How much do you spend per year to HS?

[Melinda]

My husband asked me this morning what our HS budget is. I told him and he asked me to put up a poll here to see if we are over-spending, if we should be budgeting more, etc. I'm curious how much the average is per child. Thanks!

 

Trying to put a poll up with this...sorry if it doesn't work!

 

Also, I'm asking how much you would spend each year on each child if you had to start from scratch -- not with what you have on your shelves now.

Edited February 14, 2009 by Melinda
Adding more content to post.

[HiddenJewel]

My girls are older so I spend more. But in elementary I would probably be closer to $100 or less.

[Mallory]

200- 400

 

But this (for next) year is the first I have spent that much. For a 3rd and 4th.

 

While I don't feel bad about the very limited budget we had the first few years, I have recently decided that we were missing some of the most fun things by being so "cheap"!

Edited February 14, 2009 by Mallory

[Melinda]

Do you include the cost of outside classes and activities in your HS budget?

[HiddenJewel]

Do you include the cost of outside classes and activities in your HS budget?

 

I would if we had any outside classes.

[AudreyTN]

I figured everything for 3 children to be just under $700... IF I BOUGHT EVERYTHING BRAND NEW!

 

I've gotten a few things, but I won't have a good figure of what I've actually spent until I see what I still need to buy new.

[JudoMom]

I picked under $200/child/year. I don't include piano or Judo, because those are things we'd do even if they went to PS and they are their own line item in the budget.

 

Anything else would come out of the HS budget, which averages out to just under $200/child/year.

[Jenny in Florida]

My son will be 11, but working on a high school level for several subjects.

 

My purchases for next year will total $532. That covers math, history, English, science (including kits for experiments), Spanish and Greek/Latin light. He'll also be doing art history, but I'm not counting that in my budget because I'm using materials I have "left over" from my daughter. I'm not counting outside classes, because they are things that anyone would have to pay extra for, no matter where the kiddo went to school.

[chaik76]

We budget $100/mo for "tuition" which includes any homeschool stuff. I only have one at school age...so around $1000/yr. I could do it for much less if I had to, but we made this a priority by restructuring our budget.

[King Alfred Academy]

This was hard to judge. We are part of a charter school so I am able to get quite a bit of curricula and resources from them, but I still have to buy anything that mentions "God". Plus, we use TOG...which is a pretty penny, but will use it all through school. This year I also bought TWSS from IEW and Teaching the Classics, which were also not cheap, but something that will last for a long time. AND...I purchase my curricula from the money I made from selling the used stuff.

 

As far as outside activities...we are able to do those through our chater school for free and the boys do AWANA.

[74Heaven]

Everything is handed down and casual and in most subjects, I already own the TMs. I might buy 2-3 textbooks but the other things were all purchased 3-10 years ago!)

 

So for 5 kids, he total would be $2000; but the spending would be $20 for K; $50 for gr 3; $100 for 6th and $500-800 each for my 2 high schoolers :(). And that includes everything from binders and pencils to outside classes and DVD curriculums. (it doesn't include desks or shelves or anything like that. Also, it doesn't include piano or swimming team or extracurriculars like that.)

 

It seems to get more expensive every year as I get pickier about what works and what is efficient to use.

 

Lisaj

[Tree House Academy]

I chose the $401-$600 option, but this is true really only for my oldest. My youngest does a lot of stuff combined with my oldest, so the cost goes WAY down for him.

 

For next year, I spent approximately $600 buying USED mostly on this board for my oldest (5th grade). My youngest (combo 1st/2nd grade), I spent only $150 buying used here and combining with brother for a few things. :)

 

ETA: This does not include our co-op classes, extra activities, or anything else (supplies, etc). This is ONLY curriculum.

Edited February 15, 2009 by Tree House Academy

[TraceyS/FL]

I voted under $200 because that is about what i need it to become. UGH.

 

I'm more comfy at the $2-400 range though. I do plan on budgeting about $50 a month for books and such in the coming year. There is always stuff to buy if i have money left over. :D I have one approaching high school though, i'm not planning on having any leftover. Also, anything i buy now for #2 will get saved for #3 in a few years.

[elegantlion]

I budget around 700.00 per year for ds. We spread the expense out through the year. Granted I have one child and I'm doing some self-education I probably spent an extra 200 on studies for me.

 

I've done for a lot less and I try to buy used where I can find it. When you add Latin, Greek, and Classical Writing to the mix that is a big part of our budget.

 

Our library system is not that great so I buy most of our reading material. I utilize paperback swap and 90% of my books from there are for school.

 

I've recently asked dh for a monthly school budget to allow me to buy things as I find/need them.

[swellmomma]

This year my funding was $715 per child but I know I spent more than that. Next year I am looking at $1400/child x3kids now that my 3rd will be old enough to register, so $4200/year for 3 kids.

[Michelle T]

That is the salary I gave up when I quit work to homeschool. While the emotional/social/educational benefits of homeschooling are great, it is also a huge financial burden, due to the loss of my income.

 

In terms of money spent on curriculum, I put $200-$400 per year. Hard to say exactly, because I buy almost everything used and I frequently buy and resell materials.

Michelle T

[KIN]

This year my funding was $715 per child but I know I spent more than that. Next year I am looking at $1400/child x3kids now that my 3rd will be old enough to register, so $4200/year for 3 kids.

 

Can I ask - does Canda have some kind of funding for homeschooling? If I'm being too nosey, just ignore me. :) I'd LOVE to spend this much per child!!!

[rafiki]

.

[specialmama]

We have spent a lot (around $1,400-1,600) but I expect it will get cheaper as the years go by. I buy curric. that has a long life, so we will use it repeatedly. (TOG, Spelling Power, etc) This is our 3rd yr hsing, so I do imagine that next year we'll have most of what we need, and the only material we'll need to replace annually would be math and reading books... and the odd supplement/subject... I'm projecting around $500 per child then... but that's without piano lessons. hehehe

[Ali in OR]

We decided to home school when our 8 yo was in preschool. We were paying a little more than $100 a month for preschool. I asked dh if we could keep $100/mo as the home school budget and he agreed. We'll have to cut that if anything happens to his job (a possibility). I spend about half of our budget on building our home library which is important to us.

 

It is hard starting out from scratch. You don't have $1200 to go buy curriculum for the year, you have $100 the first month, $100 the second month, etc. We spent less on Kindergarten and first which built up some reserves so now I can buy the curriculum I want before the school year begins. I know it is possible to school on a lot less, but I do appreciate being able to get the curriculum that works best for us. I don't get a salary, so this is one of the perks of my job! We don't have cable, cell phones, United Streaming, expensive vacations, but we do spend on education.

[specialmama]

Can I ask - does Canda have some kind of funding for homeschooling? If I'm being too nosey, just ignore me. :) I'd LOVE to spend this much per child!!!

 

Alberta and British Columbia have funding and amazing community programs and supports. I'm in AB, and here you register with a school that has agreed to fasicilitate (oversee) your program. You meet at least twice a year and you determine how involved they will be by selecting your curric. and learning outcomes. If you want more money ($1,800 at some schools) you must align all subjects with Alberta's curriculum. If you want to unschool or use all material that does not align at all with gov. standards, you have the most flexibility, the least interference, but the least money ($700 at some schools) and then there's Blended. With blended, you can align some subjects, and get a dollar amount between $700 and $1,400.

[Snickerdoodle]

I said 201-400 if you include curriculum and pencils, pens, erasers, paper etc.

 

 

Now books I consider separate because I would buy my kids books whether they went to school or HS'ed.

 

I also consider extra-curricular activities separate because I would have my kids doing something even if they went to school (i.e. sports or music).

[KIN]

Alberta and British Columbia have funding and amazing community programs and supports. I'm in AB, and here you register with a school that has agreed to fasicilitate (oversee) your program. You meet at least twice a year and you determine how involved they will be by selecting your curric. and learning outcomes. If you want more money ($1,800 at some schools) you must align all subjects with Alberta's curriculum. If you want to unschool or use all material that does not align at all with gov. standards, you have the most flexibility, the least interference, but the least money ($700 at some schools) and then there's Blended. With blended, you can align some subjects, and get a dollar amount between $700 and $1,400.

 

 

Wow. That would be great!!

[SonshineLearner]

We do Classical Conversations, so I think it's just over $1000. a year.

Carrie:-)

[elise1mds]

I am starting from scratch this year for a will-be "first-grader," and I'll be spending about $300 for everything to get started this fall. I'm not including extracurricular activities because, as somebody else pointed out, someone at PS or private school would also have to pay out-of-pocket for those. I'm staring at that $300 mark and laughing hysterically because right now I'm paying almost $300 per kid per month to pay for private school. We're going to save a ton of cash. I'm thrilled to death!

[PeterPan]

People who have multiple dc are going to spend less per dc because they get to re-use stuff. An only dc really is the most expensive way to homeschool, ugh. Now I have a newborn, and he's far enough apart that many things will have new editions, meaning I'm starting totally over with him.

 

As far as our amounts, I've never kept track, but I'm sure it's close to what I put in the poll, and definitely higher than I'd like to admit. I buy all our books, so that adds to the cost. Over 50% of my cost per year is for history, which she adores.

 

I think the principle is more important than anything: I don't homeschool on the cheap. I'm not saying you HAVE to spend a ton of money. But if you have it, and if the curriculum you're looking at is something you feel is the best product or makes your life more practical, buy it and don't feel it's wrong. Anything we're spending is less than the cost to go to a quality private school. I do feel the results we're getting reflect what we've put into it. Some people with less money put time or their own knowledge into it to make it all pan out. I'm just saying I'm really glad to have been able to afford some of the quality materials out there, because they are very good. They're WORTH the money!

[swellmomma]

Can I ask - does Canda have some kind of funding for homeschooling? If I'm being too nosey, just ignore me. :) I'd LOVE to spend this much per child!!!

 

Not all provinces do, but Alberta where I live does. I am currently registered traditional so I get the least amount of funding at the $715 per child x 2 kids. Next year I am switching school boards and going blended, which means some subjects follow the provincial learning outcomes and some do not, as a result I will get closer to $1400 per child. I love it because I use purchase orders and rarely have to pay for curric out of pocket, though If I want to order from rainbow resource or home science tools I pay out of pocket for those then submit my receipts for reimbursement.

[mamaof2andtwins]

It was much less expensive for us to homeschool when the children were younger. It has gone up a lot since we have started high school.

 

Jennie

[Mrs. Frankweiler]

This was our first year, so I made a lot of newbie mistakes. (I was so sure starting out that the boxed curriculum would be just *perfect* and have everything we'd need!) I'd say I spent about $1000 for two kids, initially, then about 200-300 trying to find something that would work a little better.

 

Next year, I'll be a little older and wiser so I hope to keep our budget around 300/kid.

 

-Mrs. F

[joannqn]

We use a virtual academy that provides us with $1188 per student per year. With two kids enrolled, I have $2376 to spend plus whatever I put in on my own.

 

We spend most of our funding on extracurricular activities that we wouldn't be able to afford otherwise. They pay for my son's taekwondo classes year-round (approximately $1050 a year). My daughter is going to begin taking some art classes next week which will cost us $254 for the rest of the school year. We expect to have about $360 left over so we're going to take an extended field trip to Portland with that money.

 

For curriculum, I spent about $740 for both children. Some of it was purchased with academy funds and some was out of pocket. $573 of that will be reusable for my younger children in future years. They finished many of their subjects early so I just spent another $200 for what would have been next year's work.

[Parrothead]

I normally have a budget of $500.00. This year I've had to spend more to get books for science. We didn't start TWTM until 2nd grade so I don't have anything for biology or much for history either.

[Pine Ledge Academy]

how much to start from scratch...that is hard. If I had to start over and it was K or 1st, then maybe 300..using the library, but having to buy all new and tm's. it adds up. Now I would say 200/year per child, but that includes some unnecessary things...extra games,puzzles and such for the little ones bc we can't do school if the little ones aren't occupied. It doesn't include music lessons which can be 100/month for 3 kids on the piano...and we are blessed with a teacher that doesn't charge much. sports adds $125 a year, not including gear (5 kids-soccer). Extra classes pay for themselves since I teach one, but that could easily double my budget....$5/class, 3 classes a week,x 3 kids= $180/month (this sounds crazy,but once a week we meet for 3 hours and they have 3 classes).....hth

[Homeschooling6]

For my oldest we spent about $300.00. The younger ones are less. I have noticed that the Jr. & Sr. years are going to be a bit more expensive.

 

We are currently using textbooks, so I'm not counting all the books we buy. Just the curriculum.

 

If we were still using SL, WP or MFW then I would count all that in.

 

We don't have any outside activities. Only AWANA on Wed.

[SonshineLearner]

We use a virtual academy that provides us with $1188 per student per year. With two kids enrolled, I have $2376 to spend plus whatever I put in on my own.

 

We spend most of our funding on extracurricular activities that we wouldn't be able to afford otherwise. They pay for my son's taekwondo classes year-round (approximately $1050 a year). My daughter is going to begin taking some art classes next week which will cost us $254 for the rest of the school year. We expect to have about $360 left over so we're going to take an extended field trip to Portland with that money.

 

For curriculum, I spent about $740 for both children. Some of it was purchased with academy funds and some was out of pocket. $573 of that will be reusable for my younger children in future years. They finished many of their subjects early so I just spent another $200 for what would have been next year's work.

 

Hey JoAnn, what virtual academy is that? Maybe WA is looking better:-)

 

Carrie:-)

[myfunnybunch]

I voted $201-400. It's pretty close to $200 and I was generous in my estimate because I've purchased a few frivolous extras this year. The next few years that average will probably drop because I have many materials I can re-use for my younger guys.

 

I didn't add in the cost of outside activities. They'd be doing those anyway.

 

Cat

[Annie Laurie]

I picked $601-$800 per year per child, but it's not really per child. I took our yearly total and divided it by 4 kids.

 

In reality, my oldest child gets a big percentage of it. High school is expensive, especially when you outsource some of it which I need to do. A Write at Home class is $400, an online Spanish course is another $400, and so on.

 

My middle two I spend a good amount on also because they do a lot of their school together and I have to buy two of a lot of things for school instead of handing them down. My oldest I didn't start hsing until 4th grade so I don't have much to hand down to them, I can see how there will be more and more that we already own as they get older though.

 

My youngest I'm spending hardly anything on this year- he'll be in K and will use AAS for phonics (already own), RightStart math (already own), and SL Core K (already own) or the library for FIAR, depending on which we go with.

[joannqn]

Columbia Virtual Academy. They are awesome and extremely flexible...even more flexible than some parents who use them think. I wouldn't use them if they cramped my style in any way.

 

Stay away from Washington Virtual Academy unless you want to do K12 on their time table with little to no flexibility.

 

ETA: Washington is a really easy state to homeschool in if you are doing it independently, too. Minimal requirements.

[HomesteadMommy]

Alberta and British Columbia have funding and amazing community programs and supports.

 

As far as I know we don't have anything like that here in Ontario.

I put 200 or under per child. Most of what I buy is multi year books or are texts that can be reused. I could spend more if I had the money lol but "extras" I get through the library.

[Melinda]

My budget is $200/month for each older child -- nothing for the baby until he is 4 (that includes all outside sports, art classes, co-op fees, field trips, etc, etc, etc).

 

Is that a ridiculous amount to spend for HSing and outside activities?

[rafiki]

.

[PeterPan]

Melinda, with that budgeted amount, you'll be able to do literally ANYTHING (classes, foreign languages, the best math, lots of extras, microscope, lots of books, etc.), so it's a very generous amount. My dh never set a budget for us, just said to buy what we needed. As one who has had that generosity, I would suggest your biggest issue is going to be restraining yourself from impulse purchases and things you don't need. There's a reason why people around here become admitted curriculum junkies...

 

Some people buy their books, some people use the library extensively to save money, and some people do something in-between. There's nothing like having a lot of books around to induce a love for reading, so I highly recommend it. Part of that budget might be saved to install shelves. ;)

 

When we started, my dh suggested I buy my things just one semester ahead. This has worked out very well for us, because it gives you a chance mid-year to re-evaluate, bring in fresh things, break the blahs, etc. Generally I find myself placing large orders around Christmas time to prep for 2nd semester, in the spring to prep for May Term and summer (I do something totally different in May, take off June, and start back in July), then another if needed to buy the remaining things for fall. The rest of the year it's just mainly books from amazon, things from the sale-swap board, etc. I'm buying. So that might give you a sense of how it might work with your very generous budget.

[MamaT]

We have been homeschooling since 1991, so I really woudn't have to buy anything except pencils, paper, etc. if I didn't want to.

 

Of course, there's always things I want and think I need, so we will spend about 250-300 per child for next year.

 

That doesn't include outside activities, which is probably about $800/month right now for gym (competitive team), dance (City Ballet and Jazz Companies), Tae Kwon Do. I had not really added this up before. This is really a scary amount.

[Melinda]

Thanks. How long will this be a sufficient budget? You're right, btw...holy moly, is it hard to resist the urge to spend my budget on impulse items at times.

[laughing lioness]

Our range has been between $0 -$1000 a kid. I would encourage you to be clear about your educational philosophy and vision for homeschooling. That will save you a lot of time and money :)

[KristineinKS]

For survey purposes I estimated that I spent $600-800. per child for the year (which includes several costly mistakes I made!), however, I realize now that that's quite inaccurate. That covers the basics certainly, but I'm still spending money constantly. Essentially my budget is most of my paycheck (excluding some $$$ for a couple of bills, which brings us to around $400./month per child)...looking at the responses here, that seems excessive, but I'm still new to homeschooling & am completely obsessed with buying books, fun activities & whatever else comes along, LOL. I could use our local library, but often find it easier to buy the books outright & I'm very bad with impulse purchases. Honestly I'd never even realized how much I was spending until you posted this, so I'm glad you did!

[Gamom3]

lot of things from oldest ds, I just keep passing it along to ds and dd.

 

Soon, I will just be buying for ds..which I see in doing in 2010-2011. Then I will be passing it to dd. I will still be spending around the same amount though.

 

This year we will spend around $500 for both dc, since I have to purchase them both a math curriculum.

 

Once dd is finished with the curriculum I will sell, so I don't look to be spending as much for curriculum...I am hoping to break even.

 

 

If I had to start from scratch I would spend around $1200 if not a little more for both dc and that is purchasing new curriculum.

 

 

This does not include outside activities, which they only take a couple of classes every now and then. If I include that I would say we spend $1000 for curriculum and outside activities for both dc.

[lydiasmommy]

My girls are young yet and since we use SL for our main curriculum, much of it will be reused for the younger girls later. We spent about $800 total last year and $1300 the year before. This year we've already spent $400, so it obviously varies from year to year for us.

[chaik76]

Thanks. How long will this be a sufficient budget? You're right, btw...holy moly, is it hard to resist the urge to spend my budget on impulse items at times.

I think that budget will be sufficient for your kids for absolutely years to come. With $400/mo you should be able to do basically anything you want and buy any curricula want...take any classes you want. I would say at least through middle school, maybe even through high school (disregarding inflation of course).

[PeterPan]

When you start heading into junior high stuff, you're going to be considering more video and techonology-based classes that up the price. That's why others were saying it gets MORE expensive as you go up through the grades. In that sense I'd bank the money and save for future years. Also, consider using part of that money to make *your* life better. If you have to travel to attend a state convention, that could cost you quite a bit but would be SO worth it for the things you see, learn, and just the good, refreshing time you'll have. You may find yourself wanting things for yourself like a gym membership (I joined Curves last year), pre-packaged foods, some cleaning help, or nights out scrapbooking to deal with stress. Those things that help *you* feel better make your homeschooling go better and are fair game and important to plan for in my book!

 

BTW, some of this cost stuff isn't rocket science to figure out. Find the sig of somebody with the grades you're looking at that schools in the way you're considering and add it up. That won't give you the WHOLE story, and it certainly doesn't reflect the savings of finding things used, but at least it would give you some sense.

[sweetTN]

I checked $400.00-$600.00 per child, but this include our co-op costs for dd's extra-curricular classes. I save a lot of money by buying most of our curriculum used.