{Day 6} How Do Families Afford Homeschooling?
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Though a rough estimate, I’d say at least half of the people who ask me about homeschooling also need advice for how to pay for it.
There are two main concerns when it comes to the ability to afford homeschooling. The first is how to buy school books for all of the children in the household. The second is how to live on one income after one parent quits a job in order to do it.
These are legitimate concerns.
Homeschooling is a major life change for many families.
It is not always an easy decision to make.
The truth is, homeschooling can be pricey, if that is how parents go about doing it. Buying extensive curriculum systems, enrolling in exclusive online schools, hiring teachers and tutors, and fully outfitting elaborate classrooms are all very expensive ways to go.
But homeschooling doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, many homeschoolers do it on a budget, and do it well too. There are hundreds of ways for homeschool families to save money, making it not only affordable but an enviable lifestyle if done correctly.
How do homeschoolers save money and afford homeschooling?
For starters, parents don’t need to drop a lot of money for homeschool materials. By buying used books or sharing with friends, school books are suddenly more affordable. By using free or inexpensive online tools (downloads, web sites, lesson plans and curriculum) the price drops even further. Supplementing these items with other goodies found on clearance and at yard sales, and homeschooling can be accomplished nicely for very little money at all. Selling materials once the year has ended makes it even easier to buy things for the following year.
As to the cost of running a household, homeschoolers are great at saving money there, too. When necessary, eating simply, clipping coupons, joining food co-ops, shopping warehouses, and starting vegetable gardens are just some of the ways families save on the food budget. Eliminating restaurants, concerts, movies and other entertainment leaves even more of the budget left over to spend in other areas. Even greater savings can come from creating more from scratch, like baked goods; cleaning products; furniture pieces; home décor; gifts for the holidays; home renovation projects; games and activities the family can do together; and just about any DIY project one can imagine. Some families also choose to downsize to a smaller home, own fewer vehicles or sell lesser-used possessions to make way for the kinds of expenses they anticipate with homeschooling. As dramatic as these changes may seem, many families don’t mind, implementing these gradually, and only as needed. Besides, most feel the rewards of homeschooling outweigh the alternatives anyway, and recognize these cut-backs as only temporary, while children are young and of school age.
When families are used to having more, living on a single income may not come easy at first. But, it may interest you to know that many single parents homeschool, too — a real testimony that it can be done. Besides, when making the comparison between working and sending children to school (or day care) and leaving a job to start homeschooling, the difference is not as dramatic as people are led to believe. Many a family has done the work of comparing the costs associated with working an extra job (transportation, wardrobe, outside meals and day care, for example) plus the costs of sending children to schools (uniforms, school lunches, school supplies, teacher gifts, classroom contributions, volunteering and more) versus the costs of actually staying home with their children. The difference, they find, is negligible at best. Those paying private school tuition quickly find the scale tipping in favor of homeschooling, as well. (See one such comparison HERE.)
Finally, working from home becomes much more attractive during the homeschool years. Budgeting time carefully and scheduling work hours around homeschool is tricky, though not impossible. Creative scheduling plus a commitment to both school and work are needed, but both will prosper if families cooperate and work together toward these combined goals. Many successful small businesses have sprouted from the kitchen tables and garages of homeschool families looking to earn extra income. As a bonus, these experiences tend to strengthen the overall homeschool experience, since children learn valuable skills this way, as well.
In my book, Suddenly Homeschooling, I detail a variety of different ways that families can make time for homeschooling and afford it, too. You’ll find tips about working part-time and telecommuting, plus lots and lots of other ideas for families to make homeschooling a part of their lives.
Dr. Marie-Claire Moreau is a college professor who traded in her tenure to become a homeschool mom 20+ years ago. A homeschooling pioneer and the founder of many groups and organizations, she works to advance home education, and is an outspoken supporter of education reform coast to coast. Her book, Suddenly Homeschooling: A Quick Start Guide to Legally Homeschool in Two Weeks, is industry-acclaimed as it illustrates how homeschooling can rescue children and families from the public school system, and how anyone can begin homeschooling within a limited time-frame, with no teaching background whatsoever. A liaison for regional school-to-home organizations, a homeschool leader, and a women’s life coach, Marie-Claire mentors in a variety of areas that impact health, education and lifestyle. A conference speaker, she has appeared at FPEA, H.E.R.I., Home Education Council of America, The Luminous Mind, Vintage Homeschool Moms, iHomeschool Network, and many other events. Her articles have appeared in and on Holistic Parenting, CONNECT, Homefires, Homemaking Cottage, Kiwi, Circle of Moms, and hundreds of sites and blogs nationwide. Marie-Claire can be reached at contactmarieclaire@gmail.com.
