10 Tips to Save Money on Homeschooling

Homeschool expenses can certainly add up especially if you’re shopping for more than one kid. Once you gather curriculum and supplies for every subject and every kid, it can be a shock to the bank account! But it doesn’t have to be that expensive. Here are 10 ways to save money on homeschooling.

 

Make a Plan

Even if you’re one of the families who didn’t plan on homeschooling this year, you can still make a plan before purchasing material. The best way to waste money on homeschool curriculum and supplies is to fail to make a plan. Just like you shouldn’t go to a grocery store without a list, don’t go curriculum shopping without one either. Definitely don’t go to a used curriculum sale without knowing exactly what you’re looking for. If this is your first time figuring out what curriculum to use, check out my post on How to Choose Homeschool Curriculum.

 

Online Previews

Most major curriculum publishers offer samples of their programs online. Some even offer a few weeks of reading assignments and discussion questions. These samples are so thorough that you can get a detailed trial of the program before committing to buying it.

 

Browse Curriculum Before Buying

One of my favorite perks of joining a local homeschool group is being able to talk to others about curriculum and look through different programs before I decide to buy something. Online discussion groups will only get you so much information when trying to decide on curriculum because it’s hard to have detailed conversations.

Some local groups even have events dedicated to showing off favorite resources. This is a fantastic way to get a close look at something before forking over money to buy it. If you’re fortunate enough to live in an area with a large homeschooling community, chances are there’s someone who has exactly what you’re looking for and is willing to let you look through it. This is a great way to avoid jumping from curriculum to curriculum trying to find something you like.

Related Post: How to Find a Local Homeschool Group

 

 

Avoid Consumable Curriculum

Consumable resources are those that are meant to be used by only one kid. You’ll need to replace consumable items for your younger kids to use the program. Avoiding programs with a lot of consumables is a great way to save money if you’re homeschooling more than one kid. These include workbooks and worksheets, craft supplies, and subscriptions that you’ll have to renew. This is one reason why we prefer to use a literature based curriculum. It’s easy for me to reuse the material with Little Sis, and I don’t have to pay for an online subscription. I can also resell the books when we’re done. Win!

 

Free and Cheap Online Resources

There are a TON of free and cheap homeschool resources online. Unfortunately, there are some downsides to relying on these resources too heavily. Quality will vary greatly. What you save in money, you’ll spend in time finding everything you need, downloading, printing, and organizing them. It can also be difficult to find all the components you need especially if you’re trying to find free items. If this is your first year homeschooling, it can be daunting to figure out exactly what you need in the first place.

I did this in the beginning of our homeschool journey, but I found that I wasted so much time and energy collecting printables that we never used. Many times I lost track of what I had and other times my kids just flat out refused to use what I’d spent so much time preparing. I still like using free and cheap online resources, but I don’t rely on them for our main homeschool curriculum plans. One of my favorite sites is Homeschool Giveaway & Freebies. And of course, you can find my printables here and here.

 

Laminating and Sheet Protectors

You can easily reuse printables by laminating them or placing them in sheet protectors. You’ll save time, paper, and ink by not reprinting them for each kid. Use dry erase markers and simply wipe them off when you’re done. Sometimes different brands of markers and crayons can be more difficult to remove. If that’s the case, Expo Dry Erase Board Cleaner gets the job done. Surprisingly, Crayola was the worst for dry erase crayons, but my kids still loved them.

 

Buy and Sell Used Curriculum and Supplies

I love saving money by shopping at used curriculum sales. This is a great way to save money, but it’s also very easy to waste a lot of money if you’re not careful. Learn more about saving money at used curriculum sales.

One of the perks of using a curriculum that doesn’t have that many consumables is the ability to resell the program when you’re done. If you have a decent local homeschool community, you’ll likely find a few local Facebook groups that allow members to sell used curriculum. If you don’t have much of a local community, there are nationwide sales groups on Facebook too. Once you’ve been homeschooling a few years, you may end up with enough to sell to get your own table at a used curriculum sale!

 

Budget Throughout the Year

Budgeting won’t necessarily save money, but it will help you have the money ready for when you need it. Budgeting will allow you to save up over time to afford more costly items when it’s time to go shopping. We’ve been budgeting for almost a decade now, so it was only natural to include homeschool curriculum as a budget item once we started homeschooling. Learn more about budgeting for homeschool expenses.

 

Use the Library

If you choose a literature based homeschool curriculum, you’re likely looking at buying a huge pile of books. While these programs are easy to resell and retain a high value, you can also save money by using your library. Look to see what books are needed in the program description and check your library to see if they have them. Check used bookstores for books that your library doesn’t carry. You can buy an instructor’s manual from the curriculum publisher and get the books from the library or a used bookstore. Once you purchase the instructor’s guide, you’ll be able to see the order in which you’ll need the books. Make sure you request the books from the library ahead of time just in case there’s a wait list. This is not my favorite way to save money because I’m just not that organized to request books in time, but many people manage to make it work for them.

 

Combine Your Kids in Some Subjects

If your kids aren’t too far apart in age, they can often be combined in the same level for some subjects. This is also a huge time saver for larger families. It’s easier to combine kids as a way to save money when you choose a curriculum that doesn’t have too many consumables. If the curriculum you choose relies heavily on workbooks, then you’ll still have to buy workbooks for each kid. History, science, geography, and literature selections are great subjects for combining kids.

 

Do NOT Save Money on Homeschooling by Stealing

It makes me sad that I have to say this, but I’ve seen enough to know that it is, unfortunately, necessary. Curriculum publishers and content creators outline exactly how a family can use their programs. Most allow families to reproduce pages for use in their own families while forbidding reproduction for reselling and sharing outside the family. Look at details to make sure you use the curriculum within their terms of use. And yes, this applies to free resources too. Even though I love saving money, it’s important to do so ethically.

What are your favorite ways to save money on homeschooling? Leave a comment to share your tips!

Related Posts:

How to Create a Homeschool Budget – Free Printable

Homeschooling – Tips to Get Started

How to Choose Homeschool Curriculum