Many are asking – Is Homeschooling Expensive?
Homeschooling can indeed be very expensive. It can also cost very little. It depends on what costs a school education in terms of equipment, time and effort. Here are some things to keep in mind as you explore the question – Is homeschooling expensive?
- Do not try to keep up with the neighbors. If you choose a program for your child, competition with other students at home can be counterproductive. The fact that your neighbor spent $575 on her program this semester (and yes, some programs cost that much or more) does not mean you have to spend $700.
- Think of quality, not quantity. Most books and materials are expensive, but more is not necessarily better. Depending on your child’s learning style, you can get more out of a nature walk, which does not cost the same as a lesson with multiple books and worksheets. In other words, you do not necessarily need all these “tricks”. For example, mathematical manipulations can be very expensive. But you may be able to create your own or hire someone.
Sometimes, quality costs. For example, teaching art to your child can interfere with your ability to get cheap supplies. The same applies to the material needed in some other subjects.
- Time is money. Homeschooling becomes expensive when the parent who teaches it devotes those hours to planning and teaching, rather than earning money. Some families manage to share education and income so that both parents share the school and thus make school education cheaper.
- Remember free resources. The internet and your local library are invaluable in saving money for your homeschool program. Discover as many books as you can and ask your librarians to help you build a collection of books for a unit study or other thematic lesson.
In addition, your local community or homeschooling group can regularly organize gifts for books in which you can donate and/or collect all kinds of books and materials for free. August and January are common moments for these events, but they often occur at other times. Engage in your homeschool community to learn more about these types of sales and gifts.
- Join other students at home or another group. This can be a great way to save money – you can get group rates for excursions and many home teachers can lend or donate their materials or programs. They can also give you an overview of book sales and events.
Is Homeschooling expensive? It can be with all things considered but there are certainly ways to keep the cost down.