I hope this isn't a rude question, but what is your budget like per year? I have just been going over the books I would like for next year and it adds up to about 150$ for one kid for a year. This is retail though, I may find it used somewhere, or borrow at the library, although a lot of it is difficult to find. I will be teaching math, science, spelling/writing/grammar, us history, us geography next year. Just wondering if this is an average amount or is it high/low?
That is about the same as mine. However, when you start adding things like piano lessons, camps, special classes, it can go higher. I'd like to think they'd be participating in the same things if they were in public school, so I often don't consider those items part of the cost of hsing. Carol
That is a tough question. A lot depends on your methods of homeschooling, kids' learning styles, what you already have at home, at the library and what's available in your area. My DH and I never sat down and declared a "specified budget" for expenses. But I do try to be conscious of our spending and try to buy items that can eventually be used for all our kids (in one fashion or another). I also try to spread it out if I can. I have spent well more than $150 per kid though if that makes you feel better....lol. My oldest is using Sonlight and that alone is more costly than many programs but it's also building our home library with good literature. I purchased all of Core 3 from them for history/readers/read alouds. For Core 4, I was a bit more selective based on our interests and did buy some books locally and ordered the rest from them. For math, we use Horizons so that I can just buy the workbooks as each child gets there (if they start to put out new editions, I'll be scrambling for workbooks to go with what I already own.) We're also moving to Rod & Staff for English. These can be used by all my kids too so that will mean I only need to buy one grade every year from now on (I already own 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th)....I've bought some new, some used, etc....just depends. Our first year, I spent LOTS more than many folks because we needed some good reference books. This next school year will be less expensive. Next year should be even cheaper....can't wait for that!
This year I will spend about $600 for the year for two kids. I also have a preschooler but won't spend nearly as much on her. My budget depends on how early I plan things and sometmes changes. I have spent as little as $150 and as much as $300 per child. I normally don't spend more than $300 per kid though. Our budget is always tight so I try to be economical without sacrificing their education.
Oh phew! I thought perhaps I was way over, even though I am trying to be as cheap yet as effective as possible. I have seen people who are able to do hs for free or almost free on various forums but their approach doesn't seem like it would suit us very well. Now I got to break the news to hubby...
I spent about that per child on curriculum for this year, however that doesn't include our arts and crafts budget which is probably about 500 per year (though not all at once) because we do a lot of art projects at this age. Also there will be other things to come up this year that will be purchased that will increase that amount but that's just part of Hs'ing.
I spent more than $300 per child for the first year (plus lots of reference books). This year, I think we'll be at about the $300 per kid including the Sonlight stuff.
This coming school year will be our first with a full set of curriculum (1st grade for my oldest), so we spent about $300. Assuming we like the curriculum we bought, we'll be able to keep the teacher's books and only have to replace the workbooks for the younger two as they come up through. But I'm guessing we'll spend about $300-$400 a year. I bought all of my books for next year out of this year's tax return. It's not the best timing for sales and such, but I wanted to get it done and over with while I knew we had the money.
For sd I think we are spending aroun $700 with books and activities (karate, co-op...) I know I spent $300 on two sets of books (new) for her. I do not normally by new but was having a hard time finding them so dh said to just get them new. I think I want to keep it around $500 or so per child once I start with dd probably in another year. We are planning on doing Sonlight too that may not happen but I always remember I can sell things when we are done.
Hehe, hubby said: Is that all? when I told him 150$. Yes, that is outside the arts and crafts budget, but our son is into drawing and making paper airplanes so it's mostly just paper. My mom has been supplying us with reference works for ages, so we have a whole set of books on animals, a world atlas, etc. I just hope we will be able to ship it without it costing an arm and a leg.
Ours is about $250 per child per year but thats not counting any etc stuff like swimming lessons, summer camp etc... Everything I get is either saved up to buy at the book fairs at a discount price minus shipping because I buy there or used book sells/online. Lots of printouts I save around $11 biweekly with coupons for grocerys that equals up to $264 a year to pay for it. Sam
My guess is that I spend about $1000 per year for DD7 and DD2. This includes everything: printer ink and paper, file folders for lapbooks, arts and crafts supplies as needed and curriculum books. DD did 2 years of work last year so I think that our budget may shrink next year!
Hehe, smart Ranchermom, about the coupons. Noone uses coupons in Norway so that is something I will have to get used to using, I guess.
Our arts and crafts budget doesn't include drawing and scrap and printer paper as we get that free from a local store that gets old dot matrix printer paper from businesses and then gives it away to members.
What a super great question! And thank you all for sharing. I was wondering this very same question. I recently went to a used curriculum event and found some good buys (plus many free things). The internet is a wonderful tool also. I needed this input from other seasoned homeschoolers so that I can have some kind of idea when husband starts asking. Greatly appreciated everyone.
I don't think that's a rude question. We try very hard to spend about $250/kid at most. My preschooler will be doing a combo of things this year (3). I'm going to use the internet for free stuff as much as possible. I also purchased a pre-reading hooked on Phonics set and 3 supplemental sets (all pre-reading) for like $20 at Big Lots. So that will be her "school". My 2nd grader will be doing First Language Lessons for a Well Trained Mind - I bought it last year for $10 on Ebay. I used ithe first half for first grade, and I'll use the 2nd half this year. His Math is Math U See which we purchased last year too - and he's still finishing this one up. So...we'll probably purchase the next book mid year - about $55 for the whole set and I'm imagining that will get us thru next year too. His Bible is Nest Family Videos and workbooks which we bought the whole bible set last year - so nothing this year! Science is Considering God's Creation - which a friend lent me both teacher and student books - so FREE! History & Geo will be our expenditure this year. We're doing Homeschool in the Woods Time Travelers - starting with Explorers (they are $28.95 each) and I bought the History Scribe Full CD last week when it was on sale for a $16 download. I bought the workbook only for Horizons Penmenship which was like $14 and for the whole year. My oldest cost us the most! I bought her Alpha Omega Lifepacs for L/A, Bible and Math. They run about $50 each (although I got a GREAT deal on the L/A used! THANK YOU!!!!). Her penmenship is $14 - Horizons again....just the workbook. She's going to do History/Geo and Sciene with my son...so it's a no brainer. I spent about $40 at the used book fair at the conference I just went to. I also will be spending about $170 for this year for a co-op for all three kids which will cover Art, Music, Gym and Spanish. So....I won't count my eldest's gymnastics as part of school (that's just TOO much!!!!). I consider that if I were sending my kids to a private school it would be about $5K a year around here! EACH!!!! So...I figure if I spend about $500 a year I'm doing great. I'm TRYING HARD to buy things that will be reusable for my youngest too. I think that I'll be able to reuse ALL of the stuff with the exception of consumables so that by the time she's in upper levels, hers will be sooooo cheap!!!! I guess I'm not including ink and paper costs....but I count that as ongoing household expenses! K
I'm in NM! We spend too much...I spend on avg. 1,000 on books alone. Then theres PE, ink, field trips, etc etc etc. We have 1 ds in school and his little brother is just finishing up kindy stuff. I consider my 2nd ds to be officially starting school in the fall. It's hard finding what you like and dont like.. we've gone through alot of books to find out what we like. We have used Sonlight and currently use Winter Promise and both of these programs cost alot. Then add in 2 math currics and geography, IEW, Science, Spelling yadda yadda yadda... It's added up quickly for us. I do get to reuse Sonlight and WP with my younger kiddos so that'll save me in the long run.
I've been averaging about $500 per year for two children just for curriculum and books. (It's actually $500 for one child, because my second child gets to reuse the materials.) My husband would be thrilled if I only spent $150. I'm going to make sure that he doesn't read this thread, lest he ask me why I can't do it for that amount! :lol:
I try too keep it between 200 - 400 per kid. Sometimes I do better somtimes worse. I am getting better at finding free stuff and using the internet worksheet sites. I think things will be much cheaper with my youngest. She will be able to reuse so much. The older girls don't learn the same so I have to do different curriculums for them, that is where our expenses is. Now if I added all my supply costs( paper, ink cartridges and all that) It would get very scary. My mom is a great help though. Even my mil supplies us with some stuff, even though she questions our decision. I gave up trying to figure her out. I purchase our stuff in several different orders to spread out the expense over the summer.
Well, we generally re used stuff so in the past I could get 3 kids for under 400, but since we shook it up a bit and got a few odds and ends that are consumables it ranges from 150 to 450 for two kids over all, thats with all my wishlists added on!
