Running a homeschool for all your children can become a bit of a costly affair if you are not careful about just where you spend your money. Here are some tips that can help you be thrifty without affecting the quality of care that you pass on to your young ones. Some staples in a child’s life just have to be bought but for most of these there are alternatives that you can use.
Books
Get books from second hand stores so that you spend less on them. Switch your attention to the eworkbooks that are usually offered free online. Many of them can be used with a few minor changes to accommodate your style of teaching. Don’t buy reference books, visit the library for accessing them. Reuse textbooks for all the children so ensure that they are kept in good shape with no pen or pencil markings to help preserve them longer. Storage also plays an important role in preserving books to be used in the homeschool.
Clothes
For some reason the month you decide to buy children new clothes is the month their bodies decide to grow a couple of inches. Again bargain hunting for children’s clothes during seasonal sales is a good way to keep clothing costs down. To get good discounts buy winter wear in summer and vice versa. Buy durable materials which will hold up well to wash and wear repeatedly. Hand me downs can also be spruced up with some extra frills and lace for girls, while patches of favorite movie characters may do the trick for boys.
Toys
As far as possible don’t buy any new toys. Home made toys that you sit down and make with your children can provide just as much fun as store bought toys. Ensure that you ask grandparents, uncles and aunts to fund the toys in your homeschool. You will save a ton of money and gifts will be eagerly anticipated by the children. Try not to insist on only educational toys as gifts. The kids won’t be harmed if they play with a toy that serves no educational purpose but is only entertaining in nature.
