Sew happily ever after Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 For my oldest dd eighth grade year for just history and science: I will be purchasing HOD revival to revolution. I will purchase the history, science, and extension package and it will be aroudn $700! Isn't that quite pricey for just those 2 subjects? I really LOVE HOD and CM methods, but I just feel like it's sooooo much $$$! Especially when I have 4 dc to buy curriculum for! I just spent a little over $200 for math for all 4 and I have about $200 worth of stuff in my RR wishlist cart of stuff to purchase for next year. I know I can re-use the HOD for all 4, but it just seems like too much! (especially with a budget of $1000!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weederberries Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 That does seem high. Do they install a science lab in your living room or something? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoxcell Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 I think expense is relative and to be fair I'm sure that is covering more than two subjects. ;) I like to remind myself that it would cost me around 4-5 hundreds dollars a month to send one dc to a local private school, so just about any amount I spend is a bargain. I also appreciate curriculum like HOD because it is reusable or resellable(not sure that is a word.). All that to say that if you can afford it and it is what you want to use, go for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meriwether Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 If you can't afford it, it is too expensive. If you can afford it and you want it, it isn't too expensive. It may be a luxury. You may have to decide whether or not it is worth it, but it isn't too expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 o_0 It would have been too much for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lily_Grace Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 Depends on what you get. Does the library have half those books? I know mine does, and we've got a bitty little library. Would you need them all at the beginning? Is there a way to spread the cost out some, while you look for used copies? Does it have everything an 8th grader needs to study history/science/etc.? We have spent just as much this year on my 8th grader, but we had the option to spread out the cost and buy monthly, so I could reexamine what we needed and what was available elsewhere for a fraction of the cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juliegmom Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 Ouch! That does seem high, but I agree with Meriwether. If you can afford it and it's working well then stick with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 The high pricetag is the reason why I avoid boxed curricula. I'm sure HOD, SL, MFW, Calvert, etc. etc. are great and all, but waaaaaaay too expensive for my budget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenaj Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 What I do when I'm facing buying a new year for HOD is that I make myself a spreadsheet that lists every component of the program. Then I list HOD's price, amazon's price, rainbow resource's price, and a used price that I usually get from Amazon. There are sometimes HUGE differences. For the most expensive, hardback books I almost always end up purchasing used from Amazon or new from Rainbow. It takes a lot of time but it does save money. This week I was excited because I'm buying Ress to Ref. this year and found several bargains. You have be wiling to accept used books for this to really work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
throughpagesandfields Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 Can you just get the curriculum and buy the books used? I get most mine from abebooks.com Super easy format. Amazon used is also a good resource. I'm about as frugal as it comes.... but if a certain curriculum is working for both you and kids and you feel good about it, AND you can come up with the money I think it's worth it. I spent a BUNCH on early ed and Kindie resources from Enki... because it was just what I KNEW we needed as a core for the next 2 years. I think family happiness and countenance is worth the cost if it's what it takes... But buying just the new books, novels, etc... used would probably save you a lot. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 Everything is perspective... ... that's half if what I pay for Calvert... But I get 9 subjects, access to teachers all day every day, and official grading and transcripts, BrainPOP, discovery education and tech lessons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 I think expense is relative and to be fair I'm sure that is covering more than two subjects. ;) I like to remind myself that it would cost me around 4-5 hundreds dollars a month to send one dc to a local private school, so just about any amount I spend is a bargain. I also appreciate curriculum like HOD because it is reusable or resellable(not sure that is a word.). All that to say that if you can afford it and it is what you want to use, go for it. I do the same, lol! We used to send our dd to a local Catholic school for about $500 per month - that I spend a bit more than 1K between her and her kindergarten brother now seems like a bargain in comparison... at least that's what I tell myself :p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 HOD includes more than two subjects... history, science, Bible, literature, art, composition, etc, doesn't it? And yeah, it's all relative. Private school here was $5000/year. If I spend $1000 to homeschool, I'm saving money. It's only too much if you can't afford it or if you don't feel like it's worth the cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ByGrace3 Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 HOD includes more than two subjects... history, science, Bible, literature, art, composition, etc, doesn't it? And yeah, it's all relative. Private school here was $5000/year. If I spend $1000 to homeschool, I'm saving money. It's only too much if you can't afford it or if you don't feel like it's worth the cost. Yup. I spend about that much. I prefer to buy our books and not use the library. I just remind myself (and my Dh!) what it would cost to send them to private school, and my budget doesn't seem too bad! ;) I think it's only too much if you can't afford it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 If you can't afford it, it is too expensive. If you can afford it and you want it, it isn't too expensive. It may be a luxury. You may have to decide whether or not it is worth it, but it isn't too expensive. I agree with this! Expensive is a relative term. It would be too much for us (we switched from HOD, partly for this reason). Moms enrolling their DC in online classes would find it a bargain! I'm sure you can cut quite a bit by piecing it together as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 Everything is perspective... ... that's half if what I pay for Calvert... But I get 9 subjects, access to teachers all day every day, and official grading and transcripts, BrainPOP, discovery education and tech lessons. Exactly. I could spend about $500 for KONOS (which, BTW, is not a "boxed" curriculum)--but I'd get all three volumes and timelines, the KONOS Compass, and the Index, and it would be Bible, history, geography, science, arts and crafts, drama, literature, for all my children, through 8th grade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 It's whatever you want, and what works for you. My point is that since I *want* the transcripts, lesson manual, extras, and teacher support (which I actually make use of), it's worth it to me. Yes I'd like to pay less, but this is what I want right now and I can afford it. So my point is this: Will you use it? Will you like it? Will it fit your kids? And if you are not spending money irresponsibly, then do it. There will always be people that are proud/excited about how little they spend. That doesn't mean you have to do the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 Exactly. I could spend about $500 for KONOS (which, BTW, is not a "boxed" curriculum)--but I'd get all three volumes and timelines, the KONOS Compass, and the Index, and it would be Bible, history, geography, science, arts and crafts, drama, literature, for all my children, through 8th grade. I'm not sure I understood your point here. ? Mine was, that I like and utilize what is offered and it is therefore worth it to me, and to point out that OP is still spending less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 Yes, do what works for you. I used Sonlight for six years because it freed me from planning and included what I wanted for our schooling. I was able to buy used IG's and some of the books, and then the library and loans from friends filled in the rest. So it was our most expensive piece of curriculum, but it was well worth it IMHO. Now with teens, I'm spending quite a bit more, but there are just some aspects of homeschooling in high school that I'm not willing to cut corners on. So get ready! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walking-Iris Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 If that's what you want to use and can afford, then you can. But I barely brush 300 each year for all subjects for all 3 of my kids. And I'm spending less as my youngers get older and use hand me down books. If you want to do it then go for it, but if you're stressing it, then know that you can homeschool for a whole lot less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristi26 Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 Like others have said, expensive is a relative term. If you can afford it and it works well for your family, then get it. If it costs too much and is outside of your budget (as it definitely is for me), look for alternatives. I wanted to My Father's World next year but found the cost too high so I kept looking for another option. Then I found Simply Charlotte Mason and knew it was the right thing for our family. If HOD is too much, see if you can find an alternative that you'll be just as happy with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelli Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 I buy HOD used if at all possible. Otherwise, I would do what Janet suggested and piece meal it together. I thought I was going to have to buy Bigger new, so I started comparing the book prices. By using the library and buying books used, I could have saved $100. Luckily, I found someone selling the entire set for about $100 and I bought it. There is a Facebook group and a Yahoo group for selling and buying HOD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sew happily ever after Posted March 7, 2013 Author Share Posted March 7, 2013 Thank you for the input! I guess I'm considering it expensive for two subjects but it will also include a composer study as well as Binle and worldview. That price does not include any language arts or math, which I have already purchased. I really WANT to use HOD and it works well for 2 of my dc as far as style and format. It's a pleasure to be able to have the instructions written to them instead of having to Tell them what to do or even plan. It's just so convenient! I'm hoping and praying I can find a used set of the rev to rev. It's fairly new so i don't know how many people would have them for sale used yet. I seem to always the younger HOD sets more often. I think several of their books are available for free online in kindle or ePub format so that could be an option for me also. Off to research! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 I'm not sure I understood your point here. ? Mine was, that I like and utilize what is offered and it is therefore worth it to me, and to point out that OP is still spending less. I was agreeing with you and adding my thoughts to yours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 Ok. :) I love being agreed with! Lol I have a really hard time communicating sometimes. It's even harder without face to face expressions, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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