If you buy ALL of your literature books (historical or otherwise)...

[Aloha2U]

for whatever reason, how much do you spend per child per year? Do you take the time to find them used or just purchase them new to avoid the hassle?

[GoVanGogh]

Do you take the time to find them used or just purchase them new to avoid the hassle?

Both.

Sometimes I take a book list with me to Half Price Books, other times I buy from Amazon with their 4-for-3 pricing.

I also have a mental list of authors that I am always on the lookout for when I visit the library's used book sales.

I honestly don't have a clue how much I spend. Too much, my husband would say. Not enough, my child and I would say.

[hollyhock]

I buy mostly new but I do keep my eye out at thrift stores, the used curriculum sale and the library sale. This is taking a very rough guess, but I think I might spend somewhere in the neighbourhood of $50 a year per kid on just books.

[pitterpatter]

That seems really low for new. That would only be ten books, if you got a stellar deal at $5 each.

 

I think you could hit $200-$300 very easily buying new for everything. I finally paid $50 to use the St. Louis County library system. It's a good system, but I'll still probably spend $100 on new/used books this next year.

 

I buy mostly new but I do keep my eye out at thrift stores, the used curriculum sale and the library sale. This is taking a very rough guess, but I think I might spend somewhere in the neighbourhood of $50 a year per kid on just books.

[Amber in AUS]

I don't have a budget. I make a list of what i need. I always buy new, mostly from RR or Book Depository.

[ErinE]

There are a few prime used booksellers on Amazon where I can get used books for half price or less plus free shipping. I try not to buy new, because I purchase one book for all 36 weeks of planned literature. It works out to about $100 for my ds. Unless I'm certain it's a keeper, I don't buy new for his books. My dd isn't reading fluently so I bought her phonics readers new. I've spent about the same for her readers, but they'll probably last into first grade.

[Aloha2U]

I think you could hit $200-$300 very easily buying new for everything.

 

This is approximately what I am figuring. It's good to know that I'm not way out of the ball park.

[Xilka]

I spent $100 last year on 3rd grade.

Mostly on chapter books.

I freebie hunt for everything else.

[HappyCamper]

I like to have all our books in advance and buy used where possible. We probably spent about $120 and have mostly paperbacks.

[Aurelia]

$100-$150. I try to buy used when it's cheaper. I buy throughout the year so I'm not on a frantic search at any given point.

[WhatLight]

We have a great public library system, so I am very lucky in that respect, and we do use it quite a bit. However, I purchase all literature books or any other book that we will be using for an extended period of time (more than 2 weeks.) I would say that for this year (my kids are in 2nd & pre-k) I've spent about $250 on books. I do try to buy used if at all possible (my favorites are betterworldbooks.com & thriftbooks.com), but sometimes it's just easier to order from Amazon.

[KrissiK]

I don't keep track of how much I spend, but I probably buy about 3/4 of them from Amazon used books. It's cheaper than paying the overdue fines at the library.

[stripe]

I have kicked myself SO MANY TIMES for buying new and then quite soon after, finding lovely copies of that same book in a library book sale. It almost makes me cry. One time I went there and it looked like a school library had cleared out their shelves. I got lucky. I've found bag sales to have some fantastic finds, so I've gotten a bag (or two!) for $5 or whatever.

 

That being said, one doesn't always have that kind of time, so I say, make a good try first at a good sale and go from there, to save money.

 

I have spent a lot on books, but I now have a big collection.

[CanaryMelody]

Wow. Am I the only one who spends a lot on books? We keep Amazon, Christianbook.com, and other book stores (new and used) in business. :tongue_smilie:

 

We spent over $900 just for new literature for our 4 children in the past year. That doesn't include money spent on reference books, readers or actual curriculum. I don't keep track of how much I spend at Library sales and Barnes & Nobles used book section.

 

We spend a lot because we wish to build a solid home library. My husband knows how much I spend and is very supportive. We hope that these books will be used not only for our 4 children but for generations to come. So I do spend more to obtain certain hardcover or library bound books of great classic and living books. We do have "classic books" budgeted each month so I can add literature periodically.

 

I keep telling myself that it's only about $300 per kid per year. It doesn't seem like much money after all when put in that perspective. ;)

[raceNzanesmom]

I buy used or get from PBS when possible. I spend maybe $250 or so a year. But, I have an 18 y/o and a TON of books (various reading levels, classic lit, history and science). Plus, we use the library for quick reads.

[ALB]

I buy everything (no library here :glare:)! I spend at least $100- $150 a year, but also take advantage holidays and birthdays to ask for specific books or amazon gift cards. I'm sure it adds up to be around $300 total.

 

One great thing about having a kindle, though, is that so many books are available for free (and no overseas shipping cost!). I have tons of great titles now that I would never have been able to carry over in my suitcase.

[Bula Mama]

I buy everything (no library here :glare:)! I spend at least $100- $150 a year, but also take advantage holidays and birthdays to ask for specific books or amazon gift cards. I'm sure it adds up to be around $300 total.

 

One great thing about having a kindle, though, is that so many books are available for free (and no overseas shipping cost!). I have tons of great titles now that I would never have been able to carry over in my suitcase.

 

Same story here. I can easily spend $400 for one kid all up. When I was homeschooling 3 I would probably average about $800/year (before shipping) because of things that I did with all of them. That was pre-Kindle, though!

[MrsBear]

I try to stay a year or two (or more) ahead, so if I find something within the areas we're currently working, I can add it on, but otherwise the budget is going toward continuing to build our library at home. I don't know how much I spend, but would guess $300-500 a year on kids books.

 

Most often I buy new on Amazon - if something pops up with a 4-for-3, I do go find three more similarly priced books; if I can't find three more and don't need it now, I'll put them in my cart and wait until I have four books of the same price to buy, so they're 25% off each.

 

There are some great used book sellers on Amazon too, with prime you can get free shipping with some of them - I check their books too and will buy from them when used is in like new or excellent condition.

 

I use the educator discount at B&N sometimes and also their coupons when they're good deals.

 

When we're traveling, I'll load a medium size box of books that either aren't worth keeping and/or we're totally done with into my minivan to use as swaps at some of the large used book stores around the country and buy what I find that we'll need or can use now. Find lots of good classics this way, along with some out-of-print books.

 

I occasionally will find a good lot deal on eBay and pick books up there too.

 

Last - I maintain a list of books we have and those we'd like to add to our library for family and friends online, as we add books, I remove them from our list, as new ones come along we'd like to have, I add it - that way, when birthdays and Christmas roll around, they can look at the lists and decide what books we'd like. (Everyone in my family are big book givers, this was done to make the process easy for everyone, including me, since when asked what we wanted it isn't always on the tip of my tongue).

[Mert]

I found that Amazon's 4for3 made most of my books cheaper or at least as cheap as used at betterworldbooks or Amazon's used prices. Granted I was purchasing history readers and other paperback books for a kindergartener. Our library had several of the books on my list, but I did spend around $150 on Amazon.

[TKDmom]

I prefer to purchase all our books new, and when I do it comes out to around $300 per child. I hate the hassle of hunting for used books, waiting for library books, and paying library fines. This year, I'm going to try using the library more and onlly buy books if they are used for more than 3 weeks. I'm also utilizing a lot of Kindle books. We'll see how that works for me. ;)

[Rbsmrter]

Wow. Am I the only one who spends a lot on books? We keep Amazon, Christianbook.com, and other book stores (new and used) in business. :tongue_smilie:

 

No, you aren't alone. ;) My kids are still fairly young so I see the books as a long term investment. I don't have a problem spending the money when I know it's going to be read many times. We have a fairly decent library nearby, but at this stage in my life it seems like such a hassle. I have to pick and choose what I'm willing to spend my time on and rounding up books and paying library fines is not one of them. I have found a few used books on Amazon that qualified for prime shipping and they've always been in excellent condition. Otherwise I tend to steer clear of used (at least when buying online) because it's hard to determine the condition of the book. I agree with the PP that Amazon's 4 for 3 is often the best deal. By the time you factor in the discount, free shipping (shipping costs can kill even the best book deal!) and no taxes, it's hard to beat. Most of the books we need qualify, although we are buying mostly paperback elementary level books, so I'm guessing that will change as the books gets longer and more detailed.

[EmilyGF]

I'm really shocked by how low some of these estimates are! I buy a Sonlight core new and then add used books throughout the year as the need comes. Our library is really lousy as well as depressing to go to so I don't like it if I need to go. Sometimes I do go, though.

 

I bought a SL core ($400?) and have spent about $50 in used books, mainly ones that are out of print.

 

Emily

[StartingOver]

We used to buy everything at income tax time, but we have decided this year to spread it out a bit. I did spend $500 on Sonlight which is almost all literature as we only use the core. I also spend approx another $1200 a year, 26 pay days at $50 each or a bit more. I am building a home library though. ;-)

[AngelBee]

I have kicked myself SO MANY TIMES for buying new and then quite soon after, finding lovely copies of that same book in a library book sale. It almost makes me cry. One time I went there and it looked like a school library had cleared out their shelves. I got lucky. I've found bag sales to have some fantastic finds, so I've gotten a bag (or two!) for $5 or whatever.

 

That being said, one doesn't always have that kind of time, so I say, make a good try first at a good sale and go from there, to save money.

 

I have spent a lot on books, but I now have a big collection.

 

I have to check out library sales. I can't figure out how to go about "shopping" for what I need and am scared I will grab everything! :lol:

[TexasRachel]

I don't keep track because I know the number is scary. That said, the libraries rarely work out for us, so I have to buy. Most of the time new is only $1-2 more than used with shipping because I have Prime so I almost always end up buying new.

[Jenny in Florida]

Both of my kids are out of the K-8 range nowadays, but I saw the question and wanted to answer, anyway.

 

I make purchasing and curriculum decisions kind of backwards from the way many other folks do it. I buy what I can afford and then plan around what I have, rather than making a list of must-haves and paying whatever price is necessary to get them.

 

So, for example, if my student were going to study the middle ages and Renaissance one year, I would peruse whatever book lists I could find online, browse Barnes and Noble's website, look up synopses online, etc. Anything that sounded like it might be a good bet for that student would go on a list.

 

Then, I start with www.bookmooch.com and www.paperbackswap.com. I put every title in which I'm interested on my wish lists on both sites (and order anything that is already available, of course). I do that well in advance, usually by several months, then sit and wait to see what I can get through those sites. (I figure it costs me about $2.75, on average, to send out a book and earn a credit to use for another one.)

 

Meanwhile, I check the bargain tables at whatever bookstores I wander through, as well as thrift shops. I pick up any other titles that are on my list.

 

Once we break for the summer, I pile up any and all books I've already found or received. I add up pages, compare the number of titles with lists from packaged curricula and any syllabi I've found online, decide whether there's a big hole for a certain era or even that simply must be filled. If so, I check around the sale boards here and, if I still have no luck, go ahead and purchase it new.

 

Then, I write my plans from what I got for the price I wanted to pay.

 

This year, for my high school freshman, I spent about $41 on books for history and literature. Next year, I'm anticipating under $20, partially because I plan for him to read a few things I already have on our shelves. For his eight grade year, I spent $43 on books for history and English.

Edited March 15, 2012 by Jenny in Florida

[TheAutumnOak]

On books alone (not including curriculum), buying everything, I will spend between $750 - $1000 for my three boys...The figure fluctuates depending on what I can find in good condition used...If I bought everything new, it would cost me about $1350 if I include science books...

[ByGrace3]

Wow, I am really surprised by some of the low numbers. This is buying ALL lit books for the year? We even used the library some for this year, and I think we spent around $500. That is Literature and history for SOTW, readers: Abeka 1, Sonlight 2 and 3, and a few random here and there. If you add in the $100+ in library fines for this year alone :glare: ugh. That is why I will be buying EVERYTHING for next year instead of most like this year. :glare: I don't have the booklist for history for next year (Biblioplan) but I am estimating that to be around $400 (I hope I am high, but compared to this year probably not). Plus SL readers (around $150 if new).

 

I buy as much as I can used, but have found that if you don't buy in large lots it just isn't worth it. So I check here, ebay, and homeschoolclassifieds for used lots. Then I usually do one big order at the end from either amazon or Rainbow for what I haven't bought used.

[stripe]

I have to check out library sales. I can't figure out how to go about "shopping" for what I need and am scared I will grab everything! :lol:

I have been known to do this, but there is also a lot of stuff like Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Captain Underpants and the like that you probably wouldn't use for literature reading so can easily skip spending much time looking at. In my experience, library book sales are a hefty portion junk (including ripped books and written in workbooks/coloring books --?!) and great literature, with the occasional really hard to find gem.

 

I go to both a very popular library and its more out of the way neighbor (which has very nice bag sales). The latter is also cheaper. I've also got a thrift store with a largeish book section I visit. I honestly don't have much time for this anymore, so I try to make it worth my while.

[Meriwether]

I spend lots. And lots. One thousand would be conservative. Two would probably be closer. I really don't think I spend three.:001_huh: I always feel like I ought to (in these conversations) say that I spend money on books and fruit. Dh spends money on the kids activities and gas for trips to see family. In most things, we are much more frugal.

 

Dd8 will read between 200-300 books this year. It does add up.

[MrsBear]

Wow, I am really surprised by some of the low numbers. This is buying ALL lit books for the year? We even used the library some for this year, and I think we spent around $500. That is Literature and history for SOTW, readers: Abeka 1, Sonlight 2 and 3, and a few random here and there. If you add in the $100+ in library fines for this year alone :glare: ugh. That is why I will be buying EVERYTHING for next year instead of most like this year. :glare: I don't have the booklist for history for next year (Biblioplan) but I am estimating that to be around $400 (I hope I am high, but compared to this year probably not). Plus SL readers (around $150 if new).

 

I buy as much as I can used, but have found that if you don't buy in large lots it just isn't worth it. So I check here, ebay, and homeschoolclassifieds for used lots. Then I usually do one big order at the end from either amazon or Rainbow for what I haven't bought used.

 

I didn't include curriculum, spines, workbooks or anything in my figure, only books we'll read as living books or books DS will read later (classics, really good novels, etc.) that'll go on the bookshelves for when he's ready. I also didn't include kindle versions of things I've used, or the audible books we use either.

[Jenny in Florida]

I didn't include curriculum, spines, workbooks or anything in my figure, only books we'll read as living books or books DS will read later (classics, really good novels, etc.) that'll go on the bookshelves for when he's ready. I also didn't include kindle versions of things I've used, or the audible books we use either.

 

I didn't include curricula, either, since I read the question as referring only to history and literature reading.

[Wabi Sabi]

I don't buy ALL of our books (we still frequent the library for pleasure reading material) but I buy most of our most of our actual school books. I buy them throughout the year as needed. Whenever I'm at Goodwill or any other second hand store I always browse the books and generally find a few. I typically never spend more than a few dollars at a time. I also regularly order on Amazon. I spent somewhere in between $48 on 8 books this week. I place similar orders every 6-8ish weeks but do often order just one book at a time in between as needed. Our kids had been in private school up until this year so with the amount we're saving in tuition I feel totally justified in spending $50/month on books. What a bargain in comparison, LOL! :tongue_smilie:

 

Oh, and this does pretty much include the the vast majority of our curricula, spines, textbooks, workbooks, etc.

Edited March 15, 2012 by Wabi Sabi

[hollyhock]

That seems really low for new. That would only be ten books, if you got a stellar deal at $5 each.

 

I think you could hit $200-$300 very easily buying new for everything. I finally paid $50 to use the St. Louis County library system. It's a good system, but I'll still probably spend $100 on new/used books this next year.

 

Ok, to clarify, I'm schooling 3 kids so that puts it up about $150 for the year. Most of that goes for books for my oldest because the younger ones mostly read what we already have. But I was trying to give an average figure per kid. Sorry for the confusion! :tongue_smilie:

[thegirlwhopaintedtrees]

I use the library as much as I can. We usually have over 50 books at a given time out and overdue fines never have been a problem. I do get a few 15 cent fines, but I am pretty much on top of it. I wish we had the luxury to buy all the books we would like to own but we are mostly lacking in space! Where does everyone keep all those books? How do you keep track of them?

[LucyStoner]

We are lucky to be able to be library users but we buy most of the books we do buy used for 10,25,50 cents each at rummage sales. When we buy new books it is because we are getting them for a gift and they are new or because someone gave up a gift card.

 

This is separate from curriculum, which is a lot more and some is bought new but we try to do used and resell.

Edited March 18, 2012 by kijipt