POLL! When to buy materials for next year?

[Noreen Claire]

I'm looking online and seeing a few of the textbooks and workbooks that I am planning on using with my 3rd grader are currently 30-45% off. I can't decide if I should buy now, or wait til spring/summer.

 

When do you buy your materials for next school year (assuming that your year starts in September)?

Edited February 11, 2017 by Noreen Claire

[Petrichor]

I usually buy used, so I shop all year. 

 

We started this year in January, and will finish some of our material in November, so I will start looking around July, and plan to purchase in October at the latest for the curriculum I plan to start in November. But in reality, I look at curriculum at least a few times per week XD

[Ali in OR]

This is our last year, and honestly I haven't needed to buy much the last several years, but when I was actively buying I started in February and usually was done by June. Some places (Rod and Staff, Sonlight) have cheaper prices in about March. For history, I bought lots of readers and spent a lot of time finding them used online. I wouldn't have wanted to do that last minute.

[Arcadia]

Less than a month before we need them. I did buy SM2 to SM6 two sets in one lot years ago to save on shipping. Now I just buy as my kids need them. My husband's colleagues have Amazon Prime and don't mind ordering for us if we need fast shipping of textbooks. AoPS books take less than a week to reach us by media mail, same state.

[MercyA]

I start school in August and usually order new materials in July. Christian Light materials don't go on sale, because they are a non-profit organization.

 

I buy lots of used books for science, history, and misc. at our co-op's book sale. It's in March, and I can't wait!!! Need more shelf space...  :)

[school17777]

I like to have the material to look over in the summer to prepare.

[luuknam]

I think this should be multiple choice. I voted "when they go on sale", but I would've also voted "when I've got the money", and "whenever I feel like it" (which wasn't an option). Sometimes it's nice to have something new and shiny (and by that I mostly mean new and shiny to me - used can be okay), even if I know I'm not going to use it yet. The local used curriculum sale is in May, iirc.

 

I start new stuff when old stuff is finished, or when I feel like something new, so it's not like we start new things in Sept only.

[EMS83]

Obligatory other, because mine's a mash up.  "Whenever they go on sale" is a pretty huge purchasing factor for me.  But also: we start in August, were sort of in the "whenever I have the money" category, and I'll get stuff years before anyone needs it IF it's cheap (or free!) and I have the spare funds.  Case in the last point: a local private classical school closed and gave away their books, so I have Herodotus, Augustine, Bede, and Beowulf (among others) on my shelf and you see my kids' ages.   :lol:   I'm known to ask for materials for my birthday.  I received all four level 1 RSO texts that way.  :D   But for context, we're more of a "go grab what strikes your fancy" family, which is more materials-heavy than if we went through one book before moving onto the next.

[Noreen Claire]

I think this should be multiple choice. 

 

Good point. Fixed that. Thanks!

[Farrar]

I only really buy right before we finish whatever we're working on previously. So, right now, ds is about three chapters away from finishing his math book, so I'll probably buy the next one soonish. I do it on a rolling basis. The kids wrapped up some things they were doing and I bought some new books for new studies they want to start.

[Pink and Green Mom]

Right around January/February I get a case of the Februaries and start to get burnt out and lazy.  I like to start purchasing books then so I have something to look forward to. I usually buy one subject a month in Feb/Mar/April timeframe, and only those things that I am 100 percent sure I will use.  It gets me through the time when I start to get burnt out.

[MeaganS]

I buy when we need them. We officially start in July, but in reality we school year round and finish things at random times. So I just bought dd8 the next level of cle but dd6 has a while before we'll need the next level of her math.

[EMS83]

An afterthought...DD has needed a new level in math for three months, and things keep coming up to thwart that, financially.  So...sometimes we're "behind" our curve, too.  It's not a huge deal because I'm not convinced she's 100% from the previous level, and have been reviewing and assessing in the meanwhilst.

[G5052]

My last one is graduating in June  :grouphug: !

 

I always made my curriculum choices in December so I could start looking in January. Sometimes there are specials January-March, you don't have as much competition if you buy on eBay. That gave me many months to spread it out and poke around.

 

[marbel]

I voted other:  when we needed it.

 

I'm in my last year of homeschooling.  I found early on that planning ahead didn't help me much.  One of my kids has LDs and ADHD, so I never knew what would work.  The other kid is strong-willed and will not be forced into anything.    

 

So, I had to do a lot of out-of-the-box thinking.  We bought a lot of used stuff, and used the library a ton.  Most of the stuff I bought way ahead I ended up regretting.  

[Guest]

I buy used and already found everything I need very inexpensively. I'm guessing the previous owners were decluttering and/or raising money to pay off their Christmas credit card bills.

[Garga]

I try to research and know what I'm going to buy before the big curriculum fair in this area.  If I go to the sale, there's no s&h, even if you have to order materials and they're sent to you: buy pre-buying at the fair, you don't pay s&h.  The fair is in May, so I try to be prepared to buy in May.

 

If there was a great discount on stuff I knew I wanted before May, I'd get it early.

If there is anything I want and it's not available at the fair, then I buy it after the fair.  

 

I try to have everything by June/July so I can plan for the next school year. 

Edited February 12, 2017 by Garga

[StartingOver]

I purchase for the upcoming year when we get our income tax return, and smaller things as needed through the year.

[Dmmetler]

I usually purchase in Spring, but since DD will be doing more classes at the CC next year, I can't buy books until I know what she needs. Same for online classes. I am trying to find a good book or books as a spine for history, and will get anything Horrible Ray sells in June that we need or that looks good, when he's a vendor at a conference we're attending.

[Guest]

We go year round to I buy when there is a sale on something we need or when it is time to do the next thing.

[Soror]

We start in July and I generally start planning in Nov/December and start buying after that when I see something on sale. I can't plan everything so early but if we are using something and will just need the next level then that is pretty easy. My son has been asking to study the same thing for content for awhile so I went ahead and planned it out. I went with easy for content for dd's 1& 2- as I wanted something I didn't have to think about so much so she is doing SoTW. I try to buy used when I can so planning early gives me plenty of time watch for good deals. As of now, I have nearly everything for next year. I haven't bought the next level of Caesar'English- I haven't seen it on sale for a decent price so I've just been waiting. I'm not 100% certain on Math or LA for dd2 otherwise I think I have it all sorted out, unless we/I change my mind on something.

 

Another reason I like to plan early is that I like to keep everything to 35 wks or so but of course not every curriculum fits that time frame but if i get it in early some stuff when can go ahead and start at the end of the year if we finish our other things early (like grammar for both kids) or we are starting something new. That makes less stuff to finish for next year and it is one less new thing to start for the next year, my oldest daughter especially doesn't like change so adding things in a bit at a time works well for her. 

 

I like the *idea* of being more spontaneous but I find the logistics hard to manage at this stage of life with multiple kids, the more ahead I can plan out the smoother it goes and the more I am able to get done. 

Edited February 12, 2017 by soror