In a recent discussion with another homeschool mom, I realized that she and I had opposite approaches to spending our homeschool dollars.  She spends the majority of her homeschool budget on curriculum and I spend the majority of ours on classes, activities, and sports. So that led me to wondering about how different families spend their homeschooling dollars and the pros and cons of different approaches.

Our homeschool budget is loosely made up of the following categories. We use outside classes and activities to teach things I’m not strong in – languages, art, music, etc. So, over 70% of our homeschool budget goes towards those categories. I spend about $500/yr on curriculum, books, and supplies for four kids – trading the time and energy needed for using used, low-cost, or self-developed curriculum for cost savings, so I can spend our dollars in these other areas.  

Where do you spend the majority of your Homeschool dollars?

Homeschool Budget Categories

Supplies
  Curriculum/Books
  Art Supplies (for lapbooks and craft projects)
  Paper and Office supplies
  Science experiment/project supplies

Auto (Gas & Toll fees for classes, activities, and field trips)

Memberships
  HSLDA
  Support Group
  Museums
 
Academic Classes
  Registration Fees
  Latin
  Spanish
  Sign Language
  Other Classes

Sewing
  Lessons
  Supplies

Art
  Lessons
  Supplies

Music
  Instrument rental/purchase
  Music Lessons
  Recital fees/uniform

Sports/Athletics
  Sport registration fees (baseball, basketball, football, etc.)
  Lesson fees (dance, gymnastics, ice skating, etc.)
  Uniform/Equipment
  Extra costs (snacks, pictures, recital fees, etc)

Cub Scouts
  Registration
  Additional expenses