What's a realistic homeschool budget?

[Rjmakmom]

I have run the gamut from spending lots, to spending little over my years hsing. 2 of mine are in public school, 2 are home. If I had to budget for every single thing we "need" and every group or class we wanted to join (not counting one-time day trips) for a 5th and 3rd grader, what is a fair amount? I actually already have the math curriculum to the 5th grader, so that's covered. What do you think?

[alef]

Well, around here the major expenses are music, dance, and gymnastics lessons. We spend at east $300 per month on those. Co-op and foreign language tutoring add another $200 or so. Curriculum and supplies come out to maybe $800 per year. That's for three children combined, not a per child cost.

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

I think the question is way too broad because it depends on what kind of lessons, etc. And how you combine or juggle it. If all kids in a family swim, swimming can be a good deal as you take your YMCA membership and use it for several kids. For two kids it's rather high costing about 160 per month for two kids...

 

Anyway

I spend:

1200 per year per kid on books, materials and classes.

And I budget 75 per month for each kid for activities.

 

There have been years where I spent more like 400 per kid on books and materials. My figure of 1200 is very much on the high end. I think most people are in the middle.

[Coco_Clark]

 

I spent this year:

400 dollars our ALE gave us on materials that must be either used (consumables) or returned. 100 of that was allowed to be art supplies and went towards paints, brushes, art paper, chalk pastels, and colored pencils. The rest went towards textbooks, workbooks, books I just want for this year (like easy readers), and lined writing paper.

 

150 dollars of our own money on books I want to keep, extra ink cartridges, and math manipulatives I know I will use for years.

 

So 550 in all but I consider it very "Cush". If I ever decide to leave the ALE I will not spend 550. I will get 150, because that's all we can afford. And my kid would get just as good an education, although I will spend many many more hours putting together things that I could purchase, I will limit some of our curriculum options to free or cheap options, and I will be at the library even more than I already am.

 

"Reasonable" is such a mix of priorities and perspective. I was a poor kid and now I'm a poor parent- sports or dance or swimming isn't even on my radar. Ive never had such things and unless its offered at the ALE for free neither will my kids (aka they get piano or fiddle, gymnastics or soccer, lol). I was a teacher and now I'm a homeschooler- Im confident I can create my own curriculums, in science or art history especially, fairly easily. I'd rather spend time on good literature than workbooks, luckily they are cheaper as well. All those things affect what I feel I "have" to spend. Your priorities and perspectives are different however.

[T'smom]

I don't want to know what I spend. But if I was going to tally it up, I would not include things like music or sports because my kids would be doing those regardless of where they went to school.

[Farrar]

I think reasonable is very much a function of your situation and income level. And since we spend more on activities than curricula, it's also a function of the cost of living where you are. Also, of the grade. I think it's harder to do high school on the cheap than elementary.

 

I also think a lot of people lowball the numbers, but it's hard to decide what exactly counts, I find.

[pollo_la]

If you include lots of outside activities, costs can add up quickly! I don't include my dds' dance classes as homeschool, because that's something we would do either way (and grandma happens to pay for it as Christmas and birthday gifts anyway...). I also don't include things like our zoo membership, because again, we would have that anyway. Anyhow... I have a 4th, 1st, K, and preschooler this year. I will spend around $1000 for all of them for the entire year. About half of that money will be spend on my 4th grader... maybe even slightly over half. The rest will be spend on the younger ones.

[abba12]

It varies so much. Ages affect it. Also, whether or not you can/will use a library makes a big difference. Classes can vary SO MUCH. Preferred resources and styles (CM or intrest led is often cheaper than classical due to their heavier use of internet/library) accellerated kids or kids with LD can cost more too. Subsequent children can be cheaper if you mostly use non consumables.

 

My husband and I have never desired to be the frugal homeschoolers using all the free resources possible, we believe it is worth the investment and we are fortunate enough to afford it, but people on much tighter budgets can give just as good an education with a bit more time, prep and creativity.

 

For my family, we dont intend to use classes or formal extra activities in the near future for a mixture of reasons including talented family who teach for free, though they might become a consideration in high school. Our library is pretty useless except for some general topical books, and we prefer to own resources. We use as little consumable texts as possible, but our budget gets hit because I live in australia but preference many american curriculums, and as a result I have to accept that I will pay high postage costs, if I want a single specific book not on book depository I can expect to pay more in postage than the book itself! (I save by ordering on rainbow resources in bulk every year or two, but it means any late switches or additions are painful, so I spend a LOT of time researching). Our kids are young so in some ways still cheaper, and I do as much bargain hunting and bulk buying as I can to offset the postage, but have almost no access to second hand materials.

 

We dont have a set budget, my husband intentionally did not set one as I am someone more likely to underspend and miss out rather than overspend, and he wanted to try and force me to take money out of the equation altogether in this area. But we did discuss some ballpark figures, and we would be happy if in the years before high school we came out somewhere around $100 a month for eldest, and $30-$50 a month for subsequent kids unless they need a vastly different curriculum. That includes textbooks (and postage), consumables, art supplies and stationary, and most assigned or core reading. We expect this number to go up as kids reach high school, even doubling depending on their chosen courses.

 

On top of that we budget $100 a month as a family for books. That includes everything from the new game of thrones book for DH, to my non fiction purchases, to general literature and topical books for the kids, so its hard to say how much of that qualifies as homeschooling expenses.

 

With those numbers its still cheaper than any private school within an hour of us, and Im not having to pay for school expenses like uniforms, books and excursions on top of that. But this really is an extremely subjective decision

[BlsdMama]

Lol, how much is reasonable is based on affordability. I could homeschool with a ream of paper and a library card or $20,000. Now the budget, on the other hand, allows for a happy medium somewhere in there.

[73349]

It's also harder to keep track when you buy things that are not necessarily for the current year (I just bought all the math we need for the next 2 years), or that will be used for more than one year (think math manipulatives or reference books), and/or for more than one child (as many families do with certain materials).

 

I don't set a budget. For us, by far the largest expense of homeschooling is that I am not working during the day. Even fairly expensive curricula like LoE don't compare to the opportunity cost.

[....]

I'm completely convinced that people could homeschool for free if they access to the internet and a good library system.  I'm not sure how much we actually spend on schoolbooks/curriculum, but I'm going to guess $300 a year for 4 kids.  We use the library and the inter-library loan system constantly.  Also, we watch a lot of stuff on YouTube - for example, when we did dissections, we used a college professor's videos on YouTube.  She went through the dissection on the video, pointing out all the structures and giving info about their purpose, etc.  We've also used Ellen McHenry's YouTube channel a lot.  She has science and some geography videos on her channel.  

 

So, thinking about this...what I actually buy is math (and most of it is non-consumable, so everyone just uses it), spelling (but it's also non-consumable), some random things like the blue grammar handbook from CLE, Kingfisher History Encyclopedia...and books we really want to read, but can't find through the library system.  I do already have all of the Apologia textbooks (before high school) and the Story of the World series, so that helps.  I bought those when we first started homeschooling.

 

For your situation - a 5th and 3rd grader - you could buy math, spelling and use the library for the rest (if you have a fairly decent library system).  I was able to find Story Starters (the writing program) at our library last week.  My 5th and 3rd grader are working on that together.  I told them that we were just going to work on it everyday until I have to return it!   :tongue_smilie:  

[Hunter]

Budgets. :crying: I hate them.

 

I am out of control when it comes to buying books and such. Just out of control, and it's not fair to the people around me. I'll run out of food, and then people feel obligated to feed me. I'm not asking them to, and sometimes won't take the food, but that just seems to upset them more. Especially when I get dizzy and stumble.

 

This no longer applies to me, but one thing I REALLY hate is when a dad labels EVERYTHING useful or good or educational as "curriculum", and sets a tight budget on that. Calling baseballs and story books and crayons "curriculum" is not fair, and is abusive in my opinion. My ex used to do that with my boys.

 

I guess there just needs to be balance. I think we all know when we are in balance and when we are not. I've spent times very out of balance, on both ends of the spectrum. I think I overspend on books now, because of the past imbalances. My whole earlier life, books were so rationed, and my hunger for them was so severe. I hoard and overindulge now, trying to fill that black hole that I don't think ever will be filled.

[texasmama]

I spent about $800 - $1,000 for this year's curriculum/co op classes for three kids (two middle school level and a second grader).  Classes for the kids (Latin and Science for the boys and Science and Art/Book club for my dd) are about half of that figure.  I do not count piano lessons or sports fees in that because they would do those activities if they were in public or private school.  I've figured out how to obtain what we need as cheaply as possible (buying used, mostly).  We don't use the library.  I save and pass down curriculum.  I also use some consumables as non consumables and pass them down.  I teach a literary analysis class at our co op so that gives me a break in pricing.  (All of my dd's classes are free due to this.  I still have to pay for my boys' classes.)  I have free use of a copy machine at work, and I also get free scratch paper from work.

[MinivanMom]

I don't want to know what I spend. But if I was going to tally it up, I would not include things like music or sports because my kids would be doing those regardless of where they went to school.

 

This. We have spent anywhere from $800-$1200 per year on homeschooling depending on the current year's needs, but I would never include music, ballet, or sports in that category since we would be doing those things anyway.

 

[Erin]

I figure less than $1000, I'm doing good.  ;)

[Walking-Iris]

I don't factor books we buy for our personal library in my homeschooling budget. We are a family of book collectors and so we buy books throughout the year at random times!!! Sometimes new, used, or at a garage sale. LOL. I really couldn't say how much we spend on that. 50-100 a year maybe?

 

I do have about 200 from taxes set aside each year to buy next year's books or materials. (Usually for my oldest) And I don't always spend all of it because I may have something already on the shelf that will serve some purpose. 

 

I don't really budget school supplies either. We stock up during back to school sales---maybe 60 dollars or so. And just restock as things are used up. 

 

I may spend 40-50 or so in printing costs. I try hard not to use our personal printer for huge files I want to print. I typically end up spending 5-10 dollars at Scholastic 1$ sales each year. 

 

There was a thread recently about being able to homeschool without buying anything. I could definitely do it, and I accepted the challenge, BUT I do feel my oldest needs something for lang arts and his next level math and I'm really thinking about McRuffy for my youngest. 

 

So probably a good ballpark figure is 400-500 a year is gone to homeschool materials or supporting homeschool materials. I have noticed I spend more each year the older my ds gets---middle school type materials cost more than what is needed for early learning /elementary. 

[....]

 I have noticed I spend more each year the older my ds gets---middle school type materials cost more than what is needed for early learning /elementary. 

 

I'm noticing that, too!  I'm getting ready to buy Notgrass for my oldest and I think it will be the most I have ever spent on curriculum.

[Roadrunner]

I don't want to count. I think on math alone for two kids we spent $500 (SM and BA and each kid goes through more than a level in a year). Piano alone for one kid is about $250 a month, so I stopped counting and starting thinking of ways to get rich. :)

[lots of little ducklings]

We spent $1100 for this year, just under our $1200 budget. Thankfully nearly all of our purchases are (intentionally) non-consumable, and for many of our subjects (history, reading, writing, spelling) I'm covered for all my kids for the entire grammar stage; or in some cases (math, science, memory work) I've got what I need for at least the next two years. We may need to switch out curriculum if something just doesn't work, but I'm pleased w/ what I purchased -- I've used much of it while tutoring in the past, and many resources really can be adapted to work with different learning styles.

 

I didn't include our new printer, laminator, binders, organizing bins, whiteboard, and other "school room" supplies in this figure. Two years ago we were blessed to have all our K materials (including tons of math manipulatives good for multiple years) donated to us. So our budget for that year was barely touched and we used it to cover these supplies instead.

 

I also didn't include extracurricular classes / sports in this figure. We plug all that into our family rec budget since we'd be responsible for paying for it even if we weren't hs-ing. It's a small budget compared to many families in our area, but adequate IMO. The last thing I want is to "over-program" my kids, so we are very selective about extracurriculars.

 

Our library system is fantastic (and our shelf space at home is limited) so I rarely if ever buy any books except basic curriculum texts and DK / Usborne encyclopedias.

 

One last note: in order to pull off me not working, we have no cable (just bunny ears and a steady supply of DVDs from the library) and no Internet (just a smart phone with a lousy signal). It's not ideal but it can be done, and it has freed up our budget tremendously. If we ever added these back in, it would be "primarily for educational purposes" (lol) and the cost would have to be part of our homeschooling budget. But honestly, we are doing just fine w/o them, and it's been heavenly not having lots of screen temptations for the kids and dh and me. These WTM forums are about all the temptation I can handle :-)

[My3girls]

We spent about $1000 give or take this year.  I bought 6 years of math, though, and a lot of the books will be reused for dd8 & dd7.  I don't anticipate every year being that much, but I could be surprised since this is our first year.

[Soror]

Well, I've also had years I spent little- one year I just bought what I could fund from selling old books and I've had years where I spent, a LOT more. I keep falling in love with programs that are not cheap, like MCT and BA. I spend a TON on books as well. I do buy used when I can but as long as we can afford it our motto is to buy whatever we feel will be beneficial for the kids- books, experiences, classes, etc.

[Meriwether]

I don't even keep track. I just spent $219.00 today on a chemistry kit for Dd for this spring and some science books for next year. I will spend between $500-$1000 on Dd next year. I have almost everything needed for the younger kids. Dh would be shocked and amazed if I keep everything under $1000.

[sassenach]

Somebody on here once said that answering the question, "How much does it cost to homeschool?" is like answering the question, "How much does a shirt cost?"

 

It totally depends on your context.  We spent $100 this year, because we decided to go through a charter school and the only thing it hasn't covered has been our co-op fees.

 

I don't count dance, or sports fees as part of our homeschool expenses.

 

[madteaparty]

I don;t think there is any such thing as a homeschool budget, I also have a hard time separating things I would have done even when my child was in public school (camp, classses, travel abroad) with things we now do during the school year and count as school.

[La Condessa]

I just added it up, and I've spent $158--but that is only for K, and I will need to purchase at least one more level of math, so ~$200, maybe more. That includes piano and art books and supplies, but no activities.

[lea_lpz]

Depends on what your involved in, what you consider a homeschool expense versus a personal one and the ages if your kids. We spend about $500 a year on strait curriculum, maybe $20 a month on misc supplies, and about $1,00 a year per child on various extra curricular activities that they'd be doing if they went to a brick and mortar school. We also have memberships to educational places, but that would be something again we'd do even if we didn't homeschool. Instead of birthday parties, we like to go somewhere as a family and buy family memberships because it costs about the same as what we'd pay to throw a party. We also do the more costly field trips typically on weekends so dad can come, but we'd probably go to these places if we didn't homeschool anyway.

[Aurelia]

I spend about $500 per year. I can tell it will get more expensive as DD gets older, but I try to plan almost a year in advance and buy as much as I can secondhand. If I bought everything I'm planning brand new, I would spend about $600 for next year. I've already bought most of what we'll need, and should end up spending between $300 and $350. That figure covers math, English, science, history, Latin and art (including supplies), with some supplemental books. That doesn't include extracurriculars like gymnastics, Girl Scouts, or guitar lessons. Including those would bump up the total about $1500 for the year, so I guess around $2000 is a fair amount. We don't do formal co-ops. 

 

Eesh, it's so expensive all put together like that. I much prefer the numbers in my monthly budget.  :laugh:

[AmyontheFarm]

Some where between $1000 - $1500 per year.  That includes two sessions of swimming lessons and co-op fees.  We didn't do swimming when they were in the brick and mortar school because they had a gym class there.  My kids get their gym credits between swimming and gym class at the co-op and working on the farm.  But, I have been making purchases for the future for high school, and that's included estimate above.  I could probably do h.s. with what I have in the house right now, but there are so many other things I want to purchase for the kids still!  Really, it's for the kids!

[Camelfeet]

Third year homeschooling and I've managed to massively reduce my budget each year.  Went from 10k (k12 international teacher support) to 2800 (k12 direct to consumer) and I think this year I spent about $1500, but that includes a lot of workbooks and books for years to come.  I think if I can get a bunch of lit cheap at yard sales and used book stores this summer than I will be able to spend less than $800 next year.  This is for two kids.  If we had a decent library I could probably even get it cheaper...

 

We also get a schooling allowance from DH's employer, so I'm not as motivated to budget as I could be.

 

 

[Desert Strawberry]

For actual curriculum, I spend less than$100 per kid per year. We use inexpensive, nonconsumable, and often homemade or free materials. We have access to good libraries. 

I have ripped through 3 ink cartridges and 2 packages of paper in less than a month. That is adding up.

We stick with low-or no- cost activities. We are fortunate to have many options that require very little money. What and how much depends on our bank account each week, but I would guess our costs are on the very low side.

 

[happypamama]

I watch for sales, and I have homeschooled with lots of free stuff (and I still do, when possible), and I borrow when I can (DD's math book is from our co-op's lending library), and I save stuff to reuse, but DH and I have concluded that sometimes we'll just have to spend some money for the right fit. (DS1's Singapore stuff for next year is going to cost $70, but he loves it, and chances are high that at least one little brother will use it.) It helps to have a bit of money available for unexpected sales; I buy most things in the spring, but I bought next year's science last week (50% sale at Mr. Q) and next year's writing for DD in December (PHP's 40% off sale), and I won't buy next year's history until September when HO has their 25% off sale). Even still, next year's total looks to be a bit over $300 for two kids (and a workbook for the kindergartener), but to buy it all new, from scratch, would be at least twice that. I almost never buy literature, and HO uses a lot of literature for history. However, we have a GREAT library setup, so that helps a TON.

[Jerico]

I spent about $350 last year and I plan on spending about that for next year. We don't have a working printer so I don't have to worry about ink and paper lol. If I make copies at the library I use change from grocery budget. I would put extracurriculars in a different category- right now we don't have any, but are planning on one or two next year.

 

Realistic really depends on the family. I could do it cheaper but I am not good at compiling my own curriculum and actually doing it! I couldn't spend more due to our budget and income though. So for me, the budget is realistic for our family and every one is different.

[BlsdMama]

At the end of the day there simply has to be some contentment and realization that no two families are alike.

 

There are years when I've spent $100.  I had fewer children and time to plan and frankly, planning and utilizing a library was a necessity.  Beyond that, we had access to a good library. 

My access to a great library is more limited to now and I'm welcoming the opportunity to purchase more materials. ;) 

 

Something to remember, that is a really pleasant thought, is that often when you are beginning a homeschooling journey, your husband is also at the beginning of his career.  Please, as mamas of younger kiddos, don't let higher middle or high school costs discourage you.  My husband's career has grown and we can afford to spend more now on homeschooling than we ever could when he was an E3 in the Army. :)  At that point, had I seen some of the figures some folks are throwing out now, I might have been overwhelmed and felt as though it couldn't be long term because some things would never be "affordable" for us.

 

As the purse strings have loosened a little, so has my willingness to plan. :P  Now, I admit, I'll spend money on DVD tutorials, pre-planned curriculum, and other things I would have previously thought "luxuries."  I have the freedom to do so.

 

At the end of the day, the "budget" is really a fine line between time and energy and money. :P  I don't feel one bit guilty over what we spent on curriculum this year and this next year we will have bought several levels of Barton (over $2K), a class in Russian at a college that I think is coming out of our pocket (over $1,000), Red Wagon tutorials, 101Series DVDs, a few Teaching Company courses, and I am steadfastly refusing to feel guilty over it.  Almost everything we own will be used through at least 4-5 children (inc. Barton) and at the end of the day this is where I am on planning.

 

But I say this as ENCOURAGEMENT, because we were that family for whom $100 was the annual budget when the kids were little.

And you know what?  They got a FANTASTIC education.  I really believe that.  Because when the $$ was limited, I made a HUGE effort to plan, and to read, and to read more, and sit and work with them.  And frankly, time and energy and effort CAN fill in a tiny budget.  I know it.  BTDT.

[MotherOfBoys]

As long as I buy little bits at a time and get the ups man to come on days husband is working, I can spend what I want. I'm reason able though, I think. :) he doesn't know and doesn't want to know and just wants it to fit in the school room so he doesn't have to look at it.

 

Me happy!

[ByGrace3]

For curriculum we spend about $1,000/ year, but about $400 of that is just books. For activities, both girls gymnastics, piano for one, and my ds's basketball it is about $400/ month.

 

The regular activities (about 2x/month with our homeschool group) add up as well...

 

We certainly could do it more cheaply...but at this point we are making some sacrifices in order to do it this way.

[robsiew]

4 kids... I try to keep it close to $1000.  Doesn't include piano or sports.  Next year it looks like I'll be running about $1160 or so.  It gets more expensive as they get older... especially if you need to purchase DVD's for subjects like Algebra, etc. which I do because I cannot teach it!  ;-)

 

I try to buy as much used as I can.  I have a wonderful friend who passes down curriculum to us at 1/2 price so that helps a lot.

[ajfries]

This is our first year, but I'm pretty...disappointed? in how much I've spent and how little I've liked. I bought The Reading Lesson AND OPGTR, and DS hated both. I bought Right Start math & I hate the way it's laid out (I think I'd like the 2nd edition much better but I doubt I'll fork the money over for it), I got AAR & felt 'meh' about it. What else...Oh. Elemental Science...just haven't used it. Juggling from the TM to the activity book to the student workbook felt like too much. I'm flat out determined to love LoE Foundations.

 

I'm trying to chalk it up to the fact that I'm a rookie & am just trying to figure out what is going to work for us but at some point I need to "settle in".

[SeaConquest]

My son's curricula (1st-2nd grade level work) and supplies will be about $600 for the year. Field trips and museum memberships, another $600 or so annually. Afterschool activities are about $450/month (Hebrew, music, theatre, and sports). An IPad Mini $300. Another $300 or so in various books. Charter gives us $1200/year to spend.

[Snow]

This is our first year, but I'm pretty...disappointed? in how much I've spent and how little I've liked. I bought The Reading Lesson AND OPGTR, and DS hated both. I bought Right Start math & I hate the way it's laid out (I think I'd like the 2nd edition much better but I doubt I'll fork the money over for it), I got AAR & felt 'meh' about it. What else...Oh. Elemental Science...just haven't used it. Juggling from the TM to the activity book to the student workbook felt like too much. I'm flat out determined to love LoE Foundations.

 

I'm trying to chalk it up to the fact that I'm a rookie & am just trying to figure out what is going to work for us but at some point I need to "settle in".

I agree. I haven't kept track, but if I was just counting what we actually use, it would be pretty reasonable. Unfortunately, I've spent a bunch on things that we just didn't end up using for various reasons.

[DianeW88]

I usually budget $1,000 per year, per child.  That is curriculum and supplies only...not extracurriculars.  My children would still be doing those even if we weren't homeschooling.  Now that I've been at this for 20 years, and own every curriculum on the market, and am only homeschooling one...I don't think I spent quite $1,000 this year.  But I'm easily seduced by books, so who knows. :D

[Kathryn]

I budget $1200 for curriculum. I don't count anything else as homeschooling expenses. With that, I buy extra consumables for later children at the same time.

[Desert Strawberry]

This is our first year, but I'm pretty...disappointed? in how much I've spent and how little I've liked. I bought The Reading Lesson AND OPGTR, and DS hated both. I bought Right Start math & I hate the way it's laid out (I think I'd like the 2nd edition much better but I doubt I'll fork the money over for it), I got AAR & felt 'meh' about it. What else...Oh. Elemental Science...just haven't used it. Juggling from the TM to the activity book to the student workbook felt like too much. I'm flat out determined to love LoE Foundations.

 

I'm trying to chalk it up to the fact that I'm a rookie & am just trying to figure out what is going to work for us but at some point I need to "settle in".

There is some trial and error, especially in the beginning. Even with our tiny budget, I have sunk a chunk into things that looked great, but didn't work out for us. Sigh. It happens.

 

Some tips I have learned:

 

Buy as you go. The one time I bought ahead, thinking we would use a whole series, I spent the most I ever have, and we will only be using 1/4 of what I bought. I have yet to sell it off. Some of it is completely unused.

 

Try a sample lesson first. Have the child do it. Ask for feedback. If he's only so-so on the first lesson, he won't be cooperative 3 months in.

 

Buy only what you need. Just because there is a workbook, a text book, a teacher's guide, extra practice, and a special notebook doesn't mean you and your child need all of it. We have often bought just one piece of a curriculum because I like to use it as a jumping off point to teach I a more hands on, freestyle type way.

 

Buy cheap. We just downloaded Funnix for free. I load my Kindle up with free books, classics, contemporary fiction, original writing by Maria Montessori, Charlotte Mason, how to homeschool guides, text books, foreign language guides, picture books, biographies, and more. Buy nonconsumable books, used, if possible. Borrow from a friend or library to test drive before you buy. Print or download free stuff online.The less you spend, the less heartbreaking it is when it doesn't pan out.

[ocelotmom]

Any budget is realistic, especially if you don't include things you'd be paying for regardless of where your kid schooled. There are an awful lot of free or low-cost resources available, but it tends to require more effort and flexibility to find and implement them.

[scbusf]

Right now, DS takes Karate and DD takes gymnastics.  Those are pretty much the only activities they do, but they would do those even if they were in school.

 

As for actual curriculum, I spend about $200 a year total - maybe less.  I bargain shop and even manage to find things in thrift stores occasionally.  I have also won prizes on blogs and gotten some great stuff that way!!  We have an amazing public library, and we do buy some books.  I don't count buying books, though, because we'd buy them even if we weren't homeschooling.

[happypamama]

Also, I have mentioned this before, but if e-books (and sometimes audio books) are an option for you, you can look into a membership to the Free Library of Philadelphia, which might save you some money. You might also check to see if a Kindle plus amazon prime membership with the free book to borrow each month might be a good option for you. And of course, Gutenberg and free Kindle classics.

[FO4UR]

This is our first year, but I'm pretty...disappointed? in how much I've spent and how little I've liked. I bought The Reading Lesson AND OPGTR, and DS hated both. I bought Right Start math & I hate the way it's laid out (I think I'd like the 2nd edition much better but I doubt I'll fork the money over for it), I got AAR & felt 'meh' about it. What else...Oh. Elemental Science...just haven't used it. Juggling from the TM to the activity book to the student workbook felt like too much. I'm flat out determined to love LoE Foundations.

 

I'm trying to chalk it up to the fact that I'm a rookie & am just trying to figure out what is going to work for us but at some point I need to "settle in".

 

 

Your oldest is still very young.  You guys might grow into some of those materials.

 

 

Many children dislike the process of learning to read.  They have to do it anyway.  Just keep it to 10 minute bite-size lessons every.single.day!  10 minutes won't kill anyone, and doing it every.single.day will really add up over the course of the year...and keeping the habit is just as important as the actual material in the lesson.  Tweak what you have to fit into 10 minute lessons.

 

 

Study the materials all the way though, and get a feel for how to teach the material.  Then you can ditch the "must follow all instructions" mentality that comes with purchasing an expensive curric, and just teach the child who sits in front of you.

 

 

Purchase used, with full permission to sell again.  Purchase with intent of teacher-education.  If the materials work out to be something that you can follow daily, that's wonderful.  If not, you are a better teacher for having studied the material.

 

 

If O-G materials keep flopping, it's OK to venture away.  But, your oldest IS really young, and I'm guessing that you might be best off just putting those things on the shelf during the day, studying them at night after the kids go to bed.  It's amazing how those impromptu lessons happen when *I'm* studying something...and those impromptu lessons are usually perfectly geared towards my children b/c of that motherly instinct that just knows the right place at the right time and in the right way.  It just takes *me* knowing (or remembering to do something)...not the book.

[lots of little ducklings]

Your oldest is still very young. You guys might grow into some of those materials.

 

 

Many children dislike the process of learning to read. They have to do it anyway. Just keep it to 10 minute bite-size lessons every.single.day! 10 minutes won't kill anyone, and doing it every.single.day will really add up over the course of the year...and keeping the habit is just as important as the actual material in the lesson. Tweak what you have to fit into 10 minute lessons.

 

 

Study the materials all the way though, and get a feel for how to teach the material. Then you can ditch the "must follow all instructions" mentality that comes with purchasing an expensive curric, and just teach the child who sits in front of you.

 

 

Purchase used, with full permission to sell again. Purchase with intent of teacher-education. If the materials work out to be something that you can follow daily, that's wonderful. If not, you are a better teacher for having studied the material.

 

 

If O-G materials keep flopping, it's OK to venture away. But, your oldest IS really young, and I'm guessing that you might be best off just putting those things on the shelf during the day, studying them at night after the kids go to bed. It's amazing how those impromptu lessons happen when *I'm* studying something...and those impromptu lessons are usually perfectly geared towards my children b/c of that motherly instinct that just knows the right place at the right time and in the right way. It just takes *me* knowing (or remembering to do something)...not the book.

This. Totally agree. My ds hated 100EZ in K so I blamed the program and bought PP. Turned out PP was an even bigger failure. The thing that worked? Waiting 6 months and going back to 100EZ when he was developmentally ready for reading (and for sitting still longer than 38 seconds). Bingo. He loved it.... Well, i should say he tolerated it and was far more successful with it than PP. :-) At this age, getting used to school is a big deal, so I wouldn't give up on anything you like just because your dc doesn't. Not yet, anyway. That said, if *you* really hate a chosen curriculum, it will probably benefit you to look for an alternative. Because of course, if momma ain't happy... Well, that makes for an ugly school day for everyone :-) It's why I switched out our math program, even tho ds really liked it. Now we *both* like math.

[AK_Mom4]

This is the first year I have spent more than $300 for DD12 on academic subjects.  Her books and materials ran me $450 this year (7th grade) and I expect it to go up steadily from here on out due to online courses and some dual enrollment.  Plus some of the textbooks we want to use are just flat more expensive for books and materials (science especially).  My high school senior ran close to $1800 with academic materials plus 2 online courses

 

Extras - we pay $1100 a year for piano lessons, $750 for saxophone lessons, and $350 for skiing.  She definitely benefits from my having more disposable income with just two kids left at home, so she gets more extras.

[marlowefamily]

Homeschooling budget will partly depend on what you include in 'homeschooling' but in general:

* In first year, expect to spend about twice/normal

* High School online classes will really add up

* For the most part, books and essential expenses might add up to $3K/yr for two kids

* Other non-essential stuff could easily add up to $1K/month, the sky is the limit.

* Homeschooling makes more financial sense the more kids you have, the base cost doesn't increase that much with the number of kids...so homeschooling 5 kids is much cheaper than sending all those kids to private school, whereas you might not save much $$ homeschooling just a single child versus private school.

[Kevin'sMom]

So far I have spent:

$1300 for curriculum, including books and supplies

$  275 for a microscope and supplies

$  100/mo for piano and French tutor

$  300 for additional supplies/books

$    38 for education.com for printable worksheets for the year

$  113 for Elenco Snap set with battery saver