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Posted by singlemom
November 30, 2008 |
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As a single mother, you may be wondering whether or not you can afford to homeschool. This is a very important consideration. All I can say is that, as a very-very low-income family, I have homeschooled both of my daughters for almost 10 years. It can be done affordably.
Here are my best tips for saving money on supplies:
- Projection is key for me here. I do not necessarily only buy for the current year. I will buy for future years.
- By doing this, I can get some very good deals. For instance, one year I purchased 10 (12-packs) of pencils for .10 each. $1.00 for 120 pencils is a really great price.
- The above deal was at Rite Aid a few years ago, during a clearance sale not long after school began. I bought them out.
- Consider keeping a list of the number of each supply that you may need each year that you homeschool. In doing this and purchasing when you have the extra cash during clearance and at back-to-school sales, then you may find that you do not have to purchase much in later years. (For example, I have an over abundance of binders and index dividers, and haven’t had to purchase any for the last couple of years.) You may want to record what you believe that you will need in a small notebook, crossing them off as you finish purchasing enough of each item.
- Take what you can get for free. (Another example, a friend once brought me a whole box of binders. His boss was cleaning/reorganizing the office and no longer wanted them. He asked my friend if he knew anyone who could use them, and my friend told him that I could use them because I homeschool.)
- Check out thrift shops, and yard and garage sales, for supplies. A bunch of crayons, markers, pens or notebooks will come in handy. And don’t forget about tacks, rubber bands, coloring books, craft supplies, etc.
- You can only really stock up if you have the room. I have a small plastic drawer unit that sits on my stand. It has three drawer: One for pencils, one for markers and one for crayons. The drawers can be taken out when children are coloring.
Here are my best tips for saving money on materials:
- Again, purchase at clearance prices whenever possible.
- My website, The Homeschool Mom of 2, has a page for saving money on materials by purchasing used, as well as helpful links. The same site also has a page of resources for single mothers who homeschool or wish to.
- Borders is a great store. The one that I visit in Bangor, Maine, has many clearance priced books outside and in the door area. I have purchased $20.00 - $30.00 books for as little as $2.99.
- Used book stores are wonderful for getting cheap books, as are thrift shops.
- Library sales are also great.
- As are garage/yard-sales and flea markets.
- You can find a lot of stuff online, for free.
- Amazon.com and half.com. Ebay.com.
- You will find many opportunities within your community to save money on materials.
Now I will provide you with four lists of things that I find essential to my homeschool environment. There are many other things that we use, but these are the most important of the four categories. Your lists will likely be different than mine, so these are meant to be guides only.
Essential Toys, etc. (When appropriate):
- Lego’s.
- Puzzles.
- Coloring books.
- Memory game.
- Other games, including Life, Monopoly, a deck of cards, Uno, Skipbo, The Ungame, Brain Quest, Yahtzee and dice.
- A V-Tech or other worthy “laptop” for young children - with an emphasis on educational games only. Or CD-Roms with educational games for your computer.
- A typewriter.
“Teacher” Supplies (Many of which your children will also be using.):
- Rubber bands.
- Tacks.
- Bulletin board.
- Chalk board/dry erase board.
- Chalk or dry erase markers, and an eraser.
- Paper clips.
- Stapler and staples.
- Tape and dispenser.
- A good pencil sharpener.
- Three-hole punch. One-hole punch.
- Highlighters.
- Pens.
- Copy paper, or printer paper - whichever is cheaper.
- Ink cartridges.
- Binders: 1 large one for each child.
- Index dividers, some with pockets.
- An EZ Grader.
- File folders.
- Glue sticks and glue.
- A good calculator.
- A desk and file cabinet.
- A place for books.
- Labels and reinforcements.
School Supplies:
- Glue and glue sticks.
- Crayons, markers and colored pencils.
- Pencils.
- 2 pocket portfolios with fasteners.
- Notebooks and loose-leaf paper.
- Binders and folders.
- A calculator for each child.
- Poster board.
- Construction paper.
- Drawing paper.
Materials:
- A set of encyclopedias, or Encarta (CD-Rom).
- An atlas.
- A thesaurus.
- A good dictionary.
- A globe.
- Maps: US, World and your state map.
- Books for each class.
- Books at and just above each child’s reading level.
- Specific books: The Little House on the Prairie series, Little Women, Little Men, a book of poetry and other appropriate classics.
There you have it. Think about what is important to your family. What do you want your children to learn?
Shannon
P.S. Feel free to post any questions that you may have in the comments section below. Any other advice is also welcome.
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