AnaShoo Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 So, while I'm excited about getting our homeschooling plans together (we'll be starting this summer), I'm finding it's sort of turning into a black hole when money comes into it. I'm trying to budget, but it's so hard to say no when something catches my eye that seems to be what I was/never realized I was looking for. I care a whole lot about their education - it almost seems wrong to skimp sometimes. How do you deal with this? I'm finding Spanish in particular to be a black hole because there are so many amazing resources out there. I jumped back here to post after sending in yet another book order...:glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 I accept that all hobbies are like this, and there are worse hobbies to have. I could be shopping for shoes... ;):D:tongue_smilie: Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnaShoo Posted March 17, 2012 Author Share Posted March 17, 2012 Hmm, the main problem for me is I can moderate a hobby, and in truth have never really had a shopping habit, but start throwing around "this will give the boys what they need" and I'm a real sucker... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 How many of those things can be put in their Christmas stockings (assuming you do that) or otherwise given as gifts? Same money, but COMPLETELY different category! Oh ignore me, what help am I? I can justify anything... :lol: Rosie P.S. Do use your library. And write lots of book requests. The more you can get them to buy, the better. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happy-hs Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 I am constantly finding new and exciting things I want to buy. Reading here doesn't help at all. :tongue_smilie: I do try to stick to my budget, but I'm a sucker when I find something really neat. I've always loved books anyway and it's so easy to justify more spending when I'm putting the money into educating my children... Now I just always give myself extra wiggle room when I make my budget. This gives me a little extra money to spend and I don't have to feel as guilty when I splurge. Melissa :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forget-Me-Not Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 Yeah, it gets worse when you realize halfway (or more) through the year that that resource you couldn't say no to is collecting dust, forgotten on a shelf somewhere in your house. . . :D Start small and work up is my motto. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnaShoo Posted March 17, 2012 Author Share Posted March 17, 2012 P.S. Do use your library. And write lots of book requests. The more you can get them to buy, the better. :D Ah, maybe you have found my real problem, after all! We have no library here, as we live on an island in the Bahamas that is very underdeveloped. There is a library at the (tiny) school my oldest attends right now, but there are no Spanish books for them there, no inter-library loan, and it's tiny, tiny, tiny. Plus, it won't really be available to us after this school year. I've long bought them books throughout the year and every time we are in the States, but that was for fun. Now that it's for school, it's so much harder to say no! We've got two moves ahead of us this year, though, so I really need to think smart so we don't get overloaded... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnaShoo Posted March 17, 2012 Author Share Posted March 17, 2012 (edited) Yeah, it gets worse when you realize halfway (or more) through the year that that resource you couldn't say no to is collecting dust, forgotten on a shelf somewhere in your house. . . :D I do worry about this! I have a bad habit of forgetting things I bought/bookmarked/downloaded with a vague plan that vanishes as time passes. Edited March 17, 2012 by AnaShoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 Ah, maybe you have found my real problem, after all! We have no library here, as we live on an island in the Bahamas that is very underdeveloped. There is a library at the (tiny) school my oldest attends right now, but there are no Spanish books for them there, no inter-library loan, and it's tiny, tiny, tiny. Plus, it won't really be available to us after this school year. I've long bought them books throughout the year and every time we are in the States, but that was for fun. Now that it's for school, it's so much harder to say no! We've got two moves ahead of us this year, though, so I really need to think smart so we don't get overloaded... No library? :svengo: Are you quite sure there are no government grants? You could start one and earn a little pocket money as the librarian! :tongue_smilie: You poor dear, :grouphug::grouphug: :eek: Rosie You don't live on Grenada? If you do, you and Negin need to make friends and share postage costs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraidycat Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 I can justify it quite easily. "It's cheaper than private school, and they're getting a better education." :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 A bunch of enablers, aren't we? :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 First with no library get a kindle. Lots of free classic books. Second I write a list and then let it sit a couple of days. Sometimes just the thought of what I am going to order thrills me-- it doesn't look so great later. Generally, I do this for a while then order. Yes, I even do my lists for amazon. Found a calculus book the other day that I "needed". Next day I found out MIT has a free book on line with answers and lectures. I would have probably kept the book. I hate returning curriclum-- it could be needed. Generally a few extra days will not matter. I save money and have less clutter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewingmama Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 Tell me about it - and it's not just books. Last week I read my DD a book about composting and now she is dead set about setting up a bin in the backyard. I tried to fob her off (I hate gardening) but she grabbed a container, dumped it outside and is filling it with all our veggie scraps :D Every time I walk past the poor sorry scraps baking in the sun I hear a little voice in my head that says "Well it's educational you know and you are trying to encourage their interests" - so today I went out and bought a proper compost bin :rolleyes: Of course while I was at the hardware store getting it I ended up bringing home a new set of shelves to build another bookcase because of all the books we "need" :D Now that we have a compost bin I know the next "need" is going to be a garden - after all it's educational and all that ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALB Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 A lot of people here have said that it's worse in the beginning while you are starting out and still figuring out which things you like/ dislike. But, yes it is rather expensive even if you do try to be frugal... I get nervous when I start to look ahead at later years because those science currics have steep price tags! I do agree with others: it's completely worth it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kolamum Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 You know, this is one of the biggest reasons I moved away from making my own lesson plans to using a "boxed" curriculum. I found it so much easier on my budget. :) I think setting a price limit and choosing what you can with that is best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julikins Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 I've also heard that it's more expensive at the beginning. Not only are you figuring out what works/doesn't work with your kids, but you're also building up the library with reference books, classics, literature books that you find used or know your kids will be reading later. That's where I tend to splurge. But now that we've been doing it for about 5 years, I find that I'm spending a lot less because I already have those resources. All I have to buy is the actual curricula they need for the year and only a few books that I missed out on earlier. I'm figuring out what works and am sticking to it. But it's much cheaper from that perspective as you homeschool through the years. Be encouraged! It gets better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloggermom Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 I can justify it quite easily. "It's cheaper than private school, and they're getting a better education." :D I agree, we were paying $680 a month to have 3 kids in private school last year. If I spent that much on books/curriculum I could have everything! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 I think I have done decently for our first year and beginning second year of homeschooling. There are definitely some flashy things that grab my attention :) One piece of advice is wait to buy a bunch of crayons, folders, notebooks till the back to school sales start; then figure out what you will need for the year and then buy double....I have used more than I thought we would need. Also, don't buy knock off crayola brand crayons.. they break quicker and don't color as smootly....just wait for the 25 cent boxes lol I have also learned that one company won't meet the needs of all of my kids... so I don't expect to order every piece of curriculum they offer and its ok to pick and choose.... I purchased our 2nd year of curriculum and I think I have done decently for four kids.. I am up to 483 bucks so far :) That is including some "splurge" items such as MCT, TT, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atara Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 My suggestion is not to buy ahead. Having a been a regular teacher and private teacher I can tell you that I've had the best success with taking the student in front of me and getting some kind of resource that I *know* will work because that is where they are at in that moment. I never had much luck buying things I think I will use in the future.:tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 I can justify it quite easily. "It's cheaper than private school, and they're getting a better education." :D :iagree: Private school for 1 was $5000. Adding a second, it would have been around $10000 (with tuition increases eating the discount for the 2nd child). When my third is school age, my budget could be HUGE! :lol: Seriously though, I don't spend as much as I did on private school. Not nearly as much. And I don't skimp on materials either. I do keep an eye on the spending though... at least most of the time. Ok, DH was out of town last week and I splurged on BA and AoPS Prealgebra, but the Prealgebra was on my to-buy list for this year anyway! :tongue_smilie: I keep a running spreadsheet of curriculum I want for the next school year. I don't buy right away (well, except BA, but I did the sample chapter and knew I was going to get it if the price wasn't too much). Don't buy months ahead of your start date!!!! Buy as close to your start date as possible, so that when you change your mind, and you will, you haven't lost any money. Keep that spreadsheet going on your computer as you do your research, and give yourself time to think about things, research them more, research alternatives, etc. Also keep in mind that if you're planning to move a couple times in the next year, you might want to stick with the basics that first year - 3Rs and maybe a bit of history/science, maybe even done in an informal way. Of course, some of this depends on the age of your kids. If they're little little (younger elementary), just do 3R's and get some historical fiction read-alouds or SOTW or something, and maybe a few science kits. If your kids are middle school or high school age, I'd do something more formal in those subjects still. Remember that often, less is more. Overloading yourself with extra subjects in your first year could stress you out. I started out with Spanish and art and such. They've been dropped for the moment. I'll eventually pull them back in, but we weren't getting to them, and they weren't a high priority for me at this stage (my oldest is 7). Of course, your priorities will be different from mine, so you may drop something else in favor of those subjects if you need to, and that's fine also. :D Oh, and I tend to spend less if I buy everything at ONE time rather than spacing out my purchases over months (where I have no clue how much I've spent). My spreadsheet has a RR order ready and waiting, and I know exactly how much it will be. What I've purchased recently (LoF, BA, Prealg, a used Sonlight core, a few books to go with that Sonlight core) is some nebulous amount. Each purchase wasn't that bad, but it all adds up! And that stuff wasn't in my spreadsheet, except the prealgebra book. Thankfully, I still have the "it's cheaper than private school" excuse, since my DH had originally budgeted for private school, so it's not a problem if I spend as much as I have (and it will end up still under $1000 for 2 kids schooling next year). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EMS83 Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 We're broke. That solves that problem! :lol: My only advice is to detach the emotions and the spending, which is very hard. Set a budget ahead of time, if that helps. Figure out what you need, what can be acquired at the library (a real sacrifice on my part), and what you could maybe get for free from the internet or by doing it yourself. Then go and see what you absolutely have to buy and try to get it used, first. I'll try to let you know what our final total is, but right now, I've spent around $100 on books and supplies and I only have $90 left to get our 3" binders, more paper, and whatever books I can't find through the above methods (which might be a lot: our county library system doesn't do statewide ILL :glare:). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest NancyA Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 I can justify it quite easily. "It's cheaper than private school, and they're getting a better education." :D :iagree: If I spent as much as private school tution, I'd get to buy everything!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 Oh, and I tend to spend less if I buy everything at ONE time rather than spacing out my purchases over months (where I have no clue how much I've spent). :iagree: Which is exactly what I have NOT done this spring and I don't even want to tally up all those "little" orders of $10-30+. :willy_nilly: Another thing I've learned: It's way cheaper to sit on it a while than to impulse buy and be stuck with something that is: 1) unusable (like this morning's CurrClick purchase :tongue_smilie:) or 2) expensive to return (like my big CLE order that cost $15 to return). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandst Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 (edited) I have to agree that it is cheaper than private school and that in the long run they are getting a better education. For us the problem has been that my husband lost his job in 2010 and we have been living off savings and his retirement funds. Well we will have to restart saving for our old age again. Also my business / work from home consultancy has had its ups and downs in the past two years and when I see what we are spending on HS I cringe. But compared to the private schools previous costs it is less than 1/6 of the previously private schools expenses per year. I just have to control myself not to overspend. If I was not working and looking after an extremely sick child; special cleaning routines of his enviourement and washing bedding and towels a couple times per day, special diet, medications, nebulizers, vaporizers and taking care routine like bath, cream and wrappings that can take over 2 hr twice a day. A child who screams in pain half the day. I know could put on more together myself but I feel that I need easy to use materials due to our life demands. Edited March 17, 2012 by sandst Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnaShoo Posted March 17, 2012 Author Share Posted March 17, 2012 Many good thoughts here! Thanks - I'm very much a newbie at this. I have had a problem in the past of overbuying in anticipation of what was ahead (moving to the islands was SO an example of that!), so I am really trying not to do that. I have to get almost everything online, though, so there is no "we need this now so let's pick it up" store runs here. And you can't overnight anything, so it takes at least a week, sometimes more, for it to arrive. I don't want to end up with stuff I can't use or could just get later from a library when we return to the States in six months, though. I am going to try to focus on the 3Rs until we move and then branch out. (I consider Spanish one of those because it's our heritage, and they have been hugely interested in it lately, so I want to jump on that ASAP. Plus, it's very good for me to speak it again!) At least the military does all the boxing and moving for us, heh. Oh, and for those who mentioned private school tuition, I did look a lot at putting them in private school when we leave here, so I keep thinking similar thoughts. I do hope it will get easier as we get into it and really decide what works and what doesn't, and can refer back to things we already have (plus, I have a 4 year old who can make use of things we use for our seven year old). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
txhomemom Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 I have been homeschooling for almost 10 years now and I used to have a major problem overbuying curriculum, manipulatives, games, etc. Everything in my mind was educational so we needed it! I don't buy near as much now, definitely don't have as much to spend since the economy is so bad. The good news: You can get away with buying a lot when they are younger because most of their curriculum is so cheap The bad news: When they get older the curriculum is so expensive you feel like you cannot splurge on anything If I had known now what I knew back then, I would not have bought everything in sight and just saved some of my money for other things like vacations, classes, curriculum for when they were older, maybe even a new car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommy5 Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 I can justify it quite easily. "It's cheaper than private school, and they're getting a better education." :D So very true!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 This thread made me go and tally up all that I'm expecting from recent orders. :scared::scared: I'm still waiting on: ------------------- CLE 1 Math CLP Phonics Readers CLP Nature readers A Reason for Spelling A WWE (text) WWE1 FLL1 ETC1 Educating the Whole-hearted Child My Big Science Book TWTM (now I can return my library copy!) Fun With Nature More Fun With Nature a prism a magnet kit weighted 3-size bear counters kit beginner balance -------------------- Oh. my. word. That's the total of several orders spread out over a couple weeks. Um...it builds up quickly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehog Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 I hear ya. DH provides a balance for my love of curriculum buying. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bttrflyvld Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 It's scary isn't it? I'm planning our first year of k4/k5. I believe I've been picking some really great curriculum and have stayed away from the really expensive one's, but it still all up. Is is crazy to spend $400 on k4/k5? My husband thinks it is. lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walking-Iris Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 I find it was cheaper in the beginning but getting more expensive as my ds gets older and now i have 3 kids. I use as much online free materials as possible. I also have "snob" filters, as I call them in place. I research, borrow from friends or the library, try to look at samples online....really think about it hard before I make a decision. Once i make a choice---that's it---I will make it work. It would have to be the biggest load of poo book for me to get rid of it. Then I ignore everything else....just ignore it. As far as I'm concerned curriculum that I don't have and am not using doesn't exist. Each year I reevaluate what's working well and where i want to supplement etc. But I still have my research, make a choice, and forget it philosophy. I also build the library with used books from consignment shops and used book sales---my kids have at least 200 quality children's books (picture and chapter) and only a handful of those were bought new. Classic books are a dime a dozen---and if you know where to look you can get all the great novels you would want cheaply. Sometimes I have multiple copies. If we lived in a larger city/town our book collection would probably double because of the availability of consignment shops. And then there's the library. I have also started to buy extras that I've really wanted (arts and music stuff for example) used from homeschoolclassifieds. I find the money suckers to be physical things like science supplies/equipment and math games/manipulatives. But even then there are a lot of things you can make yourself. I don't know what I would do if I lived somewhere with less resources. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoundAbout Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 Most of my friends spend $250-$400/month on preschool so that is my current justification. Once they start free public Kindergarten I'll probably feel a little more guilty :) I 'm focusing on just the basics right now so its not that expensive even using a pricey math curriculum (RightStart). I'm also fortunate to have 2 grandmothers in different states who love to shop thrift stores so they will often find great books and ship them to me via Media Mail. I also try to encourage educational gifts (we loved the Butterfly Pavilion from Nana last year) and use the library a ton. Although we don't have to stick to a very tight budget I try to keep in mind that the money will be much more valuable when my son gets older. I'd rather be able to afford a nice science camp when he's 12 than at age 5 when he's just as happy collecting leaves from local hike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StartingOver Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 I would say that 85% of my curriculum purchases are books that we are building a home library with so I don't mind spending at all. I did probably spend more than I needed to on little ones, but now I have grandbabies to read them all too. So no matter how I look at it, it is a good investment. I am happy that only about 15% is consumable. We spend about a $1000 in one chunk, then I spend approx another $1200 spread out bi-weeky over the year. I do keep stuff a level ahead of where we are or more, like with Sonlight we have back tracked to combine so I have the next 2 levels and now that I am heirloom I can buy further ahead as we will use mostly the literature in the upper grades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laughingmommy Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 If only the kids would stop growing..... Just when you get really good at a stage, they need new books, new clothes, new information. With 4 kids, even if we buy all used, it still adds up fast. Pei Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KirstenH Posted March 17, 2012 Share Posted March 17, 2012 I can justify it quite easily. "It's cheaper than private school, and they're getting a better education." :D This. I'm just getting started and I've blown through nearly a thousand bucks already, with more to come. Anything under $7500, though (the cost of the private school I was looking at transferring him to), seems like a bargain ... with the huge bonus of not having to get up at 5AM and drive an hour each way (with gas at $4/gal) to get him there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandst Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 For me it comes back that it would costs us over US 18 000 year to keep our kids in a middle of the road private school in which they were getting less than ideal education. Then because we have two kids with LD there were all the additional therapies, remedial classes and the 4-5 hours homework daily. We were doing 3-4 hours minimum homework with both kids then in grade 1 and 3, what I found out is that they were not being taugt in school and all the teachers were claiming was more therapies, more medictions. ' I am all for therapy and medications but this was out of control. The way the National Curriculum is set the teaching is lacking; , OBE based, sight word reading methods, route math facts memorization. I remember looking for paper plates at 5 am to explain fractions to my daughter so she could proceed with her homework. This is the child that has been doing Horizon and Singaphore math for the past two years at home virtually without any help from me. Hand her the book, mark the lesson and let her ask me ocasionally when she gets stuck or re-do the ocasional exercise when I see the same error. Mosts of her tests have been over 90%. I justify all the money because compare to our previous spending for schooling HS is actually quite cheap and the kids are getting a better education. Also in South Africa there is no such thing as free schooling, we have to pay school fees, which in our overcrowded local school, 42+ kids in grade 1, would cost US $110 per child monthly, plus school uniforms, school shoes, stationary and books which can set you back another US $250 per child. This does not include fund raising, school trips, extra materials for additional projects, school lunches, extra murals... Well it was actually quite nice to write it all down because if I am under US $3000 we are still below what would have costs for public schooling here. I know this is not much help but... if I was really broke I would use free or cheap resources like Spectrum books, we use these has additional LA workbooks, my kids love workbooks?!? and then something like Ambleside, Old Fashioned Education... Just remember that our school expenses are on average higher because our shipping and taxes costs can be as high as 30-38%. Sorry for the long dissertation but just remember that you are doing a great job and giving your children a great education. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimm Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 I'm another one who compares to what I was spending for private school if I ever get worried about how much I'm spending. I'm really leaning toward Tapestry of Grace this year and it's got a rather lengthy book list, and I would rather buy than struggle with the library where I know I'll be competing with several other TOG families. Plus, I'm terribly disorganized and have issues with returning books. But this year taught me a lot about what is likely to work with my kids and what is going to be a waste of time and/or money. As I look forward to our third year homeschooling, I feel much more comfortable making decisions about curriculum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunnyDays Posted March 19, 2012 Share Posted March 19, 2012 Agree with all of you. For every year we *don't* put him in private school, we're saving at least $5000. I could spend $1000 every year on homeschooling without any guilt at all for that reason. Add in what Kirsten said... no getting out the door early and spending a fortune on gas (we'd have to drive 20 minutes each way and I thought that was bad) ... heck, homeschooling is a bargain!! :D For those of you with a public elementary across the street that's your other option... okay, maybe hsing seems to cost a little more. Consider it an investment in your kids' future!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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