Have you considered educating your children at home but wonder how to afford homeschooling? It’s easier than many people think it is, and it is possible for you to teach your kids at home for an affordable price.
I feel like there are very few disadvantages of homeschooling. If you feel like you want to pull your child out of the public school system, and private school is not an option for you either, you might be trying to figure out the cost of homeschooling to see if the best decision for your child’s education is at home.
When I first started homeschooling we didn’t have a lot of money. In our first year of homeschooling I quickly learned that you don’t need a lot of extra income to make it work. There are many helpful homeschooling resources out there to assist you in beginning your journey in a cheap and frugal way.
No matter what age your children are, there are budget friendly ways to homeschool.
WAYS TO AFFORD HOMESCHOOLING
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CURRICULUM
When it comes to expenses during the school year, curriculum is the biggest cost, and maybe the first thing you need to purchase. However, it doesn’t have to be. There are cheap and even free resources for homeschool families. Families who don’t have a lot of money or even people like single moms who are on a very tight budget because they only have a single income may benefit from cheaper options or even free curriculum.
One of the most popular homeschooling curriculums that is free is called Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool. I’ve had friends who have used this curriculum for their children and have been very happy with it. If you need a completely free homeschool curriculum, Easy Peasy may be a good option.
This year I’m using Schoolhouse Teachers and the two main reasons I chose this curriculum is because I believe it’s quality education, but also it’s affordability. I was able to pay only $200 dollars for multiple kids for two years which means that next year I won’t have to pay for them to continue. They did have a deal going on at the time of my purchase, so be sure to watch out for a sale that may fit nicely into your homeschool budget as that is an excellent way to cut costs. I have older kids and I feel this fits our needs, with very user-friendly lesson plans and a variety of courses to pick from.
Since we are talking about free, check out this site called Free Homeschool Deals. You’ll find free printables and other things there you could use for homeschooling.
Khan Academy is another free educational site. Resource centers like this one will save you a ton of money.
If you enjoy a more conservative, christian homeschool program, you can try Christian Light, or Rod and Staff. These curriculums depict a Mennonite lifestyle. We’ve used both and we enjoyed them. The Rod and Staff especially are cheap options that I used for the early years, like kindergarten. I truly believe you don’t need to spend a lot of extra money in those early years when you have younger children. If you have a limited budget but want some workbooks, these programs are a viable option.
Online programs often can be cheaper because they aren’t producing textbooks. If you don’t mind online classes, this can be a great idea. While the affordable ones often don’t have a live teacher, there are many quality programs out there online.
Some people like to arrange a homeschool co-op, where they offer different classes one afternoon a week. All the parents teach something different. So, if you want your child to take art classes, but you don’t want to buy a whole curriculum, and maybe don’t feel too confident about teaching art, a homeschool co-op might be the best way to do this.
Another great way to find cheap curriculum is to check out the thrift stores. While you do have to be ready to search, every now and then you get lucky and find something. I’ve found a few homeschool books I’ve used again and again at secondhand stores.
You can always use your local library to supplement your homeschool resources. One of the most effective ways to get free books (at least temporarily) is the library. Sometimes they even have boxes of free books they are trying to get rid of.
EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
Some of the costs of homeschooling include various activities like music lessons, field trips, swimming lessons, and more. Homeschool parents want to be able to offer these activities for their children, but since they aren’t in school, there are no extracurriculars they can just participate in while at school for free.
There are some creative ways to give school-aged children some extracurricular fun without having to take on another full-time job to fund it.
A great resource is often your local homeschool community. There are many Facebook groups for this kind of thing and they often list activities that may be offered in the area at a discounted price for those who are participating in home education. For example, this season we are taking swimming lessons that are below the average price because our community pool offers a discount for homeschool families when we rent the whole pool for an afternoon.
When it comes to field trips the same idea applies. There are places like zoos, museums, and more that will offer a discounted price to homeschoolers.
What about something like music lessons? Well, is there a way you can barter? If there’s a music teacher in your homeschool group, could they teach your kids and you can offer a service in return?
SCHOOL SUPPLIES
First of all, you probably won’t need as many school supplies as you would if your child was going to school. Sure, you’ll need pencils and paper, but you may not need that second pair of shoes that can only be used indoors, or that fancy new lunch box because you are no longer packing school lunches.
You probably won’t need to spend as much on clothes because kids often don’t care about the latest fashion trends when they aren’t at school. And no more handing out weekly money for pizza day, or buying a new hat for crazy hat day. This is one area you can save so much money. As a homeschool mom you won’t have to worry about these things anymore!
You can check for school supplies at places like the thrift store, but what you can’t get there you can buy at budget stores when they are on sale.
WILL THE COST OF HOMESCHOOLING CHANGE AS THE KIDS GET OLDER?
It can, but again, it doesn’t have to. Many of the free and budget homeschooling options are for any grade level so you can keep teaching all through high school without needing to take out a second mortgage!
That being said, it can become more costly as the kids get older, if that’s the route you choose. We’ve had years it’s costed a little more as the kids got older, but that’s because there was a certain homeschool curriculum I wanted. The truth is I could have taught my kids for free if I really wanted to!
ARE THERE PROGRAMS TO HELP FUND YOUR KIDS’ EDUCATION?
It depends where you live. There is state funding or state grants for the homeschool family in some areas, but others don’t offer it. I am in Canada and there is no homeschool funding where I am. That being said, because there is no funding I do find the majority of our country to be very homeschool friendly. If you feel like it’s the best education for your family, our local school district is fairly supportive of it.
HOMESCHOOLING IS POSSIBLE ON ANY BUDGET
There are different reasons you may choose to homeschool. The good news is it is quite affordable and knowing there are practical ways you can afford to teach your child at home should make the decision-making process a lot easier. Whether it’s your first year or last year homeschooling, consider some of the above ideas to bring down the average cost. There are plenty of online resources to help the entire family, no matter what grade or particular subject they are studying.
It’s a good idea to look into all these options and decide which one fits your budget and your family. Whether you are a single parent, a double-income house, children with special needs, or just a family who loves to be at home together, you can create a schooling plan that works for you.
