Planning the Homeschool Year: Counting the Cost

I don’t know about you, but in our neck of the woods it’s back to school season. This month, public school buses will go chugging down the street, ready to pick up those eager (at least for the first week) children. While we don’t have to be on the curb at the crack of dawn or make sure our children have their lunch money, we do need to plan out our coming year of homeschooling.

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While public education is fairly inexpensive, with very little directly coming out of our pockets each year, homeschooling rests solely on the shoulders of mom and dad’s budget. When planning the upcoming homeschool year, it is always best to count the cost.

Free Homeschool Options

Free is nice. It’s even better when it’s something you can use and need. Here are a few resources for free homeschooling:

• Charter Schools, such as K12 – Government-funded, home-based, private school programs. Usually this covers all curriculum, materials, and field trips. (As a Christian home schooling family, we are hesitant to endorse this option, but it is viable. We understand the draw of not only receiving curriculum, but also supplies for free, however the drawback of arbitrary state requirements and the inability to count Christian materials cannot be overstated.)
•  Easy Peasy All-In-One Homeschool – A complete, free, online, Christian homeschool for your family’s needs. Easy Peasy covers every subject for every grade level.

Moderate Homeschool Options

If you’re looking for a little more variety, but aren’t ready to break the bank, you might consider these options:

• Buy From a Materials Display – Companies frequently offer sales during the summer months (back-to-school season) to encourage buyers to purchase.
• Buy Used – There are forums to help aid families in the selling and buying of materials from other homeschooling families.
• Share Curriculum – Trade or share curriculum with another homeschooling family. Perhaps one family could history, while another science. There’s no need to purchase both when you’re working together.
• Don’t Buy Boxed Curriculum – Buying everything in one package can be pricey. Consider purchasing just what you need, not everything.

Investment Homeschool Options

• College Prep Textbooks – If you have children in higher grades, these materials tend to be more pricey. However, the potential college credits make it worth the investment.
• Reusable Materials – More expensive textbooks (biology, chemistry, etc.) and resources, such as microscopes, are a hit to the wallet, but well worth the money spent. You will use them more than once, and they have great resale value.
• Boxed Curriculum – Sometimes it’s worth it to buy the whole program. You get everything from reading materials to craft supplies. You don’t need to shop for anything. The time saved in looking, shopping, and the reuse of said materials is also worth considering.

Homeschooling doesn’t have to be expensive. Pray about your homeschooling needs, asking God to show you how to best use your resources. Do a little online research about options available to you, and make an investment into your children’s future. Then, let the adventure begin!

“Better is the little that the righteous has than the abundance of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous.”
Psalm 37:16-17

Time to Chime In: Does your family have an annual homeschooling budget? Share with us how you determine your budget and how it is best spent! We’d love to hear your thoughts.

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