Prices climbing for homeschooling.

[...................]

I've noticed things have gotten a lot more expensive in the last 7 years that I've been homeschooling.

 

There are a few companies that don't change much, like Rod and Staff. There are a few companies that increased prices but also greatly increased products like BJU.

 

Then there is Calvert which sold

[tuzor]

They are out for a profit and home education is the new craze so to speak. Ridiculous if you ask me.

[Farrar]

But how many more free things are available like MEP or KISS grammar?

 

And how much of it is just natural inflation?

 

I'm sure there's some opportunistic pricing too. The place where it seems most obvious to me is with curriculum repackagers.

[Susie in MS]

I believe everyone has made good points. There are a variety of reasons.

 

I know that when I went from hsing highschoolers to hsing my little one I was amazed at the HUGE difference in price. Hsing a young one is way, way, way cheaper ( unless you use something like BJU) compared to buying science kits and math vids for high. Then there are more (or thicker) books needed for middle school compared to elem.

 

But yes, overall, I believe prices are increasing with hsing as they are everywhere else. That is why I look for cheaper and cheaper methods. And I am very glad for the *left over* non-consumables from my other kids!

[StartingOver]

I will gladly pay the increase for most things as the options are so much more and much easier to find. Choices were really limited back when I started many moons ago.

 

Some companies are really to proud of their stuff. But if people didn't buy the products they would have to rethink it. Packages have increased insanely over the years.

[AimeeM]

They are out for a profit and home education is the new craze so to speak. Ridiculous if you ask me.

I don't know why it's ridiculous. Inconvenient for us, yes, but it's a business and a business generally exists to make a profit.

[AimeeM]

Well it could also be in part that your kids are getting older and so their books are costing more. My oldest is 10. I don't feel like I've spent a ton more except on science and math. That has gotten more expensive for sure. I do steer away from the completely packaged stuff though because the price is insane (and I don't think it would suit me).

 

I'm not interested in BJU, but I've seen their catalog and for sure there stuff is insanely expensive anyway.

Age is a biggie I've noticed.

I do not anticipate my risking kinder child to cost more than $100 this upcoming fall. My rising 7th grader... with the science packages and everything I'm looking at for her? I'll be lucky to get away with $700 (and that's lowballing it; probably more).

[AimeeM]

Age is a biggie I've noticed.

I do not anticipate my rising kindergarten child to cost more than $100 this upcoming fall. My rising 7th grader... with the science packages and everything I'm looking at for her? I'll be lucky to get away with $700 (and that's lowballing it; probably more).

[FairProspects]

It depends open your needs too. If you need OG or anything remedial for any issues at all, the price immediately skyrockets. It's not bad enough that you already have to deal with the issue, you have to pay twice as much for the quality materials to remediate it!

[Lily_Grace]

Age is a biggie I've noticed.

I do not anticipate my risking kinder child to cost more than $100 this upcoming fall. My rising 7th grader... with the science packages and everything I'm looking at for her? I'll be lucky to get away with $700 (and that's lowballing it; probably more).

 

 

Yep. I've looked back at curriculum we ordered for previous years, and other than a small increase ($5~) for updated materials, they've remained the same. Some have even gone down.

 

However, the price increases with the need for more information. I was lucky to spend around $300 at the beginning of the year for my 8th grader. Of course, that isn't taking into account the history and literature bought monthly/per unit, the science supplies, or the various other things. Oh, and outsourced lessons. Oy. The curriculum has stayed pretty constant in pricing for what we've used, but I never bought into the "big" companies either. (BJU, Sonlight, etc)

[Clarkd]

I agree that any item billed as remedial or for kids with disabilities means huge price gouge. However, improved technology has made many items previously only for folks with disabilities available for all. This makes the prices drop. For example, Dragon Dictate was hundreds of dollars. It is now a free app! Dynavox $10,000 but ipad with similar apps, under $1000!

[stripe]

Textbooks in general have skyrocketed in cost in the last 10 years.

 

That being said, I do think the internet has opened up many methods of obtaining inexpensive and free materials, though, from free online sources and curricula (MEP, Librivox), out-of-copyright material (Librivox, Google Books, Archive.org), library-sponsored multimedia download borrowing services (such as ebooks and audiobooks), authors producing and selling directly (including ebooks and blogs, including BFSU and The Happy Scientist, not to mention all those apps), as well as the ability to easily find and purchase used books.

[Hunter]

Things have certainly changed. New authors expect to sell their products for a lot of money, and to sell many pieces.

 

I don't necessarily find it cheaper to teach lower level students than higher level students. Phonics and early math are big bucks items.

 

The game playing and crazymaking and schemes and propoganda are worse than ever. I often feel like I've been tricked after making some purchases. And some authors are starting e-groups and holding so tightly to their work, and requiring things that are not even legal to require, that I feel like I don't own what I bought. Sometimes the author even tells me I didn't actually buy a product, just a license to use it.

 

I'm not sure I'm using anything written after 2003, anymore. I'll have to think about it to be sure. Much of my curricula is from the late 80's and early 90's, even when there are more current editions. In the late 90's things got wonky in the public school world and by the early 2000's it leaked into the homeschool world.

 

I'm predicting a big back-to-basics movement in the semi-near future that will include streamlined curricula that just isn't going to have enough parts and extras to justify the big price-tags. I predict that homeschool test scores are going to start dropping, and people are going to flock to the old ways that they have been sneering at as incomplete and non-conceptual and negligent.

 

The old ways were not ALWAYS better! I'm not saying that! But this, that is going on right now, is just over the top crazy. It reminds me of the the mortgage crisis that we have every 20 years or so. And when things crash, they often crash too far.

 

TWTM revolutionized the homeschool world, mostly for good. I'm predicting that someone else is going to come along and write a back-to-basics book at just the right moment that will be the next revolution, again mostly for good. The world always seeks balance and the homeschool world is getting out of balance again. It'll soon be time for the right person to give things a hard smack with a best-seller, that meets the current need.

 

I think it's going to get worse before it gets better though. I don't think we have hit the worst of this yet, by a long shot.

 

EDIT: I meant TWTM, not WRTR. Sorry!

[Tidbits of Learning]

It depends open your needs too. If you need OG or anything remedial for any issues at all, the price immediately skyrockets. It's not bad enough that you already have to deal with the issue, you have to pay twice as much for the quality materials to remediate it!

 

 

This is so true. I was looking at 1 remedial writing class for my dysgraphic/dyslexic son to take and it alone is $300. If I watch a webinar, I can get 5% off. :( I don't want to watch the webinar (um...I am sold on buying it for him already), but I need that 5% off. *Sigh*

[...................]

I used Calvert Pre-K. Back then, Calvert 1st-8th grade averaged 800.00. Now, a Calvert year averages 1300!! They sold out to virtual schools and charters and somehow that increased the homeschool price by 70%.

 

I believe a company should and will stay in business by making the profits worth the time investment. Simple economics.

 

But I guess I started this post because I feel the advertising, gimmicks, emails promoting products, phone calls and all is a bit out of hand. Full curriculum providers aren't always the worst. MFW is one of the best price-wise and they still have a small catalog, minimal emails and no annoying gimmicks. Why do I want to be part of a club, to get discounts on future purchases? Why do I want to read a catalog that looks more like it belongs in a supermarket checkout aisle?

 

Obviously I am thankful for the choices we have...just realizing the high price tags aren't really worth it for me.

[redsquirrel]

What is WRTR?

 

Things really do pick up in price as the kids get older. Every year I practically have to breath into a paper bag to purchase my math and science materials. But, I have found TWTM to be so, so helpful to me in keeping costs under control. I know my kids do well if I pretty much stick to the methods in TWTM, not necessarily the materials put forward, just the methods. That means that I know what I am looking for when I look for materials. It has let me shop at least a couple years ahead and save cash. I have also had good luck with middle school science and using public school textbooks. I know, not exactly classical, lol. But,they can often be found at a cheap used price and I have been able to make them work quite well. Now, that doesn't take into account the lab materials, but I am not spending a fortune on the books.

 

One good thing is that as my son gets older, we can frequently find lit and history materials at the library, so that has actually been a place I can save money.

[briansmama]

I've actually been saving money lately by utilizing downloadable curriculum. Math Mammoth for example is really really affordable and high quality. Spelling and science apps are quite inexpensive. I order the Beautiful Feet downloadable guides for $15.

 

Now, if I could only find a good e-book source for history/science/literature- so many of the high quality books are just not available yet in e-format. That's where I end up spending so much $$ it seems, on the literature! And audiobooks. And classes. The classes are really expensive.

[tuzor]

I don't know why it's ridiculous. Inconvenient for us, yes, but it's a business and a business generally exists to make a profit.

 

 

I just feel that in some ways publishers are taking advantage of people who have decided to educate their children at home. I'm not agianst businesses making profits but I do feel that the homeschool boom so to speak has added to the rise in prices. As the consumer we have to really be wise and determine if the packaged goodies are worth the price or are there other resources that can get the job done that are more cost efficent. Perhaps I shouldn't have use the word ridiculous.

[tuzor]

I've actually been saving money lately by utilizing downloadable curriculum. Math Mammoth for example is really really affordable and high quality. Spelling and science apps are quite inexpensive. I order the Beautiful Feet downloadable guides for $15.

 

Now, if I could only find a good e-book source for history/science/literature- so many of the high quality books are just not available yet in e-format. That's where I end up spending so much $$ it seems, on the literature! And audiobooks. And classes. The classes are really expensive.

 

 

I too purchase some ebooks not sure that I save much money after I print all the worksheets and teacher manuals. For some reason I like to have an actual book/paper in front of me to mark, highlight etc. But the benefits of ebooks is when its time for the next child to use. I can just print agian no need to repurchase.

[txhomemom]

Prices are definitely out of control, curriculum is just the tip of the iceberg, look at the cost of college tuition! There will always be someone that has the money to spend so as long as there are consumers that will pay a certain price, things will be put up for sale for that price. The prices on curriculum sometimes bothers me. I don't mind the higher cost of an all in one curriculum, you are paying for everything already done. I don't like when one particular component/subject is $100+, when you still have to buy other items to complete all the subjects. A good example is writing curriculum. You can find writing curriculum at all different prices, but quite a few are at the higher end. Especially, if that item is only used for one year, that is just too much for me.

 

I have been avoiding anything with higher price tags lately. I only have one that I am homeschooling right now so I don't get the benefit of reusing things, I am not working since I am homeschooling so don't have a never ending supply of money, and it is incredibly difficult to sell things now so I cannot justify the cost by saying I will just resell it. So I have had to become a serious bargain shopper. That being said, I do appreciate that there is a lot of really great curriculum that often gets overlooked that is either free or pretty darn cheap. I am always amazed at the cheap and interesting curriculum I can find on Rainbow Resource.

 

Ebooks are another thing that bothers me lately. I would really like to start using more ebooks just to make things easier and if I print something at home I can do it pretty cheaply on a nice duplex laser printer. A lot of curriculum is not offered in the ebook format at all. Others are offered as ebook, but tend to be pricey. I noticed the other day one ebook I was looking at was only $2 cheaper than the regular print format. That did not really make much sense to me.

 

I am probably just getting pickier and more frugal in my old age, but I definitely think twice or more times before I buy the shiny new next thing you just got to have it curriculum at my local homeschool convention. I used to really get excited about that stuff, but now I don't mind walking away.

[Hunter]

What is WRTR?

 

 

I meant TWTM. Sorry!

[Farrar]

I don't necessarily find it cheaper to teach lower level students than higher level students. Phonics and early math are big bucks items.

 

 

I don't really agree with that. Both phonics and early math can be done extremely cheaply. And many of the resources that people would argue are the finest out there are very cheap. For phonics, OPGTR and Reading Reflex are super cheap and Blend Phonics is free. Supplementary things like Progressive Phonics, Starfall and I See Sam books are free and Funnix is offered free once a year. There are other resources like that as well Sure, you can spend much bigger bucks on things like AAR or Spalding or whatever, but there are cheap choices. Ditto for math. Sure, you could splurge on something like Right Start, but MEP is free, MM is cheap, Miquon is cheap, even Singapore Primary isn't that much and an abacus and a bucket of C-rods just doesn't run that much.

 

The rise in textbook costs doesn't really effect the K-8 homeschool market as much either. When I see what people have listed as their curriculum choices - especially for elementary school - the vast majority of people aren't using things from the school and textbook market. They're using things geared toward the homeschool market and those prices are just different.

 

I don't know enough about the cost of high school to say... And my kids are younger so I don't have the perspective of time that some people have. I guess I just don't see how the cost to homeschool has risen. Certain things have risen. Other things have not. It will always be the case that you can choose more expensive options and cheaper options. As more people homeschool, the number of expensive options have grown because the market can bear it. But so have the cheaper options. And I don't think, again, at the primary level anyway, that the best options are the more pricey ones.

[IceFairy]

I am fairly new at homeschooling but I can say I did try two curriculums with all the bells and whistles (read EXPENSIVE) because as a new homeschooler their advertising and customer service and such made me feel like if I didn't buy them I was doing a disservice to my kids. In the end, both were fails and we landed with Christian Liberty Press....straightforward, traditional, boring website, and fairly inexpensive. And guess what? Its just what WE needed. The kids are thriving with it.

 

The funny thing is I still keep looking for the next best thing. I am not sure WHY I feel driven to look when what we have works. I need to learn to be content. Ugh.

[redsquirrel]

I meant TWTM. Sorry!

 

Ha! I was all worried. Something revolutionized the homeschooling world and I don't know about it!? Oh noes!

[mazakaal]

There's a lot of variation. On the one hand, there's a lot more free materials available online. But there is also a lot more available with very high price tags. I don't notice a huge price hike in the basics that I've been using for years (Worldy Wise, Apologia books, etc), but I notice that there are a lot more new materials that are crazy expensive when you add in all the extras you're supposed to get (Classical Conversations). I've never used any of the full curriculum companies, except one year of SL, so I can't comment on price increases there. And as others have said, the older the kids get, the more expensive the materials become.

[Tess in the Burbs]

I too agree that there are a lot of publishers out there and prices are climbing and I expect some sort of 'crash' at some point. Many hs's are one income families and these past few years have been financially hard and yes, I have spent less, and skipped some subjects b/c I simply couldn't afford it all. I think the price for younger kids can be cheaper but you get more for you dollar. I remember spending a couple hundred $$ but gosh, we had tons of books and hands on stuff. now I could a couple hundred on one subject!! But up until now I bought all our books. This year I am using the library more. And we have a kindle and ipad that I hope to start utilizing more. It feels silly to keep paying full price for things when free options are out there. I need to stop researching the next new thing and research cheaper alternatives!

 

But yes, I am spending more as the kids get older. However, I am going back to basics on some subjects and am very pleased. I couldn't afford IEW this year so decided to just use the writing parts in R&S since we like that for grammar. Wow, I was surprised how much Ds didn't mind the assignments and how well his writing has come along this year! I saved a lot not using IEW and I think R&S's approach of every few lessons and not a daily thing has been perfect for Ds. I saw 2 talks by Pudewa at convention and taught the kids his approach to outlining so we got the best of both now. Money kept me from buying something but I found something just as good. Love that it's non-consumable too!

 

I am looking more now for reusable curriculum since Dd is a year behind Ds. But yes, prices have gone up on some things we have used these past 5 years....the kids Horizons math workbooks used to be under $11 each but now it's over $16 each. So a dollar a year? but it adds up. And it is affecting my choices for upper levels. Anything I can use for both kids with minimal cost for the 2nd kid is a plus now. And no more of multiple products for one subject. I have to pick what is going to get the job done for the best price. I can't afford multiple math programs no matter how beneficial it may be.

 

I personally look forward to a more back to basics approach. Will be interesting to see how it progresses. I haven't liked a lot of the newer stuff coming out.

[Tenaj]

I don't think it's surprising that prices are rising on homeschool curriculum. If it's a company, they have employees to pay and health insurance costs to cover. If it's a small family business, they still have to deal with the rising costs of the basics like gas and food and if this is their source of income then the prices have to rise in order for them to stay in business.

 

I'm sure shipping costs have increased as the gas prices have gone up. It's all connected and you can't expect the curriculum companies to take a financial hit to keep prices low . . . they won't stay in business.

 

By the way, it's not just homeschool materials, have you taken a look at the cost of college textbooks lately :)

[Hunter]

I don't think it's surprising that prices are rising on homeschool curriculum. If it's a company, they have employees to pay and health insurance costs to cover. If it's a small family business, they still have to deal with the rising costs of the basics like gas and food and if this is their source of income then the prices have to rise in order for them to stay in business. I'm sure shipping costs have increased as the gas prices have gone up. It's all connected and you can't expect the curriculum companies to take a financial hit to keep prices low . . . they won't stay in business. By the way, it's not just homeschool materials, have you taken a look at the cost of college textbooks lately :)

 

In the larger world, VERY few authors expect to make a living from their writing; but most homeschool authors do. I find that odd. When I buy a novel or cookbook book at B&N I feel no obligation to worry about the author's car payments or sick children. Why am I supposed to be burdened with e-mails about such things from a homeschool curriculum author? I understand that niche books can cost a bit more, but homeschool niche books are often priced far higher than other niche books, for the reason that the author expects to be fully self-supporting from it.

 

I don't really agree with that. Both phonics and early math can be done extremely cheaply. .... And I don't think, again, at the primary level anyway, that the best options are the more pricey ones.

 

High school can ALSO be done a lot cheaper than most people do it. We tend to spend more, where we feel the most fearful, and where we feel the most inadequate about our own education. I personally can teach high school math cheaper than I can teach phonics. At all levels we can teach cheaply, or spend a lot of money. It's true that the bigger priced items are not necessarily better, and are often inferior. I think people spend more on high school because that is where they feel most vulnerable, and become easy prey. I think we spend more where we as individual TEACHERS struggle and worry, not at any particular child level.

[Chava_Raizel]

I've noticed this too. I've always been frugal with homeschooling - I tried using a pre-packaged curriculum way back when we first started out, but I felt like it was overpriced (and this was 10 years ago!) and that I could have put the same thing together myself for much less money. So I did. I haven't bought a pre-packaged program since. Every now and then I get nervous and look at the different programs available, but they are so expensive! I try to stay under $500 per year to teach my 3 school age children. With my eldest starting high school next year, I'm preparing myself to spend a bit more, but I'm still hoping to keep it under $700.

 

By the way, this is one of the reasons I have priced my curriculum so low - I can't justify charging something that I wouldn't want to pay.

[Farrar]

High school can ALSO be done a lot cheaper than most people do it. We tend to spend more, where we feel the most fearful, and where we feel the most inadequate about our own education. I personally can teach high school math cheaper than I can teach phonics. At all levels we can teach cheaply, or spend a lot of money. It's true that the bigger priced items are not necessarily better, and are often inferior. I think people spend more on high school because that is where they feel most vulnerable, and become easy prey. I think we spend more where we as individual TEACHERS struggle and worry, not at any particular child level.

 

Agreed. And things like Coursera and open source textbooks are making it easier. I mostly meant that I can only speak from real authority about the costs of elementary and middle school. I've taught high school, but only in public school, never homeschooling.

[laughing lioness]

We've homeschooled for over 2 decades and honestly, I think it's easier and less expensive to homeschool now that it was "back then." For one, there are a zillion more resources, more items for sale, barter or free- there is just more "stuff" on the market. The first year we homeschooled was the 2nd year SL was in existance and core K was around $500. This was a fortune to us back in the early 90's! New stuff is new stuff and it's not cheap to print, to print in color, to ship- it's expensive. I don't begrudge companies trying to make money- many of them are family owned busnesses. Co-ops actually keep the cost down imho- I pay $50 a semseter for 1 kid to take music, art and a unit study- for 12 weeks- that's sheet music, all art supplies and usually a notebook and supplies for the unit study. That's just over $4 a week- back in there were no co-ops. Same for class days, on -line courses, etc. It might be a seeminly high up front cost but it sure beats the cost of private tutoring. We are often on a gestapo budget, so I get it when folks can't afford all of the stuff, but I do think the plethora of options actually levels the playing field a bit.

 

I am finding prices increasing across the board. Milk is up by over $1.50 a gal from last summer- P.B. is up by $4 (it was $6- now it's $10- we go through 1 of those of week thanks to my high metabolism boys/men) for the 5 lb jar we normally buy- all since last Xmas- clearly inflation.

[...................]

I guess in reality as with anything else, it's up to the consumer to decide and be frugal or not. I used to spend more on curriculum and what most for homeschool and keep our grocery budget very low.

 

Now I spend less on homeschool and much more on groceries due to several allergies.

 

 

[...................]

And wow- Horizons math has really increased!

[tearose]

I'll chime in as someone who has been developing a curriculum that I'd eventually like to sell (not something I see happening soon, since I have enough to keep me busy right now). Considering that I spent over five years in graduate school for a PhD in my field and have an expertise that I see lacking in existing curriculum, I'd want to price a product in a way that would 1) take into account the time and effort it took to produce the curriculum and 2) reflect the fact that it took a lot of time (and sweat and tears) for me to know the field as well as I do.

[boscopup]

In the larger world, VERY few authors expect to make a living from their writing; but most homeschool authors do. I find that odd. When I buy a novel or cookbook book at B&N I feel no obligation to worry about the author's car payments or sick children. Why am I supposed to be burdened with e-mails about such things from a homeschool curriculum author? I understand that niche books can cost a bit more, but homeschool niche books are often priced far higher than other niche books, for the reason that the author expects to be fully self-supporting from it.

 

 

I don't think I've ever received an e-mail from a homeschool author complaining about their car payments or sick children... but maybe I'm just not on enough e-mail lists. :D I would be annoyed if I saw that a lot.

 

However, very few authors in the larger world are publishing and distributing their own books. They usually sign up with a publisher OR they just do the cheap e-book thing on Amazon or somewhere like that to get their name out there. Homeschool authors are often having to run the business of selling their books themselves, shipping hard copies, shipping curriculum packages, etc. That stuff costs money.

 

I'm not surprised to see homeschool prices go up. Everything in our country has gone up! The homeschool businesses cannot work at a loss forever. They need to at least be breaking even. Actually, there is a homeschool store local to me that I heard does not even break even. The woman running it usually spends a net $2000 to keep the store open! She is LOSING money on it. Now she does keep the business open in order to help other homeschool families. They've consciously made that choice to donate their money to that cause. But I don't expect homeschool authors to donate money to keep others in curriculum. Let's look at a company like Sonlight... They package a lot of books together (and the high cost of their cores is mostly the books, and buying a core is cheaper than buying individually new from Amazon, so they're not fleecing people... except when they combined LA into their IG - that may have been intended to fleece people :lol:). They have to have someone to manage inventory, ship packages, etc. So there are some salaries there (would the authors do all that themselves and donate their time? Authors in the rest of the world wouldn't). As many Sonlight users as there are, I imagine one family couldn't even keep up with that on their own. They need to hire other people. And with small businesses comes health insurance, taxes, etc. There needs to be a place to store the books they're shipping, so now a warehouse is needed, which means rent for that. They need website services, and if they're a popular company, they'll need one that can handle plenty of traffic (most cookbook and novel authors don't need a huge website), so that means even more money. Then there are IT folks, because who is going to buy from a website that looks like it was designed in Frontpage in the late-90's? There are a lot of costs that go into publishing your own books and physically selling them yourself. The curriculum authors that don't need to make money will just stick their stuff up on currclick as a PDF and price it low. Those folks don't expect to live off the profits, but if you're a really big curriculum company with hard copies... You're not going to be able to feasibly run the company at a loss long term unless you have someone else in the family working at a high income job somewhere else. And I don't expect curriculum authors to operate at a loss. I don't expect anyone to operate at a loss.

 

Now are there curricula that I think are overpriced? Absolutely! The special needs market is definitely a good example of that. Many of us consider AAS/AAR to be really expensive, but if you go look at Barton (which is very similar to AAS, AFAIK), it's $300 per level. AAS is expensive, but not quite that expensive! I imagine a lot of that pricing comes from them marketing to school systems, where there is more money available, and they're more willing to spend that money. A school system will easily drop thousands of dollars on a curriculum for the special needs classroom. The homeschool mom often doesn't have that luxury. Same goes for curriculum publishers that cater to private schools. Horizons, A Beka, BJU, etc... Those are all publishers that are school publishers first. Homeschoolers are just an afterthought. The actual homeschool publishers tend to be a lot cheaper. Math Mammoth is a great example. I bought grades 1-6 as a bundle for $65! Normally that would have been $130 at the time. Still dirt cheap, even at full price! Most elementary subjects can be taught with good quality materials for very cheap. How many folks here use Alpha Phonics or Phonics Pathways to teach all their kids reading? That's like $20 for that subject, lasting multiple years and multiple kids. A lot of the math standards are not that expensive either: Saxon, Math Mammoth, CLE.... Singapore is a bit pricier if you use IP and CWP and the HIG (around $120/year), but that's still not astronomical. If you stay away from the "made for private schools" companies, you can spend very, very little on elementary subjects while still getting the hand holding you may need as a teacher. I find a lot of homeschool materials much easier to use than something like BJU, where the teacher guide is geared toward a classroom setting.

 

I don't think homeschool authors usually expect to be fully self-supporting, though some may be. I don't know. I think very few are. Those who are have probably grown from a very small business to a much larger business, so yes, they would end up self-supporting. Sometimes, if you don't grow, you sink. If Sonlight stopped making changes to their cores, adding/removing books, etc., people would probably forget they existed. How many times has that happened with companies that were popular 10+ years ago, but they stagnated and hardly anyone uses them anymore?

[shawthorne44]

Some products I think are absolutely worth the price. I know one of the grumbles about the All About Reading/Spelling products is their price. But, I think it is worth every penny.

 

Expensive e-books bug me, and I refuse to buy them. I remember grumbling about the steeply rising price of books - back in the 80's probably. Someone told me that it was the cost of paper. I knew that wood was a lot more expensive, so that made sense. So, for an e-book to be near the same price as a physical book? No way.

[MerryAtHope]

To me it's not surprising. Grocieries and gas have increased greatly as well. It's just plain more expensive to live now than it was a decade ago. (I just googled--average price for gas was $1.79 a gallon in 2003!!) Many homeschool companies are run by homeschool families, and their cost of living has gone up just like ours. My grocery budget has doubled in the last 10 years, and it's not just because my kids eat more now. Anyone remember Elijah Company? That's one that went out of business because it just wasn't financially feasible for them.

 

That said, there are things that I've said "no way" to because I'm just priced out of the market. Then other times it's been worth it to me if extra services or excellent guides are available, or if the resale value is good. Some people seem to do very well with mainly using the library and free downloads from online, but I've always needed a bit more direction than that, and there's a cost to providing services, writing materials, researching and so on.

 

But one other change I've noticed over the last ten years that really speaks to what you are noticing is that more companies are following advertising models that are popular in the business world--flooding us with emails, phone calls if you visit their site (I've only heard of a couple doing that, but it sure would be annoying!), flyers, and the like. Maybe some have to do that to break into the market, but I do find that annoying. Send me something only occasionally, and if you do a newsletter, put something useful in it (my favorites include helpful articles and discount coupons!)

 

Merry :-)

[MerryAtHope]

Expensive e-books bug me, and I refuse to buy them. I remember grumbling about the steeply rising price of books - back in the 80's probably. Someone told me that it was the cost of paper. I knew that wood was a lot more expensive, so that made sense. So, for an e-book to be near the same price as a physical book? No way.

 

 

I rarely buy ebooks either, I just prefer printed books. But paper is hardly the most expensive part of a book. If it's royalty published, the author will be lucky to make $1 per book. A lot of books would have to be sold to make it any where near feasible for an author to make a living at writing. (If an author spent a year researching and writing a book, they'd have to sell tens of thousands of books to make a living at it.) Publishing, distributing, advertising, and author expenses are way more costly than the paper (or ink).

[Hunter]

I'll chime in as someone who has been developing a curriculum that I'd eventually like to sell (not something I see happening soon, since I have enough to keep me busy right now). Considering that I spent over five years in graduate school for a PhD in my field and have an expertise that I see lacking in existing curriculum, I'd want to price a product in a way that would 1) take into account the time and effort it took to produce the curriculum and 2) reflect the fact that it took a lot of time (and sweat and tears) for me to know the field as well as I do.

 

 

In the larger world, seasoned writers caution new writers NOT to expect what they earn, to reflect what they put into their book. They tell them to write because they love to write. In the larger world, books are called books. In the homeschool world, books are called "product". I guess "product" sells for more than books.

 

I'm not saying authors and artists and teachers should not be paid for their work! I'm just saying that all throughout history, the arts and teaching have not been know to be high paying occupations. As a tutor I don't expect to be paid what my time is worth, and most of the time I don't expect to be paid at all. A homeless person once told me that the stingiest thing to hoard is knowledge. She told me that I wasn't being humble, but that I was being the ultimate form of stingy and to knock it off.

 

I teach because...I don't know why I do, other than that I've always been a teacher and leader; people have demanded it from me, even when I didn't want to do it, and felt unprepared to do it. From the time I was a young child, adults were cautioning me about how many children were following me, and that I didn't have the option of being a muck-up, because it wouldn't just be me that got hurt. If I went down, others would go down with me.

 

Money is not our only compensation in life. Money is a form of power and reward, but it's not the only form of power and reward. And for some of us, what we write is our destiny, and what we are; we just do it.

[tearose]

In the larger world, seasoned writers caution new writers NOT to expect what they earn, to reflect what they put into their book. They tell them to write because they love to write. In the larger world, books are called books. In the homeschool world, books are called "product". I guess "product" sells for more than books.

 

I'm not saying authors and artists and teachers should not be paid for their work! I'm just saying that all throughout history, the arts and teaching have not been know to be high paying occupations. As a tutor I don't expect to be paid what my time is worth, and most of the time I don't expect to be paid at all. A homeless person once told me that the stingiest thing to hoard is knowledge. She told me that I wasn't being humble, but that I was being the ultimate form of stingy and to knock it off.

 

I teach because...I don't know why I do, other than that I've always been a teacher and leader; people have demanded it from me, even when I didn't want to do it, and felt unprepared to do it. From the time I was a young child, adults were cautioning me about how many children were following me, and that I didn't have the option of being a muck-up, because it wouldn't just be me that got hurt. If I went down, others would go down with me.

 

Money is not our only compensation in life. Money is a form of power and reward, but it's not the only form of power and reward. And for some of us, what we write is our destiny, and what we are; we just do it.

 

I have to respectfully disagree with this. My time is worth something to me, especially if it means having someone else watch my kids. I commend you for tutoring below cost, but that's not something that would work for me and my family. Because I've had experience teaching (and grading) at the college level, I offer occasional free seminars when time and energy permit. I've been asked to tutor and am upfront about my rates being quite high to reflect my education and qualifications--that's the rate that I've figured is worth it to make the time in my schedule for a student. Some people find it too high, and that's fine with me. It's the same with writing a curriculum--I'd like it to be worth my while (not that recouping one's costs is a guarantee). When people ask me for my thoughts about my field, I'm more than willing to share. But if I'm going to sit down and write something more involved, I think it's fair to expect some compensation. And, of course, it's up to the consumer to decide whether something is worth the cost. Maybe this is not what you mean, but I feel like you want/expect authors to take a loss on their time and effort for a greater good, and I don't think it's realistic.

[Hunter]

Maybe this is not what you mean, but I feel like you want/expect authors to take a loss on their time and effort for a greater good, and I don't think it's realistic.

 

To be perfectly honest, I don't know what I want and expect. Seriously, I don't. I just know that if writers and teachers and artists and MOTHERS expect to get paid what their work is worth in CASH, life as we know it will be different. I can't imagine anything good, but maybe I'm just not imaginative enough, and have been too brainwashed by the society we now live in.

 

And I've just noticed that homeschool authors have higher expectations for monetary compensation than authors in general.

[mystika1]

My problem is that the curriculum I really drool over ends up being the most expensive. :closedeyes: My bubble is usually popped when I drool over the new stuff and discover the price tag. I try hard to search and dig for similar items that were not so pricey.

For example, I have wanted MOTL for a long time. I do understand that it can be used for k-8 but I can't afford to shell out $300 when I am also buying other things. I read many posts here indicating that Kitchen Table Math series was excellent and quite similar so I ordered that instead. I have never held the MOTL books in a side by side comparison to know just how similar they really are tho. I also put together my own version of "5 a days." You do whatcha gotta do. :laugh:

 

I do respect the fact that people need to be compensated for their hard work. Not everyone can pay those prices. I can't pay $300 for any single subject. I usually spend $300 or less per year on curriculum. I am a tight wad! :001_tt2: Times are hard. It is now getting hard to sell used curriculum because people just don't have money. I have a box full of stuff that I can't sell. I now spend more time researching before making a purchase to prevent more stuff going into my box.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

Penny

[tearose]

To be perfectly honest, I don't know what I want and expect. Seriously, I don't. I just know that if writers and teachers and artists and MOTHERS expect to get paid what their work is worth in CASH, life as we know it will be different. I can't imagine anything good, but maybe I'm just not imaginative enough, and have been too brainwashed by the society we now live in.

 

And I've just noticed that homeschool authors have higher expectations for monetary compensation than authors in general.

 

 

Having done freelance writing (and knowing many people who do freelance writing), I think that people who make a living at it have certain expectations for compensation, regardless of the market they are in. They are willing to work for less in the beginning to get established, but many of them will drop the lower-paying work if/once they have better options. Perhaps some homeschool authors will experience a rude awakening when no is willing to pay the prices they expect, perhaps consumers will find the price fair--I think it's hard to make a blanket statement.

[kitten18]

My problem is that the curriculum I really drool over ends up being the most expensive. :closedeyes: My bubble is usually popped when I drool over the new stuff and discover the price tag. I try hard to search and dig for similar items that were not so pricey.

For example, I have wanted MOTL for a long time. I do understand that it can be used for k-8 but I can't afford to shell out $300 when I am also buying other things. I read many posts here indicating that Kitchen Table Math series was excellent and quite similar so I ordered that instead. I have never held the MOTL books in a side by side comparison to know just how similar they really are tho. I also put together my own version of "5 a days." You do whatcha gotta do. :laugh:

 

I do respect the fact that people need to be compensated for their hard work. Not everyone can pay those prices. I can't pay $300 for any single subject. I usually spend $300 or less per year on curriculum. I am a tight wad! :001_tt2: Times are hard. It is now getting hard to sell used curriculum because people just don't have money. I have a box full of stuff that I can't sell. I now spend more time researching before making a purchase to prevent more stuff going into my box.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

Penny

 

MOTL??? :confused1:

[Farrar]

Well, the topic seems to have drifted somewhat....

 

There are more people homeschooling, therefore there are more people who are looking to parlay their homeschooling into money. I don't think it's that they're greedy - I think it arises from a host of desires that I am in great sympathy with: the desire to keep homeschooling and find a way to finance it, the desire to feel like your work homeschooling has a monetary value because that's one measure of success in our society, the desire to help others and pass on what you've done and get recognition for it...

 

I do think there's a bunch of things at play here - complex stuff about how having a parent not working outside the home has a value beyond just the monetary value and how our society hasn't figured out how to value that... Also, when is it appropriate to give your time and efforts and when is it appropriate to get paid for them. If every single person in homeschooling was trying to get paid for every contribution to the homeschool community - every group coached, every book loaned, every piece of advice given... that would be not only unsustainable but also a bit pathetic. On the other hand, some people do give more - they should get paid for the co-ops they plan and teach, the elaborate schedules they create and share for schooling, the advice they've carefully written down, the curricula they've made in response to the needs they see.

[mystika1]

MOTL??? :confused1:

 

Math on the Level

[stripe]

I don't really agree with that. Both phonics and early math can be done extremely cheaply. And many of the resources that people would argue are the finest out there are very cheap. For phonics, OPGTR and Reading Reflex are super cheap and Blend Phonics is free.

 

Yeah, I used Reading Reflex (bought used for even cheaper, from someone who sent me all her material pre-cut and organized). That was sort of it with learning to read.

 

For math, on the other hand, I have massively overspent on many things I've never used.

 

And I think I am going to take Angela in Ohio's advice about those downloadable e-books: avoid them! I've spent too much money on these and rarely use them.

 

I also think reading people's blogs probably tends to bring forth an inferiority complex that leads to large orders of various manipulatives.

 

I am just not a crafty, elementary school teacher type of person. I have laminated a grand total of two things since buying my laminator, one of which is a multiplication table.

[Dana]

 

 

And I've just noticed that homeschool authors have higher expectations for monetary compensation than authors in general.

 

But authors in general will likely write a number of different books (at least successful authors). A homeschool author (especially if they're an expert in their field) will likely only do one program - a couple of levels at most.

[MerryAtHope]

To be perfectly honest, I don't know what I want and expect. Seriously, I don't. I just know that if writers and teachers and artists and MOTHERS expect to get paid what their work is worth in CASH, life as we know it will be different. I can't imagine anything good, but maybe I'm just not imaginative enough, and have been too brainwashed by the society we now live in.

 

But the opposite is also true--consider if we don't expect to pay writers of curriculum a living wage. If we expect them to be able to give away (or sell for much less) what they create, then one of the changes we would see would be a lot less curriculum out there (no time to create it while they work at their day jobs). That might be fine unless it's our own personal favorite curriculum that gets cut. We'd also see a vastly slowed timeframe in which products could be produced, a lack of customer service, and so on.

 

I look at it this way: teachers may not make as much as they are worth, but they can at least make a living wage. If a writer puts out a quality product that people want, why shouldn't that writer also be able to make a living wage? At a dollar a book (if you want to go the traditional publishing route), they'd have to sell 40,000 books or so to do that (give or take what's livable in various areas of the country). If a homeschool curriculum provider is willing to take the risk to venture into producing curriculum full-time, not just as a hobbyist, and puts out a quality product that people want and need, I think they are just as worthy of living-wage compensation as a teacher. I've learned a lot from some of the curriculum providers--they've contributed to my education as a mother and teacher, as well as to my child's education.

 

Now...whether the market can sustain writers and artists in their occupations is another question. In some economies the market can, and in other times, it can't. I don't see how that makes it theoretically wrong somehow for a writer or artist or teacher to try to seek a living wage. And I suspect that in all categories, much is still also given away, or given at less than what it really could cost.

[Chava_Raizel]

As a curriculum writer, I thought I ought to respond with my thoughts and experience.

 

When I first began writing my curriculum, I looked at all the similar programs and compared their pricing, all of which was in the $300 - $500 range per program. I considered putting it out there as a free offering. After all, it was basically the same thing I'd been doing with my kids for years, I just revamped it a bit and made it more fleshed out so other people could use it. My husband suggested that if I were going to be putting in such large amounts of time to write it, I should sell it.

 

But what is my time worth? I had a hard time figuring out what to do. I certainly didn't want to set a price that I myself wouldn't be willing to pay. I've seen instructor guides priced at $100! That's not even including the books. Sure, I could have been greedy and set a high price. But would anyone have bought it? I'm not so sure. I know if I saw a new program that I thought looked interesting, and then saw it would cost me hundreds of dollars, I'd skip it and not look back.

 

At the same time, I understand that people need to make enough money to maintain a company. Right now, it's just me, plugging away writing 2 programs a year + several unit studies. I'm a homebody, so I don't have a super busy schedule. I have time to do that. I have no employees (except my dh who helps me with any computer issues I might have), I don't have to send anything through the mail, since all of my products are pdf's, my dh has a good job, so while it's nice to get compensated for my work, I don't necessarily need to make a living wage. That leaves me free to set a low price for my materials, but not so low that I'm just giving them away.

 

I may never get rich writing and selling curriculum, but I'm ok with that. Honestly, just knowing that someone used my work and enjoyed it is enough for me. It's like sending my baby out into the world and seeing her succeed. It makes me happy. :hurray: