When do you order your curriculum/supplies?

[blue daisy]

We just made the final decision to homeschool next year and I'm all excited and want to start ordering curriculum but I'm also trying to make sure I take my time and make good choices, etc.  For those of you who were already homeschooling, have you already ordered everything? Do you do it over the summer? Wait for sales?  We're going away for a good chunk of the summer and I want to have everything in place before we leave (in about a month) so I'm not scrambling in August.

 

Do you order most materials from the publishers themselves?  Are there places to get better deals? Amazon?

 

Thanks! :)

[happypamama]

I buy some stuff directly from the publishers, especially for PDF materials.  I watch them for sales.  A lot of places have sales at Black Friday and periodically throughout the year.  That can be risky, buying too far ahead, though.

 

I buy some stuff from Amazon.

 

I buy some stuff from homeschoolclassfieds, whenever I find a good deal.

 

I buy some stuff from Rainbow Resource, and some things at a convention in the spring.

 

This year, I think I had most of the stuff for next year last fall, because I found good deals.  Then I bought a bunch of stuff in February and March with our tax refund.  I bought a couple of little things (specialty paper, for one) at the convention in April, and since they had a good sale on Latin, I bought that then too.  I buy things from Amazon periodically, and I just placed a Rainbow Resource order and one from Alibris.  The only things I still need are new colored pencils and crayons and maybe a few other school supplies, and I'll need a few novels throughout the year if the library doesn't have them in a timely fashion.

 

After a few years, I had an idea of what I'd want for the following year, but sometimes it takes a few years to know what you want, or to know what will work for your children.

[SemiSweet]

I buy sporadically, usually a bit in summer and sometimes through the year. I use Rainbow Resource, Amazon, a used curriculum Facebook page, homeschoolclassifieds.com, just wherever I can find what I need. I second a pp about not buying too much in advance, it may not work for you or your dc.

[ondreeuh]

I am totally guilty of buying too far in advance. I try now to wait until July to order if it can wait, but I often buy things I'm unsure about in the spring so I have a chance to review it & plan it out. I want to be ready to hit the ground running by August.

 

Now that my oldest HS student is entering 9th, my choices are much easier to make. I know what works for him and which publishers I like. I can usually find the TOC online. It's just a matter of scheduling & printing.

 

And I am trying to be good about not looking at new/shiny things and instead sticking to tried & true stuff with my youngest ... though I'm failing at that. ;) I do have a long-term plan mapped out, so I can at least use that to make sure I am not going totally off course.

[EKS]

In the beginning, I would start ordering in January.  But after too many instances of my children changing/outgrowing the materials, I switched to making lists and then ordering in the summer.

[2ndGenHomeschooler]

I order most things in the summer - usually July or August. This year I'm hoping to order in July because we'll be on vacation the first two weeks of August and I don't want to wait until we get home as that'll be a little late. I usually order from Rainbow Resource (great prices plus free shipping on orders over $50) or CBD. Occasionally I order directly from the publisher. I need to finalize my list for next year so I can start figuring out how to work it into the budget.

[Wabi Sabi]

I buy it as needed throughout the year because we always tend to finish things up random times. During the school year we pay monthly for various classes and lessons and take a break from them for the summer, so I'm then able to set aside a little bit for anything big that we might need at the beginning of the year. 

[Coco_Clark]

I order in the Spring. I use our tax refund and like to have things early in the summer so I can do all my planning. I but most curricula from Rainbow Resource or the publisher and books either thrift or Amazon.

[AimeeM]

I ordered mine around March.

 

And I've already changed almost everything, since DD14 will be going to school part-time and that wasn't part of the plan back in March, lol.

[ikslo]

Anything I am sure about I buy as soon as I have the money. Those I hem and haw about usually get purchased a few weeks before we start up again, unless I think I'll need extra time planning.

[aprilleigh]

It's a bit of a mixed bag for me.

 

I tend to order things as I see sales or as I need them if I don't have time to wait, but I started planning what I wanted to do at least six months before we started homeschooling. I've only had one curriculum I've regretted, Spelling Workout, which I purchased the first two volumes of. It wasn't difficult for him, just boring and didn't seem like he was actually learning anything, so I ended up selling the second volume after making DS finish the first volume and promising we'd switch to something better as soon as we got through it (which had the added benefit of making certain it wasn't something that was just slow in coming).

 

I order stuff in advance if I know I'm not likely to change my mind between now and then and it's a golden opportunity. For example, a couple years ago I bought a whole pile of "scratch and dent" stuff from PHP to finish out any language arts or history stuff they had on damaged clearance that we didn't have yet, even though some of it won't be used for several years. I'm fully committed to using these programs, even if it means having to make adjustments to them as we go. I'm comfortable with that.

 

If I'm not that certain, I tend to hedge my bets and buy one year at a time. After the Spelling Workout flop I almost went with one semester at a time for those programs that worked that way, but decided it was significantly easier to prepare schedules if I had the whole year in front of me.

 

Other things I tend to buy as we go. There are always supplies that aren't predictable, and literature that we were planning to get from the library that suddenly a half dozen people are also waiting for and I am not willing to substitute (or can't for some reason).

Edited May 30, 2016 by aprilleigh

[73349]

I like to plan far ahead. I've already bought everything for September, I think.

 

Some items are continued from this year, or were given to me as gifts from my online wishlist. I have a local store that sells used curricula on consignment, so I check there first for additional things I need. SOTW 3 (and 4) I bought last year when I went to hear SWB speak.

Everything else I generally get online. I bought math from the publisher, and I think I got science from its publisher also. Another book I think I got from Amazon. I got one item free from the Homeschool Buyers' Co-op on Mother's Day. Spelling is a free download. (This year's cursive book was from Rainbow Resource, but I don't think I'm going to buy one for next year.)

[Jackie]

We school year round, and use very little typical year-long curricula, so I buy as needed. I restock some basics, such as paper, when all the back to school sales hit on July/August, though.

[Arcadia]

We buy curriculum as needed because we lack space to store. We overbought on school supplies when my oldest went to public school kindergarten because of all the penny deals. I use the electric pencil sharpener at the local libraries which we go to every few days.

[J&JMom]

I buy as I find sales or need it.  I'll stalk a title on Amazon or Ebay until I get a good deal. Occasionally I'll buy it to check it out, but I am talking about $5-$10 used textbook off of Amazon or eBay.  So I do have multiple math programs and language arts and use what I need when I need it.  Curriculum is only about 15-20% of my homeschool budget, so I don't worry too much.  Where I spend money is office supplies, supplements, art and science equipment, and books - lots and lots of nonfiction and fiction books using my points/coupons with Scholastic Book Clubs. 

[mtomom]

I buy as needed. We begin new material whenever we're ready. I think I purchased the next grade level math for one kid in February of this year.

 

But that doesn't apply to you. I think I would purchase just the first level of whatever programs you've selected now. You'll probably learn a lot this first year about what works and doesn't for you and your students.

 

I usually purchase from the lowest price of publisher, Amazon, Rainbow Resources, and Christianbook.com, taking shipping costs into account.

[UCF612]

This year I bought most everything at the convention expo. Things I wanted happened to be there and they had at least some kind of deal for all of it. I got some from the publisher and some from Rainbow Resources. I also ordered from Amazon for a few things. I've been collecting needed books (story books) from wherever I can find them. I got a number of them at Goodwill today for $.50 each.

[Guest]

I think April is an ideal time for me. Unfortunately, we have multiple birthdays, our anniversary, and taxes in April. So, we generally order the bulk in May. That being said, I'm hoping to get everything ordered next weekend. I feel like this is really late for me, but it is what it is.

[Sahamamama]

Welcome to homeschooling!

 

This may not exactly answer your question of "when" I buy stuff, but it might address a bit more of the "how." Years ago, we set up a separate bank account for Homeschooling & Gifts. We calculated how much we would (and could) budget for school & gifts, and split that up into automatic deposits. A part of each paycheck is auto-deposited into that account.

 

Having a separate, designated Homeschool & Gifts account helps me to feel in control of the purchases that I need to make for school, birthdays, and Christmas. I never have to ask my husband, "Can we get this?" We never have glitches because I pulled funds out of the Household account. I only have to keep track of (1) what our upcoming needs will be (for school and/or gifts), and (2) how much is in the account. I can manage all of this easily online, and do nearly all of our school shopping online, also. This was one of the best things we ever did in relation to homeschooling.

 

It also allows me to order materials throughout the year, instead of just one huge purchase. For example, I can make decisions about next year's Math, then line that up in a cart, and purchase when the funds are available. Done, on to the next subject.

 

Because I can order items in batches like this, I have time to really think about what I'm getting. LOL, I've had carts lined up for three months at a time, just... pondering over them, I guess! ;) I also have time to check over the materials when they arrive, to inspect them, and to store them away safely until they're needed.

 

I do find that nearly everything essential for school is ordered by July (at the latest), and that allows funds to accumulate in the Homeschool & Gifts account heading into the months before Christmas and birthdays (we have FOUR winter birthdays here, just after Christmas).

 

I get most of our materials from Amazon, Rainbow Resource, or Christian Light Publishers, with a few things from CBD thrown in. ;) HTH.

 

And, once again, welcome!

[shinyhappypeople]

I buy things as needed, because we finish things at random times.   If there's something that we're starting fresh with in the fall, I'll buy it in August or maybe July.  I buy from used curriculum groups on facebook, amazon, Rainbow Resource, Christian Book Distributors, currclick, and straight from publishers sites (esp. Teaching Textbooks).

[....]

In the beginning, I would start ordering in January.  But after too many instances of my children changing/outgrowing the materials, I switched to making lists and then ordering in the summer.

 

This happened to us this year.  I usually plan in the early spring and buy our curriculum with our tax return.  This time around, one of my kids made a huge developmental leap...like she's a completely different person.  So, her curriculum is sitting on a shelf - unused.  

 

Never again!   :tongue_smilie:  I am switching to planning/purchasing over the summer.  

 

We buy most of our curriculum at Rainbow Resource or a used curriculum store here.  Books we buy on Amazon and I try to get the kindle edition if it's free or cheap.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I spread ordering out generally.  Although in the beginning of course you need to order what you need probably all at once.  I shop around.  My usual places are Amazon, Rainbow Resources, and Christian Book dot com.  (Christian Book dot com sells a lot of homeschooling books that aren't religious in nature so don't worry about the name if that is a concern.)

 

Some stuff I get can only be ordered through the publisher. 

 

Supplies I usually get at local stores.  Except science stuff.  I have used Home Science Tools, Amazon, etc. 

[rutheart]

I order most curricula in May/June, so I can plan over the summer. Once I'm done with planning for the fall, I decide on what we will read for literature the following year. That way I can pick up used titles throughout the year, when I see them at a good price (at 2nd and Charles, Goodwill, etc.). If I haven't found it by the spring, I buy any remaining literature titles at full price (usually just one or two books per kid).

 

I mostly buy curricula through Rainbow Resources and Amazon.

 

Ruth

[alisoncooks]

I haven't ordered anything for next year, and normally, I'd be finished shopping by now.  

We are still finishing a few subjects (and will be throughout the summer), plus I'm planning on pulling a few unused things from my shelves for next year (and my plans have been in flux) so I'm currently in hold mode.

[Jess4879]

I like to order in Feb/March (for the things I know I want to use).  It has occasionally come back and bit me in the butt -- like this year with Mystery of History -- when I realize the kids hate something and I've already purchased the next level.  I like to have everything early so I can look at it and plan for the following year though.  I have also gotten better at making things work so I am using what I have on hand.  I used to wait until summer, but then I ran into issues with things being backordered and then I haven't had them in time.  I can't win. LOL

 

We are in Canada, so I order from Learning House (usually when they offer free shipping).  Rainbow Resource and Christian book are my big go-to stores though.  I order PDF's from the publisher (or currclick) when it's available/cost effective. 

 

Supplies (pencils, notebooks, etc) I buy in August when the sales start. 

 

When I first started I bought too much, replaced too much, and made myself crazy.  I believe this is normal. LOL 

 

 

 

 

[G5052]

It really depends on what works for you.

 

For the last 5-7 years, I nail down what we're using in December and January. I know what's working by then, and DH likes me to run through the plans when he's off for the holidays. For teens, deposits are often due in January, so I had to know by then.

 

Prior to that I pretty much used the same curriculum year-to-year, so I sometimes bought a year ahead if I was very sure we were going to stay the course and had the $. I never bought further than that though. I've never had a big curriculum budget, so it was usually bought here-and-there. I was also aggressive about selling as we went.

 

I'm usually done by June though. I don't work in the summer, and we're typically tighter with that and sometimes a vacation.

 

I've never bought new where I could find used here, on homeschoolclassifieds.com, or Amazon. As we got into high school, finding used is more difficult.

 

I also got really, really busy, and haven't been as good about selling of late. Hopefully I'll get a lot listed this summer!  I will have completed homeschooling a year from now, and it would be nice just to have the upcoming year's books to sell and no more.

Edited May 31, 2016 by G5052

[blue daisy]

This is all really good advice. Thank you.  I especially appreciate the website suggestions for places to order. 

[Runningmom80]

I order in the summer.  I start planning in January, or lets be real, after the first week of school, for the next year.  Then I post in a bunch of threads what my plans are.  Then I change the plans at least 3 times and update the posts accordingly. I also let my husband know that I'm changing the plans because he is VERY interested in the inner workings of my neurosis and just loves listening to me drone on about curricula.  I usually end up back where I started which is a continuation of what we're already doing.  So I make myself wait until summer to avoid buying 3 sets of curricula.

[blue daisy]

I order in the summer.  I start planning in January, or lets be real, after the first week of school, for the next year.  Then I post in a bunch of threads what my plans are.  Then I change the plans at least 3 times and update the posts accordingly. I also let my husband know that I'm changing the plans because he is VERY interested in the inner workings of my neurosis and just loves listening to me drone on about curricula.  I usually end up back where I started which is a continuation of what we're already doing.  So I make myself wait until summer to avoid buying 3 sets of curricula.

 

Heehee, pretty sure this will be me.  :)

[Runningmom80]

Heehee, pretty sure this will be me.  :)

 

I'm pretty sure it's at least 70% of the posters here. ;)

[Jess4879]

I order in the summer.  I start planning in January, or lets be real, after the first week of school, for the next year.  Then I post in a bunch of threads what my plans are.  Then I change the plans at least 3 times and update the posts accordingly. I also let my husband know that I'm changing the plans because he is VERY interested in the inner workings of my neurosis and just loves listening to me drone on about curricula.  I usually end up back where I started which is a continuation of what we're already doing.  So I make myself wait until summer to avoid buying 3 sets of curricula.

 

Ooh!  I also make mine listen as I explain the pros and cons of each curriculum I am considering.  I also like to have him look at samples and if he won't, I kindly explain them, in detail.  He loves me. 

[texasmama]

When I was a beginning homeschooler, I ordered everything in bulk at once the July before we started homeschooling in August.

 

Now, I order next year's supplies beginning in January or so, spreading the cost through the spring/summer.  At this point, I have most of the needed items for next year and have enrolled my kids in co-op and online classes.  The materials I do not have are co-op class materials, as some of these are up in the air.  (the materials list pending, not the classes)

[2ndGenHomeschooler]

Ooh! I also make mine listen as I explain the pros and cons of each curriculum I am considering. I also like to have him look at samples and if he won't, I kindly explain them, in detail. He loves me.

.

 

This sounds like me and my husband. LOL

[Ewe Mama]

We school year-round, so I just place an order for whatever we need about 2-3 weeks before we complete the current books.

 

I try to buy downloads when possible; some favorite sites are:

 

simplycharlottemason.com

 

currclick.com

 

notconsumed.com

 

guesthollow.com

 

teacherspayteachers.com

 

biblioplan.com

 

For actual books, I usually order from Rainbow, Amazon, or CBD.

[RootAnn]

Ditto what everyone else said about looking starting in January or February (to beat the February blahs) and ordering after that. 

 

CBD / Rainbow Resources / straight from the publisher

 

Books from Amazon / thriftbooks / used book sites

 

If you wait too long, just know that many places get really busy at the end of the summer and it might take longer than usual to get your materials to you. So, I order early in the summer if I'm ordering in the summer.

 

This is the first year that I don't already have next year's math on hand for everyone. That's mostly because almost everyone is in the middle of their math books.  :leaving:  :leaving:

[boscopup]

I make a spreadsheet of what I plan to use for each subject, where the best place to get it from is (Rainbow Resource, Christian Book, Amazon, Better World Books, or the publisher themselves). Most curricula is cheaper at RR and CBD. Regular books (literature) is often cheaper at Amazon or I might be able to get it used from BWB with their 4/$12 deal.

 

I order everything at least a few weeks before I need it. I currently have everything we'll use next year, since our "next year" starts June 13. ;) I'm still entering stuff into my online homeschool planner, but I've got the first 6 weeks nailed down, and most of the year is in there now.

 

We also change levels throughout the year, so I order things as I need them.

 

Then there are the times I change our entire curriculum at the last minute, like I did the last month of school this past year. :lol:

[Heathermomster]

I order from Oak Meadow, VP, Teaching Company, and Pandia Press when their products go on sale. I order used books off of Amazon and curriculum through RR and CBD.com.  I started purchasing materials for next school year after Spring Break, and I am not done yet.  Sometimes I cannot decide what to order until the school year is done, so I need the time to reflect upon what subjects/publishers did and did not work out.

[Dramorellis]

I start planning for the next year in maybe March and then start buying materials for September to February. I'm usually done by about July. We take all of August off and I want to have everything I need so that all I am doing in August is organizing, putting things and curating. I then usually place another couple of orders in January for February through the end of July. I found I was being overly optimistic about what we could accomplish in the Fall and then bored in the late Winter so breaking it up works best for us.

[luuknam]

Whenever, wherever.

 

Not sure that helps, but anyway.

 

ETA: I also will start stuff whenever. Not all curriculum has to be started in September (technically, you don't have to start anything in September). We just started All About Spelling, in May.

Edited June 3, 2016 by luuknam

[fourisenough]

I buy in dribs and drabs as we need it. I rarely do big orders anymore. This suits my budget, and provides an occasional injection of variety when things begin to feel jaded.

[Seeking Squirrels]

I prefer to make any big orders by April so I have everything by May and can take my time over the summer to look through and prep stuff. This year I've had a lot on my plate and we might be moving soon, so I haven't ordered much yet. Plus our charter is actually getting us a few things this year so it feels odd to me to not have to worry about those. But I also won't get them in hand until late August which I kind of don't like.

 

I use Rainbow Resource and Amazon when I can. I always have a wish list going at RR so that I can fill in an order to make it over $50 for free shipping.

 

ETA I start planning around February and take a few months to research and look into things. I wouldn't rush the decisions even if I started planning late. I'd rather wait and place orders late and get stuff late and start school a few weeks "late" than make myself anxious trying to rush a decision I didn't feel I researched well. But on the other hand, drawing it out doesn't usually help either. The best curriculum is the one that will get used. There isn't just one best curriculum, there are many that can get the job done. Overthinking it always leads to me thinking I need to do All The Things which definitely doesn't work.

Edited June 4, 2016 by Whovian10

[J-rap]

My homeschoolers have graduated, but I always did it over the summer, beginning in June.   I'd allow myself to order a little more with each paycheck.  By the end of the summer, I usually had everything.