Homeschooling can be expensive. The curriculum can add up quickly and any add ons can put you over budget. Here is how I am able to homeschool on a budget.
Over the years I have learned a trick or two to make homeshooling less expensive. It has taken some creativity, some learning on my end, and some adjustments. But, instead of our schooling getting more expensive over the years, I’ve been able to save money on that pricey curriculum and pay less now than when we started. It is possible to homeschool on a budget!
Here is my video where I chat about homeschooling on a budget. Don’t like videos? No worries, just keep reading!
The Library is a Great Resource
Take advantage of your local library!! You don’t often need to go out buying books for your kids because the library almost always has the books that you need. From early readers to advanced novels, chances are they’re all available at your library. I realize that the library may not have actual curriculum for sale, but a lot of those little add on books and read alouds are right there, free for you to use (just don’t rack up those late fees!)
Borrow Curriculum
I am a HUGE fan of borrowing curriculum. In fact, two different pieces of curriculum in our homeschool are things we are borrowing from a friend. She doesn’t need it for the grades she is currently teaching, and I do, so it’s the perfect set up. We can use it and return it right back to her at the end of the year. If you need workbooks or consumables, you can simply buy those, but save the expensive teacher books and manipulatives by borrowing from a good friend. Isn’t helping each other out what friends are for?
Buy Books and Curriculum Used
Guys, unless you’re using a brand spanking new curriuclum, you can find it used!! And usually it’s in pretty awesome condition, too!! I’ve saved so much money over the years buying used curriculum both through online curriculum marketplaces and by local homeschool swaps/sales. You can get some really good stuff just from spending a little bit of time looking around or waiting until you know a sale is going to happen. If you don’t have any local curriculum sales, start on! It’s like a garage sale, but the best kind, because all it has is books and curriculum. SCORE!
Last year, I was able to even find books for our homeschool at a local consignment sale. I got some amazing books, award winners even, for pennies. I walked away with more books than I could carry for just dollars! My son is set for books to read in his homeschool studies for years to come. You never know what you may find at local consignment sales or thrift stores.
Free Online Resources
There are so many resources you can find free goodies from online! My own blog is just a small dip in the amount of homeschool blogs out there with free printables, DIY ideas, lesson plans, and more. We’re in our second year of creating our own history curriculum and reading activities and it has been so easy to find ideas and freebies to do these all with little to no cost.
Pinterest is an amazing place to find all things free and low cost to keep your homeschool on a budget. You could seriously get lost for days!! I’m on there all. of. the. time. to find whatever we need- free unit studies, free printables, craft ideas…you name it, it’s on there!!
Save Money Throughout the Year
One way that we are able to afford the curriculum that we buy is to save money here and there throughout the year. We never have hundreds of dollars just sitting around to order our homeschool materials all at once, all brand new, ready to go when we start our year. I like to set aside money every now and again when we do have some extras left over, or meaningfully take some out before it goes other places, so that we can have a homeschool fund when we need it.
I also like to buy things when I find them, and find them cheap, throughout the year. The curriculum we know and love is having a sale? You better believe I’m going to buy it randomly in February when that occurs as opposed to waiting until the summer to buy it! You can save some big bucks following your curriculum companies on social media and knowing when they’re having sales so you can take advantage of them!
It’s Possible to Homeschool on a Budget!
It is totally doable to homeschool on a budget. It may take a little bit of effort, a little more time than just buying that all-in-one curriculum and have it shipped to your door, but it can be so worth it to save money and make homeschooling easier financially on your family.
How are you able to homeschool on a budget? Let me know in my online homeschool community or in the comments below!
Looking for more tips on homeschooling? Everything from homeschool rooms to socialization can be found by clicking the image below!
