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
Easter and Valentine’s Day. The barrage of gift ideas in the stores and the mounds of chocolate and candies are a little overwhelming. Personally, we don’t need any more stuffed animals, chocolates, or any other type of candy. And our budget definitely doesn’t need the cost.
So, for Valentine’s Day and Easter, I’ve taken to putting together inexpensive little gift bags or baskets for the kids, usually containing items that they don’t get very often.
This year’s Valentine’s gift bags cost me less than $5/each:
$1.00 – a bucket of sidewalk chalk
$2.50 – a small notebook in child’s favorite color
$ .20 – a mechanical pencil in child’s favorite color (this was actually a multi-color, multi-pack that I split between the kids based on colors)
$ .50 – a bag of M&Ms
$ .14 – valentine’s gift bag (50% off regular price of 25 cents)
———————
$4.20 – Total for each child’s Valentine’s gift
Basically, I look for small, inexpensive things that the kids don’t usually get, but would like. This year, we were down to the last piece of sidewalk chalk and it has caused some friction between the kids, so when I saw little chalk buckets for a $1 each at Walgreens I picked them up. Small writing notebooks are always popular with my kids; they like to have little books to draw and write in. We go through pens and pencils like crazy around here, so the kids are also always happy to get a new pen or pencil in their favorite color.
Part of the joy is getting something special, but part of it is in the customization and the presentation. It’s always a special, secret thing to get the Valentine’s gift bag or an Easter basket; it’s shrouded in mystique and wonder for a time before hand.
Each gift bag/basket is similar to the others, but customized for that child. Little notebooks and pens/pencils are always in their favorite colors (pink, red, blue, and yellow or teal) and designs and games match their interests. It helps keep things even, but yet each child knows I was thinking especially of them when I put it together.
In the past, gift bags and basket items have included a combination of:
bubbles
pens, pencils, or markers in the child’s favorite color
travel or card games
small crafts or craft items
art supplies
stickers
seeds, a small pot, and a small bag of potting soil
small notebooks or journal books
play dough or modeling clay
small puzzles or puzzle books
special food treats of favorite snack foods (pretzels, Goldfish, M&Ms, or a few Hershey’s Kisses, etc.)
I’ve found good treats at the pharmacy stores (Walgreens, CVS, Longs, etc), the dollar stores, thrift stores, and even the grocery store. Sometimes if I plan ahead of time, I’ll head to Hobby Lobby, Michael’s, or Target and look through the little craft items they might have.
Overall I’m looking for inexpensive, but practical and engaging gifts, that allow my kids to be creative in their play without adding more clutter into our home or excess sugar into our diets (we have enough as it is).
My husband loves Filet Mignon, grilled to perfection. Tender, juicy, and flavorful. But it costs a small fortune to go out to type of restaurant that serves Filet Mignon the way he likes it. Thankfully, it’s really simple to cook.
So, three times a year on very special occasions – Valentine’s Day, my husband’s birthday, and our Anniversary – I splurge and make it for him. We are on a tight budget and dining out at expensive restaurants are no longer part of the budget. So, for a fraction of the cost, this simple, but delicious at-home meal is usually my gift to him for special occasions.
Menu Filet Mignon, marinated in Teriyaki sauce and grilled
Chicken breasts marinated in Teriyaki sauce and grilled
Baby red potatoes, steamed and drizzled with garlic butter
Steamed fresh asparagus
Fresh Fruit
Salad
Garlic bread or bread rolls
Shopping List Filet Mignon (Beef tenderloin)
Boneless, Skinless Chicken breasts
Your favorite Teriyaki marinade (we like Lawry’s)
Baby red potatoes
Asparagus, preferably fresh
Favorite fresh fruit currently in season
Green salad mix
Garlic bread or bread rolls (or make your own)
(I’m assuming you have butter/margarine and garlic powder/salt on hand)
Instructions 1. Prepare meat, trimming off any excess fat with kitchen scissors, and marinate for at least an hour (longer if you can).
2. Prepare baby red potatoes for steaming. I prefer to leave as much skin on as possible, just trimming off the eyes as desired.
3. Place potatoes in a steam basket and steam until fork tender. (time varies, but it usually is 30-50 min for me depending on how big the potatoes are.)
4. Prepare asparagus for steaming. (Snap the asparagus stalks and place in steaming basket, and set aside until the last 10-15 minutes)
5. Heat grill to medium-hot temperature.
6. Cook meat to desired doneness (we do 10 minutes on each side), baste with marinate sauce before and after you flip the meat.
7. When the potatoes are fork-tender, place in a bowl and drizzel with a little garlic butter (butter/margarine melted and mixed with garlic and salt – to taste).
8. 10-15 minutes before meat is done, steam the aspargus, prepare the fruit, and make up the salad. Garlic bread goes into the oven or bread rolls get popped into the microwave for a reheat.
Serve!
Cost
It used to be that we could make this for just the two of us. Chicken for the kids and I, and steak and chicken for him, but now the kids love this steak as well, so I make it for all six of us. Even for six of us, it costs less than it would for just two of us in a restaurant.
Here was our cost break down for this year’s Valentine’s Day meal for 6:
$20.25 – 3 pieces of Filet Mignon ($8.99/lb at Sam’s Club – I cut each piece in half and butterfly cut it)
$6.00 – 3 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breasts ($1.99/lb)
$2.00 – Marinade
$5.98 – 2 lbs of asparagus
$3.00 – baby red potatoes
$2.00 – fresh fruit
$2.00 – Salad mix
$1.50 – garlic bread
—————–
$42.73 – Total for a steak and chicken meal for six
If I were going to make just for my husband and I, then here’s the cost breakdown:
$6.50 – 1/2 lb of Filet Mignon (Beef tenderloin) (1/2 lb at $12.99/lb from butcher)
$2.00 – 1/2 lb of boneless skinless chicken breast (1/2 lb at $4.00/lb from butcher)
$2.00 – marinade
$2.99 – 1 lb Asparagus (on sale or from can)
$1.00 – baby red potatoes
$1.00 – fresh fruit
$2.00 – salad mix
$1.50 – garlic bread
———————
$18.99 – Total for a steak and chicken meal for two
Actually, this is high. To get the best price and save money, I usually buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts when they are on sale, and freeze them in meal/portion sizes for later. And, sometimes I will buy the 3 pack of tenderloin from Sam’s Club at the lower price and freeze the other two pieces in separate bags, so I have it on hand for the next special occasion. Same for the marinade, I usually have it on hand, purchased on sale, and for two people, a bottle goes a long ways.
So typically, using these money saving techniques, I can make this special meal for about $15, about a third of what it would cost the two of us to eat out, and Greg gets his favorite meal – cooked the way he likes it!
Anyway, if you are looking for a yummy, special occasion dinner, this works for us. And, with the grilled, lean meats, veggies, and fruit, it’s healthy too!
Q: Where is the best place to buy used curriculum?
A: The BEST place really depends on what curriculum you are looking for. And it is not always best to buy used curriculum. Now, having said that, being on a budget, I often buy homeschool books, curriculum, and resources used. Here are a few of the places I have found good deals:
Other homeschoolers I know – homeschoolers tend to clean off their shelves as their children move on to other phases or as they realized that the curriculum they have isn’t going to work for their situation. If I hear of someone saying they are going to sell something, my ears perk up.
Garage sales – Sales held by homeschoolers and former teachers or teachers who are switching from one grade to another can be gold mines for books, manipulatives, and curriculum. Homeschoolers will often post on their email support groups if they are selling curriculum at their garage sale. Some will offer a “pre-sale” time for fellow homeschoolers.
Email Support Groups – Other homeschoolers are great resources for finding used curriculum. Rules vary depending on the email support group. One of ours locally allows for curriculum sales to be posted once a month, another is open to whenever someone has a list of things they are selling. Generally, I’ve found that people clean out their curriculum in the spring and late fall, when they are preparing for the next term.
eBay – July and early-August are the absolute best times to find curriculum on eBay, but you can find things year around. I’ve purchased used Sonlight curriculum, books, and my copy of the Robinson Curriculum through eBay. Also used eBay to shop around for Teaching Textbooks before I decided to go ahead and buy it new. On eBay, It’s best to know what you are looking for – and to be both specific and general in your search criteria, otherwise you’ll miss opportunities. (NOTE: A couple years ago, eBay banned the sale of teachers manuals on eBay to prevent students from getting the answer books – and other reasons. So you won’t find teacher’s editions there, but you will find other homeschool curricula and books)
VegSource- The homeschool swap boards on Vegsource is a great place to find used and new curriculum, but you need to shop a bit to find what you are looking for. (Look on the left hand column for the ”Items for Sale” categories.) One thing that is nice about Vegsource is that most of the sales are “ppd” which means the price includes postage. But not all, so watch and be sure you understand the terms. The transactions are conducted via email and person to person. I’ve picked up books, Apologia Astronomy, and a few other items there.
Used shelves at the local homeschool store – If you have a local homeschool store, they will often either have a used curriculum section or will have used curriculum events. Be sure to ask and see what might be available in your area.
Homeschool conventions – When I go to homeschool conventions, I’ll usually check out the used homeschool curriculum event. Not sure if all conventions do this, but the ones I’ve been to have had some sort of used curriculum event. I’ve picked up some great deals here too, especially books and my son’s electricty experiment kit.
Other sources exist, but I’ve not had any direct experience with them:
HSLDA’s Curriculum Market – came about after eBay banned the sale of teacher’s manuals. I have not used this site, but it might be worth looking into.
Sonlight Forums Used Curriculum – You have to be a member of the Sonlight Forums to find and view the Used Curriculum for Sale area. But If you are using or interested in Sonlight, this may be a good choice, I’ve not used it though, as I tend to get my used Sonlight books from other homeschoolers and from eBay.
If you have experience buying homeschool curriculum from one of these or another site, please share in the comments, or write about it on your blog and post a link here. Thanks!
As I mentioned earlier, two different friends, two different circumstances, both asked me about online safety this week. Right now, we are not using any parental controls, or other online safety products. Just education, discussion, and lots of monitoring of computer usage. Because this is a big issue for many families and very scary, I would love to hear from other families as to what you are doing or any products you have found useful (or not).
Please post a comment and share with us what your family is doing as far as online safety for your kids – or write about it on your blog (and share the link with us here), so that we can all learn from each other.
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