credit cards-we learned the hard way.

[GailV]

CC paid off every month or else funded Paypal or else checks.

 

Or else Beansprout's "borrowed" credit cards when she's done with them.

[Krista in LA]

I pay for most things on the credit card and we pay it off each month.

 

We are debt free except for our house, so we don't go crazy with the credit cards.

[Pensguys]

I didn't vote because it depends.

 

I figure up how much money I'll need and dh gives that to me out of our tax refund. If I buy most things from Rainbow Res, then I pay "cash"/debit. Anything I get from separate publishers, I put on the cc, then set up a payment from my checking to the cc to pay it off.

[runningirl71]

We use our credit card for everything from groceries to gas to curriculum. But, we also have budgeting software and don't go over our budget for anything. We use our credit card like someone would a debit card in order to accumulate amazon points. We save up our gift certificates we get for using an amazon card and buy special treats. We got a kitchen aid mixer last year, a toaster and blender this year. I'll also use our certificates for books or birthday presents too. DH really is a great keeper of the books and always pays off our card once or twice a month. :)

[dragons in the flower bed]

Four percent of you are stealing other people's credit cards?! Y'll are a bunch of and

 

This reminds me of a time when I was buying quilter's cotton over the phone. I think it was a train print for my oldest son, when he was two or so. I asked the person taking my order if she wanted me to fax my ID or anything like that to verify my identity, and she said, "No, hon. Ya don't get too many fabric thieves."

[gardenschooler]

I checked cash, but it's actually virtual cash. I was so full of myself for not using a credit card, I got click-happy. :)

[Sophia]

do I use a credit card, but if I do it's paid at the end of the month.

I usually use debit card/checking account.

[3lilreds in NC]

This year is a little new for me. Since last fall, I have a cash budget for everything and no CC to use, ever. So, I get a set amount per month for homeschool. Let me just say that I have no problem spending the monthly budget on cool stuff for school, mostly art projects that dd7 picks out.

 

Fast forward to now, and I'm realizing that I'd like to order our primary curriculum for next year to start planning and I have no money to do it. Dh will put it on *his* CC, but I have to hand over the cash. Note to self: the school money MUST live somewhere besides my purse. It's OK to buy art supplies but not every month! Truly, I have not one clue where the school money has gone for the last couple of months; I don't steal from my budget categories but since I'm cash only now I don't have to keep receipts, either.

 

(I am a terrible money manager. That's why I no longer have a CC. I am a willing participant in this process - I didn't want anyone to think I was complaining or slyly bashing dh. I have come a long way but clearly I'm still learning. Sigh.)

[Unicorn.]

I use my cc, but I requested that it have a smaller available balance. $4000, which I picked because I figured we could cover any problems if it were stolen, but this gave us enough to get through any emergency. I pay off my curriculum right away, but I still have some stuff from last Christmas on it- eek!

[MerryAtHope]

Well, I do purchase curriculum via credit cards, but we pay our cards off monthly & have no cc debt. We limit the things we can use cc's for to mainly curric., gas, medical, and travel. We use a cash envelope system for groceries & household items, & auto-deduct for recurring bills.

 

Merry :-)

[Reya]

Well of course I use someone else's credit card, who doesn't???

 

I do!!!! The neighbor pays for it all, in return for me HSing her kid. I've got a yearly budget of....$2k! WAY cheaper for her than preschool or private school. Awesome for DS to have a friend at school. Awesome for me to get the EXPENSIVE stuff. *ggg* I really need it at the rate that we're burning through the curriculum, though. SHEESH.

 

Even better: She plays chauffeur for the extracurriculars. You have no idea how much I HATE driving around. :-) I haven't been to the pool yet this year!

[Melinda]

Absolutely nothing on credit, but I use debit and Paypal online to come straight out of our bank account. If we can't afford it, I wait or come up with a cheaper solution.

 

This is what we do, too.