Aloha2U Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 I ask because I'm just starting out (preK in the fall), but I've already invested money in curriculum for both now and in the future... although, nothing past 1st grade w/the exception of SWR materials. I had a very small bulk of money that I purchased these initial materials with but looking to the future I'll have to budget it in... so I'm just curious... how much do you spend on curriculum each month? We have debt like most everyone, mortgage and a credit card payments. I realize everyone's budget is different... but, I wonder what is a reasonable amount to budget for curriculum... $25/month, $50/month, etc? Melissa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plain jane Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 I'm certainly not the most frugal with curriculum, but that is because my budget allows for me not to be. Over the course of last year (gr.1) I budgeted $100 per month. That covered everything I needed and a few extras. By extras, I mean purchasing balance scales for math or the new edition of LCC or a homeschooling book to further myself- not curriculum *needs* but certainly *wants* for me. Some months I didn't spend the full $100 but I put the unspent portion away to add to the next month so eventually the full $1200 got spent. Extras for the kids such as swimming, gymnastics, piano are not taken out of this $100/mo. They are budgeted for separately. I also do not pay for school supplies out of my homeschooling budget. Currently I only have one dd in 2nd grade and a preschooler. I do include colouring books and workbooks for the younger in my budget costs. Again, I am not the most frugal person when it comes to curriculum spending but I do spend HOURS researching the best price (and buying used when I can) to allow us to stretch the dollars as best I can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 We do a yearly budget, not a monthly one. For this year I spent close to 700.00, but that included lots of one time purchases and extras for which I've been saving. I do spend a little money throughout the year for supplies. However, at the prek level our budget would have been a lot less. I tend to make a wish list first and then see if it will fit into our budget, not the other way around. I'm pretty frugral and will itemize each item to see if it a necessity or not. I also don't buy too far ahead, although I plan that way. Like you said everyone's budget is going to be different. I believe it is vital, especially if you have one income, to communicate with your spouse and have them understand your purchases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plucky Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 I ask because I'm just starting out (preK in the fall), but I've already invested money in curriculum for both now and in the future... although, nothing past 1st grade w/the exception of SWR materials. I had a very small bulk of money that I purchased these initial materials with but looking to the future I'll have to budget it in... so I'm just curious... how much do you spend on curriculum each month? We have debt like most everyone, mortgage and a credit card payments. I realize everyone's budget is different... but, I wonder what is a reasonable amount to budget for curriculum... $25/month, $50/month, etc? Melissa At that age I wouldn't budget more than $25 a month. I spent very little when my oldest was 2nd grade & younger and before I discovered all the great ways to spend educational $. LOL Definitely visit the library and get lots of read alouds. Don't buy too much ahead of time. I only buy one year at a time because although I have planned for many years I revamp that plan each year. I personally did very little for pre-k. Make it fun & enjoy your kiddo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plain jane Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 We do a yearly budget, not a monthly one. For this year I spent close to 700.00, but that included lots of one time purchases and extras for which I've been saving. I do spend a little money throughout the year for supplies. However, at the prek level our budget would have been a lot less. I tend to make a wish list first and then see if it will fit into our budget, not the other way around. I'm pretty frugral and will itemize each item to see if it a necessity or not. I also don't buy too far ahead, although I plan that way. Like you said everyone's budget is going to be different. I believe it is vital, especially if you have one income, to communicate with your spouse and have them understand your purchases. I did rethink my post after reading Paula's. I think she's got good info for you vs. just telling you what she spent (like I did). You definitely won't need to spend too much for pre-K. If you want to look at it as a monthly expense I would think $25/mo would more than cover anything you would need (or even want to buy) for your ds. Also, as your ds gets older, it will really depend on which curriculum you decide you *want* to go with. I've chosen things like IEW and Apologia Elementary. IEW is expensive but will last me for many many years. That got paid out of my gr. 1 budget money (again, because it was there and available to me at the time). This year I am looking at using The Writing Road to Reading (maybe) and again it will cost more upfront but then I will have what I need for many grades to come. My budget for subsequent years will be significantly lower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trivium Academy Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 I buy curriculum in bulk once a year and then have a monthly budget for books & fun stuff of about $50-$60. This does not include piano lessons though which is an extra cost. I don't like to count extracurricular activities as part of the hs budget b/c the kids would be doing something whether in school or not so the cost doesn't truly reflect our homeschooling choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 I buy the vast majority of our stuff used and hardly any workbooks, which I think just eat up the budget. For pre-K, I didn't buy any curriculum - just supplies and read out of the library. Even with a 11 and 16 year old, I don't spend 100 a month, including supplies. During pre-K, I would be surprised if I spent 5 a month on supplies. Our biggest expense is German because I buy "normal" DVDs and books on tape over there. I don't count swimming or music either, they were doing both while they were in school and, if they went back, they would still do them. Save it for later. You can spend tons in middle and high school without half trying. Several high value items have attracted my attention recently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiver0f10 Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 I used to budget $150/month,which was good for us, but we have switched to using DH's spring bonus. We also are in the process of switching our curriculum plans completely so our home school budget has really increased and will stay up for a few years. Once we have everything we need it should drop back to @ 1200 -$1800 a year, or less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 The library is a wonderful resource for us. I've always done a yearly budget and didn't include costs like piano and soccer in the home school budget. (We would have taken those anyway, and they are often seasonal.) imo, fwiw...Don't spend tons of money for the future...Many of us find our teaching preferences, styles and other factors grow or change as the kids do. Enjoy your journey~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FO4UR Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 I am just starting too, really. I will agree with pp, and say don't buy too much too far ahead. I bought SWR on the Kindergarten budget, even though we won't "officially" begin the program for a while. I am glad I did...now I can spend more on history in 1st grade:lol: I didn't buy any kindergarten curriculum. We are just doing the prep activities from SWR and Miquon Math. I did go a bit crazy buying manipulatives, but they are well-loved! How much you budget depends on what curriculum you want to buy. One way to ease HS into your budget is to start packing away $25 per month, and then if that isn't going to fit your wishlist, start increasing your HS budget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kris Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 I don't budget for this, though I know I should. I just get what I need when I need it. Fortunately, most of the resources we need for high school we will be using for all four years. So my costs should go down considerably. I was pretty surprised when I pulled up my Amazon.com account and found just how much I had spent on books for the middle school years. That was, of course, just the stuff I bought from them, and didn't include Memoria Press, etc. It adds up quick! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnowWhite Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 Ours is going to be about $100 per month total (two children). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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