Monday, August 17, 2009

Homeschooling on a budget

1. Assess the basic workbooks (math, spelling); decide what worked last year and what did not.

2. Go through the catalogues and make a wish list of books and sources we'd like to try.

3. Add up the total cost.

4. Get on the internet and look for used editions of wish list books and sources.

5. Pare down wish list.

6. Add up total cost of used editions.
**
7. Add up the cost of the wedding tuxes, the children's clothes, and the gifts for the wedding.... (Coming up in October)

9. Hike out to the quanset hut to look through the book bins stored out there.

10. Realize we already own enough materials to educate a third-world country.

11. Research how to sell some of the extra books on E-Bay.*

12. Use the money to buy wish-list items to add to the pile gleaned from books we already have for this year.*

13. Take some time to meander through this terrific list of online homeschooling resources, check out these free resources from Catholic Heritage Curricula, and peruse this free online Catholic Charlotte Mason curriculum.*
14. Download some inexpensive online books, especially this Guardian Angel coloring book.*

*Haven't done these things yet. If you don't see much of me this week, you know what I'll be doing!

** The Bicentennial Lincoln Penny; so many of us are pinching ours that there has been little call for them to be put into circulation. I haven't seen one of these yet, have you?

10 comments:

  1. Have you been spying on me?!!! Same thing going on here, totally!

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  2. Oh my gosh...you have a lot on your platter. (More than usual it looks like. But good stuff- yes?)

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  3. This was just the post I needed to read Lisa. I'm trying to figure out what we'll really need this year to keep on budget.
    Thanks for all thetips.
    By the way there is an award waiting for you over at my blog :)
    xx

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  4. Lisa, we like selling books on Amazon..The only thing is the shipping, you may not get full price for that..It's worth checking out.

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  5. Just wanted to let you know that your comment on one of my posts has been featured at http://poncer.blogspot.com/2009/08/spanning-globe-to-bring-you-constant.html

    Thanks for your insights, by the way. I tried to respond in the comments and realized it was probably an entire post.

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  6. Lisa, you are a busy mom! My hat goes off to you! I don't know that I would have had the patience. I do hope that you find time once in a while to keep us up on what is going on with the "littles" miles of smiles!

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  7. I have been a teacher for 11 years, and some of my classes have reached 29 students. (This year I am starting with 20!!!) I have always marveled at the abilities of homeschool moms. This post verifies that. Admittedly, we are pinching pennies at my school, too. And more cuts are coming...

    Enjoy this school year!

    Do you have any kids who would enjoy a factoring game? I have one I love, and I could copy it for you. I used it in fifth (I'm moving to fourth this year), and my friend teaches HS and she has used it. Let me know!

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  8. a new penny??

    geez. I'm having a hard time recognizing American money these days....

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  9. I wonder if we all lived our lives in this way -- you know prior to our economic collapse -- would we really be in this mess we are in now? Probably not.

    Thanks for the inspiration -- talk about having the answer right in front of you -- sometimes we imperfect human beings just don't take the time to look around.

    Hugs!

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  10. I always admire those who home school . . . especially you since you seem to do it well.

    I have often said that if you lived closer I would send my boys to you for school. Without a doubt.

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