7 Ways to Save Money When Homeschooling Your Kids
Are you having a hard time staying within your homeschool budget? The cost of supplies and curriculum for different grade levels can add up fast. For homeschooling parents looking to save money without skimping on necessary school supplies and books for their kids, check out these tips on how you can get everything you need while staying on budget.
How to Save Money When Homeschooling Your Kids
1. Use Rewards Apps and Loyalty Programs
Don’t shop again without being rewarded for it! Yes, you can earn reward points for buying everyday shopping needs for groceries, pet supplies, retail, some restaurants, and even gas purchases.
One shopping app that allows users to earn points and redeem them for gift cards is Fetch. Download this free app on your Apple iOS or Android device, make your eligible purchases and upload or scan your receipts to the app to earn points. Other ways to earn points faster are purchasing items from specific brands that partner with Fetch, buying from the Special Offers in the Discover tab regularly, and referring family and friends.
As soon as your points reach the minimum redemption amount of 3,000 (worth about $3), you can start converting them into gift cards. Homeschooling families can check out the Home & Office tab in the app and select gift cards that can help them save money on school supplies, books, and equipment. There are hundreds of gift cards to choose from, including Target, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Best Buy, Amazon, and many more.
Did you know you can stack your rewards? Yes, you can buy your products from a store that offers loyalty points, pay for your purchases with a cashback credit card, and then take the receipts and load it into Fetch. In one purchase, you can earn rewards multiple times.
2. Join Homeschooling Groups
There are many homeschooling groups across the web, and social media is one of the best places to find them. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok are full of homeschooling groups to support and give homeschool influencers creative ideas for homeschooling families.
What are the other benefits of homeschooling groups? Sharing resources is a significant benefit, along with tried and tested books, curricula, and projects. Feedback from different families can help save time and money by not wasting it on things that weren’t helpful.
3. Avoid Buying New
New books can be expensive, especially if you buy books for multiple grades. There are many websites for used textbooks to search through. You should also join several homeschooling groups, ask if anyone has the books you are looking for, and initiate a swap for the book you need with books you already have.
The best free resource is the library. The library may not have the most recent version of the books you need, but there’s a chance they will have earlier versions or similar books.
4. Look for Free or Low-Cost Online Resources
There are many websites and blogs by homeschooling parents who create free printable or low-cost online resources. These homeschooling parents typically have years of experience and make printable worksheets for their families and also sell them to help others or as a business.
Once you find helpful websites and blogs, sign up for their email newsletters. Newsletters usually provide valuable tips to their followers and inform them when more resources are available.
YouTube videos are another excellent free resource. Many parents with homeschooling experience do book and curriculum reviews and show people what routines work best for their families.
5. Wait for Deals
It’s worth waiting for school supplies, books, and other necessities to go on sale. Don’t just stock up with what you need now. Think ahead and buy things you may need in the future if it’s a good deal.
You can also download free apps like ShopSavvy that allow users to compare prices across thousands of retailers, track prices, and send alerts when prices drop. Getting notifications like that is the best way to ensure you don’t miss a good deal.
Also, check out clearance sections of retail stores and don’t dismiss dollar stores either. Many dollar stores have activity books with excellent math and reading comprehension exercises.
6. Buy Digital or PDF Versions
Buying a digital version of a book tends to be much less expensive than the paper copy, and it allows you the option to print only the pages you need to, assuming there are no copyright issues with printing.
It also doesn’t leave you with a shelf full of books when you no longer need them.
7. Invest in a Reusable Curriculum
Research and read reviews on a curriculum to ensure you invest in one that will work for all your children when they reach that grade. If more than one child can use it, it will be worth spending the money.
Keep the pages clean and reusable for all kids by placing plastic sheets or covers over pages and working with dry erase markers. You can also have the kids do the work separately from the workbooks on a chalkboard or whiteboard.
Summary
The cost of school supplies, books, and curriculum can add up fast when homeschooling kids in different grades. Use rewards apps like Fetch and loyalty programs when shopping, join homeschool groups and share resources, avoid buying anything new or not on sale, look for free digital resources and invest in a curriculum that all the kids can use.
By following these tips, homeschooling parents can save money on everything they need to provide their kids with a good education.