Home School...Can I Afford It?

YES!!

I started home schooling 2 years ago. To be honest, before I started I was afraid I wouldn't be able to pay for all that I needed. I decided to do some research and began combing websites, blogs, books, and other sources to find the real cost of home schooling. To my surprise, it doesn't have to cost a lot.

There are stores and websites that sell textbook packages anywhere from $250 on up to $700. There are also private schools that have branched out to home schoolers and supply their kits for around $500 to $900.

Then there are books and websites that talk about homeschooling for free or very little money. They would have to buy school supplies, but not much more. This however involves lots of book reading, website searching, and lesson planning. I realized early on, that although you can save lots of money this way, you spend a lot of free time planning it all. I would rather spend that time with my son having fun, reading books, or crafting together.

So, with all this information, I decided to improvise! I took a little of both and ran with it. I incorporated textbook learning with some of my own planned lessons. It has worked great for us, and has saved us some money.


My first year I spent about $150 on books and school supplies. The second year I spent $180. For next year (3 months from now!), we will spend about $175.

I purchase textbooks on Amazon.com and Ebay.com. I purchase school supplies at Target when they go 50% and 75% off. And, we use the Library on a weekly basis. I do buy some books to keep at home for regular use, but only if they are on clearance, sale, or I have a coupon from the book store.

Oh, and where do I find it in our budget to buy the books? I don't! I use our income tax refund! Every year I pull out $200 from the tax refund for school books and supplies. That way it doesn't have to come out of the budget!

So....before you dismiss homeschooling because of cost, check out your options and make and informed decision. It doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg!