Our state is one of the few that charge book rental (and many other) fees. We have been officially been homeschooling a 6th, 4th, 3rd and 1st grader this year. Whenever the local paper prints what the fee schedule is for the public elementary school, I cringe. We would be spending a fortune to send our children.
How do we manage to spend so little?
Library
Not only do we visit our library in our county, we also are members of the library in the next county. This library is part of a group of libraries across our state that share materials with each other. By paying $30/year, I have access to books from many, many libraries. I can put them on hold through the computer system and go to the branch close to me to pick them up. I prefer this to interlibrary loan, which I sometimes had to pay per book for. The policy of our country library for interlibrary loan also limited the check out duration. Once my library receives it, it is checked out to me — even if it will be a few days before I can drive into the town to pick it up. Living rurally means we only make a trip into town once a week (which also saves gas money!). No longer are we skipping books from our curriculum because the one local library doesn’t have it. I am also saving on late fees because I can renew books online as well. We love our library!
Librivox
In addition to the books we read, we love to listen to books as well. One of our favorite places to find audio books — for free! — is Librivox. All of the books are recorded by volunteers. You may find you have a preference for some of the readers over others. We have found some books have more than one version, so you can listen to your preferred reader. There are many search options to find just the audiobook you are looking for by title, author, reader or genre. I usually download the full book using the zip file option. You can also listen directly from the site. Downloading lets me add books to my eldest daughter’s iPod. She is an audio learner so this is perfect for her. Books that I would assign for literature or history, she listens to.
Non-consumable and curricula
Nearly all of our curriculum that we buy (often used!) is non-consumable. What does that mean? Non-consumable means no workbooks that are written in and used once. If there is something on paper, much of what we use has a disc to print it ourselves. I only print what we need- certain pages in the number of copies needed. Our history choices: Mystery of History and TruthQuest History, are non-consumable and taught to a range of ages at one time. What we use for science is much the same. Apologia and Supercharged Science are both non-consumable and for a range of ages. The main resources we use for math are digital with student pages to be printed as needed. I could be even more frugal and only print this once, putting the paper in a page protector. My learner would then write their answers on a separate sheet in a notebook.
Stocking up during back-to-school sales
Back to school sales are for everyone! We take advantage of the deals for writing utensils (crayons, pens, pencils and colored pencils), paper (spiral notebooks and loose-leaf) and glue sticks. Who can pass up 19 cent notebooks?! I keep these in a few banker boxes and only give them to my children as they need them. If I handed them over at the beginning of the year, we’d be out by December. Pencils and crayons don’t seem to disappear as quickly when you only have a small portion to be responsible for.
lifestyle learning/hands-on real-life options
We homestead which means chores. The children take part in many of these chores. Math and science activities are the easiest to incorporate. When we gather eggs, the five year old helps to count them. When we unload all the bags of feed mixed at the co-op, the middle girls figure how many barrels we will fill. Before we head out to place the order, the eldest works on ratios and percents as we figure how much of each grain, etc. will be mixed. There are also numerous opportunities in the kitchen. Matching socks and sorting clothes are great activities for younger children to both help and practice what they are learning. When you incorporate learning opportunities into your daily life – taking advantage of your regular activities – it’s a win-win!
So many freebies to download
I find freebies from both dedicated sites that share deals and freebies and publisher’s sites. Hands of a Child has a free lapbook available which changes usually once a year and a $5 option that changes weekly. Sign up for Bright Ideas Press’s blog – they offer a monthly geography lesson or notebooking page. A Journey Through Learning has a free lapbook when you sign up for their newsletter and periodic freebies. Homeschool Freebie of the Day regularly points you to freebies. CurrClick has a weekly freebie as well as other opportunities throughout the year.
Reviewing and giveaways
Last, but not least, the Schoolhouse Review Crew. Were it not for this great group, the items we are blessed with, and the reviews I get to write, our homeschool would not be the same. I have also won great curricula items through giveaways (it truly pays for the few minutes it takes to fill in those forms!). Follow the curricula providers you like and watch for the opportunities. You’ll find out about sales when they happen, any freebies offered and of course, giveaways. There are giveaways throughout the year that someone will win — why not you!
If your budget is small (or nonexistent) don’t despair! Utilizing just one of the things we use will help. When we save in one or two areas, it allows us the flexibility to spend more in a more critical area. We have saved a lot through the means mentioned above, and have been able to purchase other curriula as needed.
I am joining in the Schoolhouse Review Crew’s Blog Cruise. The Cruise embarks Tuesday morning, May 7th. Find more tips and frugal finds here.
