New to Homeschooling...

Discussion in 'Homeschooling' started by LyraJean, Dec 13, 2013.

  1. LyraJean

    LyraJean New Member

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    Hi my name is Lyra. My husband and I are looking into homeschooling. We were both raised in the public school system and decided that we don't want that for our son. Our son is two years old now.

    Our biggest hurdle is that we both work. In our current position we don't see this changing anytime soon. Are there any other homeschoolers where both parents work?

    Advice...suggestions?
     
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  3. jakk

    jakk New Member

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    Do you work alternating shifts? Do you have a grandparent or relative that can stay with the child and homeschool? With an older child you can leave them home alone but not with a younger child. I had to put my youngest in PS (2nd grade) last year because I had to work.

    We tried to keep up the pace of what he had been doing at home but I couldn't do it. Then we went to just keeping up on math and reading. I wound up quitting my job so I could be at home with her. My older daughter was home was I couldn't put my job of teaching the younger one on her when she had her own work to do.
     
  4. mom_2_3

    mom_2_3 Active Member

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    Here's a good article:

    http://www.quickstarthomeschool.com/2011/09/how-families-afford-homeschooling/

    We live on one income. I'm not gonna lie and say its easy-peasy since prices increase every year and new expenses pop up. But I will say, we have found ways to cut out what we don't need in favor of our strong desire to homeschool from k to 12.

    I don't know your circumstances but maybe think about how you might adjust your spending. Can one of you go down to part-time? Take into account the cost to work-office clothing, gas, lunches out, coffee out, etc. If you stayed home, you probably can cut most of that out. Do you have expensive entertainment bills for cable or Dish? In other words, really crunch the numbers and be honest about how much is really spent, on what and how it can be trimmed.

    Hope this helps...
     
  5. JosieB

    JosieB Active Member

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    Agreed! We've lived on unemployment income only while homeschooling. The first thing we did was cut off our cell phones and drop the dish. That saved us over $200/month right there!

    I meticulously plan our weekly menus and grocery list because it ends up saving us a ton of money! (I don't coupon, but I play the drugstore game and I shop Aldi & Sam's Club to keep the grocery bill down)

    In the winter we bundle up and build fires to keep warm instead of turning the heat up. One summer when the kids were little and our AC was broke and we were waiting for our then landlord to have it repaired, we made do with fans, a kiddie pool, time spent at grandparent's house, and trips to the local park/river.

    We raise our own chickens for eggs and meat, garden and hopefully one day will get milk goats as well. And hopefully will one day start making money of the excess...(though right now we just give away eggs and turnips and such! LOL)

    We rarely EVER buy new clothes. Almost all clothing comes from the thrift store.

    There are a MILLION ways to save money and how each family saves and how they can save the most will vary, but I think MOST (not all) families could survive off a single income IF their priorities were for the mom to stay home. We sacrifice a lot things many American don't-vacations, eating out 5 times a week, iphones, designer clothes, hobbies, girls/guys night out, buying our every whim with a credit card, etc but my hubby and I think it's worth it...

    You can also supplement your income from home. Most people can anyhow. You can make money blogging, writing, making/selling crafts, selling stock photos, helping other moms/elderly with basics (Shopping, cooking, cleaning), babysitting, using things like swagbuck/mypoints, etc What skills do you have that you can market in your town or online? Of course income will vary by skill, market and time put in. I've made anywhere from $10-$400 per month doing things listed above. Or you could go back to school to learn a new skill you could do from home (photography, medical transcription, graphic design, etc)
     
  6. crazymama

    crazymama Active Member

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    It's possible, I've heard of it, but I don't think I could do it.

    I agree with others, you really need to look at your finances and see where you can trim. When I worked I actually PAID to go to work in the end between daycare for 1 child (I have 4 now, I can't even imagine how much that could cost) and the gas to drive to and from work, and the clothes, and food for me to eat there, and a million other little things. When I quit I was making good money, hubby was making CRAZY good money and then poof he got laid off about 2 weeks after I quit. He took a lower paying job making about half of what he made and we had to quickly figure out how to live on much less. It required some hard decisions like giving up a car we owed a lot on and claiming bankruptcy to get us debt free, but we now live 100% debt free and live without things we can't afford like fancy phones and name brand clothes. The benefit to our kids to have me home is worth more than any of those things.
     
  7. my3legacies

    my3legacies Member

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    I think it COULD be done, but would be very hard. The beauty of homeschool is that it does not have to be done M-F from 9-2 or whatever. You can do homeschool in the evenings and weekends too. My husband quit work when I was preg with my daughter. The cost of daycare would be like half his salary. I work graveyard and homeschool in the mornings. My husband picks up homeschool when I need Jim too, and he is with the kids when I need to sleep. We cut down on a lot of things, but still live a comfortable life. Like others said, the cost of daycare and work expenses was just too much. Homeschool is like a second job, but one of the most rewarding jobs. If you have good time management and are diligent, I think working and homeschool IS possible.
     
  8. LyraJean

    LyraJean New Member

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    Thanks for the links. Our first step is to get our financial house in order.
     

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