hsmom2011 Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Show me the money! :D If we had the means, I would have everything for next year and then some! I can only dream about that. We have to purchase in bits and pieces here. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarreymere Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Dh said okay to the Sonlight core! :party: Of course what he doesn't know is that I am going to NEED another one next year............:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmichigan Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 It has been an expensive week. :) I just bought my TOG Y4 year plan, DE plus print. I also bought IEW SWI-A and SCCI-B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeacefulChaos Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 LOL. :) I saw the other thread on NOT spending $... and I think I am in a different boat. I have everything I need for at least the next two years for sure and yet I am continually looking for what CAN I buy... or what can I get for future years. Ugh. Serious problem. In all seriousness, how much do you think you spend for ONE kid/per year - let's say your first kid considering that is probably the one you will spend the most on. This would be me!!!!! :lol: :lol: Honestly, part of the problem is that I just don't have that much of a DESIRE to do things on the cheap. It just takes too much work...searching for used/discounted books, curriculum, etc... I'd rather just make one order to Rainbow Resource or whatever for most of my curriculum and have it done!! Then I just buy other supplemental stuff that catches my eye. :D Granted, I also budget in our homeschool account for 3 large field trips per year and extracurriculars for 3 kids for 3 seasons (summer, fall, spring) so I guess there's a good portion of the $$ that I spend going toward all that. I think the extracurricular total this year I set at 700... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ester Maria Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 It is forced buying. The schools have to have those manuals, frequently updated when the state exam standards change, and the educational publishers know exactly what the schools can spend and price accordingly.... Just curious - do you have to use them? Your kids are young, presumably you would know the material anyway, why not just order books and workbooks? And why can you order only a set of five workbooks? :confused: It sounds so complicated. Is it because they are treating you as a school and would normally not sell to individuals? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tress Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 (edited) Just curious - do you have to use them? Your kids are young, presumably you would know the material anyway, why not just order books and workbooks? I'm only using very few teacher manuals. It depends on the subject, with some subjects there is so little information in the studentbook...you know, those subjects where they made the materials 'suitable for second language learners and weak students' by removing almost all text, that you could as well not use the books if you don't have the teacher manual. Other times, you need pages from the manual to copy, to be able to use your workbook. It's frustrating and because I'm also not at all impressed by the academic standards of most materials, I try to find different materials (e.g. Singapore Math & Science). Spelling is a bit of a problem, with several spelling reforms, *my* Dutch spelling isn't as good as it used to be (blushing). I can handle K-5, but in grade 6 material there were some significant changes. And with Geography...well, I haven't been able to find a suitable foreign curriculum which covers the Netherlands in detail :D, so I'm stuck *yearly* with a manual with copy masters for 80euro (used! and I was very lucky to be able to find it used) and a teachers manual of about the same price (also used!) for the information. And why can you order only a set of five workbooks? :confused: It sounds so complicated. Is it because they are treating you as a school and would normally not sell to individuals? Yep. And some publishers won't sell, not even sets of five. Edited February 15, 2012 by Tress forgot something Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 I will be spending about $1K for both girls for the year. I already have a few resources, and this budget includes some book basket selections to purchase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Oh, I suspect I can compete here. ;) If I *had* to get by spending very little, I would. But I'm blessed with some discretionary income when it comes to books, home school materials, and even classes. So I use it. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paisley Hedgehog Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arghmatey Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Me, me, me. One 6YO child doing structured learning, price point so far is $1500 plus. I used to be into clothes and shoes. Now I collect curricula. I love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamajag Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 *raises hand* :) I want Science Fusion grade 5 ($150/year). Ouch! I want that in appropriate grades for my girls. MCT is another expensive thing I have fallen for. My DH has no problem with what I spend. He is invested in their education at even at the most I've spent in a year it's less than the local private school for one of my children. The school isn't very good, either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhaddon Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 I sure hope I don't spend as much as last year :hides: But I am thinking 2 in C.C. and the things to go with it. AAS 2 MUS primer Still need to settle on LA for when DS is finished with IEW PAL MUS Beta And I always find tons of supplements and new books to buy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 *raises hand* :) I want Science Fusion grade 5 ($150/year). Ouch! Where did you find that sample? I'd love to see samples for other years. Their website is a mess. They sure don't know how to market to homeschoolers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 *shudder* I already have. I spent too much and I can't even get rid of most of my older stuff because I have younger kids who will need it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimm Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Me! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in SW WA Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 (edited) Where did you find that sample? I'd love to see samples for other years. Their website is a mess. They sure don't know how to market to homeschoolers. Here's another interactive lesson but I'm not sure of grade level. What do you think? ETA: Homeschool.com has the most extensive website that I have found. Lots of links/samples of SF. Edited February 16, 2012 by Beth in SW WA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Oh yes, next year will be a little expensive! I'm planning MCT, CW Aesop A (I already got B for a bargain :lol:), Beast academy. I console myself with a cheap way to go for History (AO - most stuff is free or cheap) & Science, BFSU will last us another year or 2 and was only $30. A few months ago I tallied up everything I'd spent over DD's grade 1&2 - and it was a lot... I like to pick up bargains as I go, so I easily lose track of how much $ I've spent... but $50 here and there isn't a big deal, right? :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyforlatin Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Me, me, me. One 6YO child doing structured learning, price point so far is $1500 plus. I used to be into clothes and shoes. Now I collect curricula. I love it. Me too! But just on clothes and now ordering curricula does it for me on the same excitement level, perhaps more. I spent a lot on enrolling DD into a French class/tutor. BtB wasn't cheap either, but I usually balance the spending with finding a few vintage books on google, so if I use an average, then I actually theoretically spent less per book. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nscribe Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 This is our third year of homeschooling and I spent more in the first two years than I will in the 4 remaining ones. Why? It took a great deal of expensive experimentation to repair too many years of public school. Fortunately, we did!:thumbup: For a while, it felt we would never finish paying for years of free school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Here's another interactive lesson but I'm not sure of grade level. What do you think? ETA: Homeschool.com has the most extensive website that I have found. Lots of links/samples of SF. Thanks! I still wish you could see a sample by grade level of both online and print content. It makes it kind of hard to determine what you are purchasing. I may have to talk to a rep or something to get more info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Not cause I want to...but it just happens. HOD for the older grades is worth it, but definitely not "cheap" with all of those great books! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmichigan Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Here's another interactive lesson but I'm not sure of grade level. What do you think? ETA: Homeschool.com has the most extensive website that I have found. Lots of links/samples of SF. I just had to keep reading. Ugh! Science Fusion looks like the perfect thing for my twins one is an auditory learner and one is a visual learner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOHNNABONNA Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 :lurk5:I am so with you! I have a Huge want list as usual! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rbsmrter Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 This is my kind of thread! I don't think I spend unwisely, but I definitely appreciate the ability to buy something if I think it will be a good fit. It's nice to be able to have the luxury of picking and choosing what works. When I was teaching in public school I definitely didn't have that option. Sometimes we end up loving the cheap stuff (hello Miquon!) and other times we fall in love with the more expensive stuff. For us the most important thing is finding a good fit. Sometimes that costs money and sometimes it doesn't. I'm with the others who say that even at my highest, I still don't come close to spending the cost of a private school tuition (and I happened to think the education I'm providing is far superior :tongue_smilie:). I'm certainly not in a competition to see if I can spend more, but with public schools not an option is nice to know that we're are saving money compared to the alternative. Luckily I have a husband who is committed to providing our kids with a quality education, so he's never even though to question what I spend :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rbsmrter Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Me, me, me. One 6YO child doing structured learning, price point so far is $1500 plus. I used to be into clothes and shoes. Now I collect curricula. I love it. This is so me!! The other day I caught myself pushing the Nordstrom catalog aside to get to my ETA catalog. Oh, how times have changed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatholicMom Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 LOL! Love the title of this thread. I spent around $300 the first couple yrs of homeschooling, and then I found Sonlight. LOL Then I spent around... I can't remember, $600 on my oldest (and only a token book or two for his younger brother since they share a lot). I could scrimp and buy cheaper programs but I'm all about buying what I think will produce the best results and what will make my life easier. For next year I'm looking at buying the next level of: RFH, AAS, Apologia Sci, SL Reader package, MUS (whole set for oldest & just workbook for younger brother). I also need something for history (might switch from SL), something for health, and I want to start IEW which will be the biggest single-subject expense. But I really think IEW will make my life so much easier and really benefit my boys, so it's worth 240 bucks (...right?!:lol:). I also want to get artistic pursuits and some kind of music program (maybe DVD's or something?). And that's not counting the next level of AAR for dd who will be starting K next year, and a math program for her... Sooo... I don't know.... I predict $700-$1,000 for next year. But I can use a ton of it over again and I have 5 kids so I'll get my money's worth eventually!:tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahv Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Ha ha! My problem is, brand new books are irresistible. 'nough said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wy_kid_wrangler04 Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 I will be spending about $1K for both girls for the year. I already have a few resources, and this budget includes some book basket selections to purchase. WOW! I read this as $11K at first I was about to :svengo: and ask what on earth you use :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 I fit in both groups. Total I will be spending around $3000 for all 4 kids BUT other than shipping and the fees at teh post office for 1 of the packages I am not spending anything out of pocket. So For all for kids out of pocket I will be spending aroun $70 which puts me in the cheap/low budget thread, but in the end I will be spending $3K plus the $70ish so I can be in this fortune thread too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommee & Baba Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 LOL! Love the title of this thread. I spent around $300 the first couple yrs of homeschooling, and then I found Sonlight. LOL Then I spent around... I can't remember, $600 on my oldest (and only a token book or two for his younger brother since they share a lot). I could scrimp and buy cheaper programs but I'm all about buying what I think will produce the best results and what will make my life easier. For next year I'm looking at buying the next level of: RFH, AAS, Apologia Sci, SL Reader package, MUS (whole set for oldest & just workbook for younger brother). I also need something for history (might switch from SL), something for health, and I want to start IEW which will be the biggest single-subject expense. But I really think IEW will make my life so much easier and really benefit my boys, so it's worth 240 bucks (...right?!:lol:). I also want to get artistic pursuits and some kind of music program (maybe DVD's or something?). And that's not counting the next level of AAR for dd who will be starting K next year, and a math program for her... Sooo... I don't know.... I predict $700-$1,000 for next year. But I can use a ton of it over again and I have 5 kids so I'll get my money's worth eventually!:tongue_smilie: :iagree:I am on the cheap thread but I'm really in the middle as I spent $350 so far and I still have about $200 still to go on what I've decided to finish up purchasing. I don't go nuts because it's fun or anything. I just buy what works and what's written for what I need in teaching to my children. I need open and go. Those curriculums are not usually the freebies. They aren't a $100 a pop or anything BUT they add up fast because I have to get 3 different levels of things because of my kids age ranges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy_of_4 Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 I have $1000 I can spend. I am trying to figure out what to spend it on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angie in VA Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 This is our third year of homeschooling and I spent more in the first two years than I will in the 4 remaining ones. Why? It took a great deal of expensive experimentation to repair too many years of public school. Fortunately, we did!:thumbup: For a while, it felt we would never finish paying for years of free school. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Jessica* Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 I have a 6 month old, so I'm all about what will make things easiest for me! I want to buy MCT Island Level, Greek for Children, Beast Academy Math (which I'm assuming will not be cheap), a microscope and slides, and 2 levels of AAS, in addition to a plethora of less-costly items. I don't have the time or energy to search for things used, so my total should end up rather high. I'm so very thankful that my husband received a large raise last year so it will be possible to shop without worrying too much about the cost. We still use many free and cheap resources, but being able to buy what works, despite the cost, feels very nice this year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rbsmrter Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 I have a 6 month old, so I'm all about what will make things easiest for me! I want to buy MCT Island Level, Greek for Children, Beast Academy Math (which I'm assuming will not be cheap), a microscope and slides, and 2 levels of AAS, in addition to a plethora of less-costly items. I don't have the time or energy to search for things used, so my total should end up rather high. I'm so very thankful that my husband received a large raise last year so it will be possible to shop without worrying too much about the cost. We still use many free and cheap resources, but being able to buy what works, despite the cost, feels very nice this year! I know exactly how you feel. I have a 9 month old and after she was born I found that I had to homeschool differently. Normally I love the behind the scenes planning but after weeks of sleepless nights I just didnt have it in me :tongue_smilie:I'm so relieved that there are so many great open and go choices out there. I'm in a season in my life where I'm happy to spend a little extra money if it means a little extra time and sleep for me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 I think you can count me in. Till now we have been curriculum light, but IF I get luck at the end of March at the homeschool convention I'm going to I hope to buy: Life of Fred numerous books The Beast Academy AAS spelling (or some other type of spelling) HWT grade 2 and 3. and anything else that catches my eye :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankcassiesmom Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 I homeschooled for somewhat cheap for years. I hated feeling like I was always settling for less than what I wanted. So we are going to make it work in our budget and get what I want. So if I want two math programs we're doing it. If I need to buy my TOG books instead of trying to navigate the library and get behind, i will. Etc. etc. I don't want to stress about it anymore. If I feel a child should be doing a certain thing, I am going to skimp somewhere else and make it happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arghmatey Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Me too! But just on clothes and now ordering curricula does it for me on the same excitement level, perhaps more. I spent a lot on enrolling DD into a French class/tutor. BtB wasn't cheap either, but I usually balance the spending with finding a few vintage books on google, so if I use an average, then I actually theoretically spent less per book. :D LOL I like the way you think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda S in TX Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 (edited) Like others, we don't go on vacation, eat out, etc. We spend money on learning. My children love to learn the same things from different curriculums so it looks like we have duplicates, but they like the different way things are explained. Next year, I will have six officially schooling and two of those will be highschool. I need to purchse some things, most of which can be reused. Truthquest (two levels going at a time) and whatever books we use since our library is terrible. Megawords 6 and 7, something to follow Advanced Language Lessons and Writing With Skill, Spectrum Chemistry, Life of Fred E-I and Pre-Algebra with Economics. Beast Academy, Family Bible Study Series (three for the year), Dreambox for one, Reflexmath for one, Discovery Learning, RS4k (Biology, Physics), Teaching the Classics, Biology 101, math for 16dd????, pre-algebra for 11ds, eScience from Aurora, Shepherd Life Science, Shepherd Biology, and lots and lots of books. Extra set of books for whatever college classes dh takes so oldest three can study with him. Fees for Clep tests, AARL exams, and FCC exams. Don't forget paper and ink to print things. Next year I will need to print four Miquon books, eight Math Mammoth books, First Language Lessons student books 1 and 3, and Writing with Ease student books 1 and 3. I will need to buy more spiral things to bind the books too. Not all of this will be purchased at one time, but this is most of what we will use next year. Most of this will not be purchased by us. Friends and relatives help out with the homeschooling costs. Edited February 16, 2012 by Melinda S in TX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iquilt Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 Me - while I understand the desire to spend $ wisely, I also feel that our children's educations are top priority and if we need to spend $1000 per kid, so be it. If they were in private school (our only other option) we would be paying over $8000 in tuition per kid for the year anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MsAlimar Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 This would definitely be me. So far, since the beginning of January, I have bought the following: Remaining levels (3-6) of AAS Next years Saxon math PLUS all the student student pages and meeting books for the previous 4 years of Saxon for my younger daughter to use Next years R&S English PLUS the previous student pages Next 3 years of AiG God's Design series Next 4 years of VP's Bible AND History (Cards, Enhanced CD and a paper teacher's manual) plus a good quantity of supplemental books for next years history Latina Christiana DVD kit plus an extra Prima Latina workbook 2 A Reason for Handwriting books I still have to buy IEW and Atelier Art Level 2 but then I should be done. Since I am convinced that what we are using is working and we are all enjoying it I decided to purchase all the consumable student pages for my younger daughter now. I have this terrible affliction of whenever I find something that works or that I like it will invariably either be discontinued or changed enough that it no longer matches the rest of the set. I am trying to avoid that. Of course that probably means the none of this stuff will work for my younger daughter and I will have to start all over with different materials. In theory, the cost of the next 3 - 4 years should be minimal. Right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kesmom Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 My kids are younger, so my total isn't quite as high as some. I put together a "dream list" for next year and it came out around $550. My thought was that I could get it down to around $400 but when I mentioned it to Dh he said that was fine. Less than $50 of it is consumables, so that appealled to him even more. I've had to work past some of my frugal mindset to shop for homeschool materials. It is a good thing to invest in my children's education and our home library and it is a blessing to be able to do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeneralMom Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 I thought that perhaps I should buy everything I needed to finish out the elementary years while we are still in the US and bring it with us to Australia to save o shipping, but when I calculated how much it would all cost I actually think my heart stopped for a second. I LOVE books - the feel, the smell, the look, the weight in my hand. I want to buy everything we need and I justify it because although I have the boys doing the same level in everything but math and reading, I will need it all again for the girls. Am I the only one who thinks homeschool catalogs/companies absolutely ADORE tax return season? We take our tax return, put half in savings, then take the other half and divide it between DH and I and I use my quarter to buy homeschool stuff so my spending ability all depends on our taxes. I have no idea what I will do next year when we only get half a year back from the US and I don't know how it works in AUS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 My oldest is starting high school. I'm pretty sure it won't be cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted February 16, 2012 Share Posted February 16, 2012 LOL, I hope to not spend a fortune, but I also know you get what you pay for, and I want a certain level of organization already done for me, quality materials I know I can trust, and so on. Too many years I've bought things that looked or sounded good with no real plan for how I'd use them, or things that someone else thought were great--only to find they just wouldn't work here. So...I'm pickier now than I used to be, but I'm not afraid to spend some $$$ if I need to either! I no longer buy years ahead though--got burned by that too! Rarely something that didn't work for the older will be used by the younger...so sometimes it works out. But most of the time I just end up reselling what didn't work for either! So...I don't buy ahead now! Merry :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paisley Hedgehog Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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