Let’s discuss tips on how to Homeschool on a Budget. Before we do I would like to let you know I’m not an expert by any means but I’m learning more every day.
If I can save money on Charlie’s education then that is what I want to do. I thought I would share tips with you from things I’ve learned. I hope these tips can help you and your family with the choices you need to make.
I would like to remind you to check out all the “Back to School Sales” and stock up on crayons, notebooks, pens, pencils, and paper. It’s better to have extra than to run out in the middle of the year and have to pay regular price for these items. One Place I always shop at is Amazon.
Before I purchase extra items for Charlie I purchased a Rubber Maid Tote. Charlie and I put all the extra school supplies inside this tote. Then either Charlie or I will write a list of everything inside the tote and tape it inside the lid.
When we take supplies out of the tote we will mark them off. Then each week I will watch sales and if the items we used are on sale I will purchase them and put them back inside the tote.
There is a lot of times we do not finish a workbook so I put those inside the tote as well. Then we can pull those work books out during the year and finish the workbook.
This way the workbooks aren’t thrown away and the money we spent on the workbooks isn’t wasted. This helps Charlie go back over items he learned the year before which we call a refresher course.
I would like to let you know keeping these workbooks comes in handy in the Summer when Charlie gets bored and says there is nothing to do we can pull out the workbooks and Charlie can work on lessons.
If your needing to purchase curriculum for your classroom try and buy used items when possible. Here are a few suggestions of items to look for when your visiting local garage sales, Craig’s List, Facebook and Half Price Book Stores in your area.
Before you start out ask other friends who have homeschooled if they have supplies they’re not using. Then you can check out those items and see if there are things you need. Or ask your family members or local business if you can look through there trash.
For Charlie and I to save money we used Notebooks and Journals for Spelling Tests. I would make up words for him from the books he reads. Or online as I look up his grade level and spelling.
This has stopped me from having to purchase spelling workbooks. For Journals, I research search subjects online and Charlie watches YouTube videos and writes reports about the things he saw. Or things we do during the week.
For books for Charlie to read we check out Amazon and type in “free children’s books”. Amazon will pull up a list of books which are free. Or you can visit libraries for classes you can take and check out books for your classroom. You can start a Co-Op with your friends and family and share books and Homeschooling resources with them.
If there are other students who homeschool close to you could even start a library in your home and the kids can run it. Make a library card and the kids can take turns being the librarian. They would be responsible for making sure the books are returned in a timely manner and returned in a decent condition. Which will help them later in life when they get a job.
Charlie and I use a lot of free printables I’ve found on homeschooling blogs. As well as websites that offer free resources including Pinterest which is a wonderful resource for Homeschooling parents and full of resources. Pinterest will even teach you how to make your own Unit Studies. Or check out Homeschooling Blogs because Homeschooling Bloggers create a lot of free printables for families to use.
I signed up for a Netflix account Charlie can use to watch movies for school. We use YouTube videos a lot of the time. If you do not have a YouTube site you can sign up for free.
Charlie and I even do Music class and just use items in our home to create music with. We take a Dance class in our home by using YouTube Videos. As well as Exercise videos for PE.
I have a few resources to help you get started in teaching your children on a Budget and even if your not Homeschooling these resources may still help you out. Which they did for our family when we began Homeschooling.
Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary (Kindle Edition)
Remember inside this post for are my affiliate links. If you click on the links and make a purchase I will make a small percentage from the products you purchase.
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
