 Buying homeschool curriculum can get expensive in a hurry. There are ways that you can purchase curriculum on a budget, however. Here are some tips and resources to show you how.
Affiliate links are used on this site. As an Amazon Associate, and affiliate of other companies as well, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read more in our disclosure. Deciding what our child needs in curriculum is the first step. Accessing scope and sequences of grades and curriculum can be done through curriculum company websites or their catalogs. Many companies, like Teaching Textbooks, offers free math placement tests so you can determine exactly what is your child's level. Apologia offers this free curriculum planning guide. The second step is determining a per-child curriculum budget. Don't be afraid to splurge on hardback, reusable books if they will be used by younger siblings. If you decide to use spiral curriculum or workbooks that are generally written in, either copy the pages or have the student write out the problems on notebook paper, leaving the workbooks free from marks. This way, younger siblings can use them (or you can sell them at either curriculum fairs or consignment shops). Curriculum Fairs / consignment shops This is where a simple search on the Internet with your town or city name comes in very handy. Search your town, with adding "homeschool curriculum fairs" or "homeschool curriculum consignment shops" in the search bar. You can gain some really good curriculum at fairs and consignment stores, but make sure you look through the books. I once paid for a science workbook that looked good for the first few pages, but then as my daughter worked through the workbook, the name "Ryland" was on every single page, and crossword puzzles were already completed. Buyer beware: just look through every page in workbooks , especially. Thrift stores You may need to go often, but you can find some bargains in thrift stores' book sections, especially if you're willing to keep an eye out for curriculum to be used later. I once found a high school economics books at a thrift store and snatched it up. Sure, my daughter's going into the seventh grade, but it's certainly something she can study as a senior in high school, and it was less than $2! Thrift stores are also good places to buy literature or living books. If you happen to find a set of encyclopedias, buy them; even though we have the Internet at our fingertips, there's something to be said about reading and using an encyclopedia for resources. Bargain stores You know the type: they're not exactly big-box stores, and they have seconds of products most of the time, but if they have a good book section, you can find some great workbooks, literature, and sometimes curriculum there. Homeschool supplies like crayons, paper, scissors, are often good deals, too. EBay We often think of Ebay as being a source for when we need a weird part for something (I'm currently in the market for a missing lid to my husband's favorite rice cooking pot). However, I have purchased many older school books for my daughter. As a homeschooler who refuses to teach Common Core, math textbooks from the early 2000s are perfect. Instead of a hundred dollars, last year I spent a little over $5 for Laura's math textbook. Be sure, in the Ebay search bar, you specify what you're searching for, such as "grade 6 math textbooks," or "grade 4 spelling textbooks." Use the link in bold above to access Ebay's math books, and you can search for other things, too. Curriculum Providers Since the summer is curriculum buying-time, you can often find some good deals on curriculum and/or shipping. Apologia is offering free shipping on orders over $150 right now. Notgrass History offers first-rate history textbooks for all grade levels plus a great deal of general homeschooling resources. One curriculum creator, Rabbit Trails Homeschool, is launching new curriculum on July 1. She is having a party inside of her Facebook group, Relaxed Homeschoolers, The Rabbit Trails Way. During this party, she will be sharing all of the new releases, there will be giveaways, sharing new freebies, and there will even have an exciting flash sale opportunity. Don't miss this -- make sure you join the group today so you won't miss it. In my own store, you can buy my newest study, Gospel Grammar, at 22% off with the coupon code Summer22 (along with everything else in my store, as the sale is storewide). Gospel Grammar is a Bible study about grammar, and a grammar study about the Bible. You can find curriculum creators on Facebook (just do a search for one you're looking for) to access deals they have going on. Amazon Amazon is not who we usually think of when it comes to homeschool curriculum, but they have a ton of curriculum available, in addition to supplies, computers, printers, and laminators.. Right now they have a lot of brand-name curriculum on sale for upwards of 20% off. Be sure to access this direct link for homeschool curriculum. Budgeting Once you have a list of subjects you want to do with your child, make a list of curriculum providers. Some providers provide all-in-one curriculum packages that include everything. A lot of that depends on your child. If your child is at grade 4 in math but grade 6 on everything else, ask the curriculum provider if you can switch out grade 6 math for grade 4, for example. Or, you can tailor-make an eclectic curriculum for your child using many different sources. Once you have a list of curriculum and/or subjects, you can use this handy homeschool curriculum budgeting tool to help you keep track of costs. Don't forget to count music lessons, sports, and other extracurricular activities in that, as they also can count for homeschool (handy info to have for attendance records!). Websites I have a number of free or low-cost websites I use a great deal in homeschooling my daughter. These websites either supplement her curriculum by way of worksheets or online games, or I use them as curriculum. I pay to use Education.com so I can utilize their word search and crossword generators for spelling. This website's annual plan is under $10 a month; paid monthly, it's $15.99 a month. I don't know about you, but $119.88 is a lot better than $191.88. I use this website every single day--and Laura loves the educational games that I can assign to her to complete. Disclosure: I am not an affiliate of Education.com. Another website I use often, that I am also not an affiliate of, is Teacherspayteachers.com. You can search for free worksheets, and have a wealth of worksheets at your disposal, or you can pay per download for more expensive worksheets, lessons, projects, and other resources. One website of which I am proud to say I am an affiliate, is SchoolhouseTeachers.com. Right now, through June 22, they are having a membership sale of less than $16 a month. Members receive a great deal of benefits, including a printed magazine, free access to hundreds of full courses and unit studies, record keeping resources, lesson plans, scope and sequence information, and a full curriculum for every grade. My daughter wants to do unit studies for science when we start back up September 1, and we're going to do that using SchoolhouseTeachers.com's incredible science unit studies. Plus, all members become automatic affiliates, so if you really like it, and share your affiliate link with your homeschooling friends and on social media, you can make some money, too. Homeschooling can be an expensive endeavor--but it doesn't have to be. With a little creativity, asking the right questions, and looking for deals, you can find curriculum to teach your child without spending a ton of money. Don't forget to search for "homeschooling" on Facebook Marketplace--you will be amazed at the deals you can find there. Happy Homeschooling! ~ Terrie (C) 2022 Terrie Bentley McKee ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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 Using resources and tools in homeschooling helps not only the child, but also the parents. There is a wealth of information available from organizations, museums, veteran homeschoolers, and curricula writers. The following websites and conferences are ones I use in homeschooling my daughter, and they have proved themselves invaluable. Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means I receive a commission, at no cost to you, for purchases you make on the links. I have indicated which ones are affiliate links. Your support helps provide food on my table, keeps this website up and running, and provides for my daughter's homeschooling. I am eternally grateful. Now, let's jump in and check out these incredible websites and conferences. Spelling As my daughter has dyslexia, we utilize many different ways for her to learn spelling words. One way she loves to study her spelling assignments is through word searches. This word search creator, available on Education.com, uses words you input to create word searches that you can download and print. There are a lot of resources available on Education.com, and it also features online games, progress trackers for children, and worksheets. I use this website all the time. Another resource combines spelling with cursive writing practice. This handwriting wizard (which can also print non-cursive writing worksheets) takes words you input, your handwriting choices (I like cursive D'Nealian style), and various size choices, to create dynamic worksheets you print. I always choose the "Block, Dot, Space" line pattern option to give Laura as much writing practice as I can. Science For kids who love animals, explore.org features live cams of animals all over the world, including dog and cat rescues (watch puppies being born!). It also has underwater reef live cams, ocean shots, and views of busy ports. The Smithsonian Institute's website offers a cornucopia of interesting and educational pages. Their Science and Nature page, for one, features exciting online exhibits and peeks into real-life exhibits at the museums in Washington, DC. You could spend an entire day teaching from this one website and still not see everything (kindof like the IRL museums!). History Recently we visited the Kings Mountain National Military Park, site of the Revolutionary War battle which turned the tide. While there, we discovered that most national parks have a junior ranger program. Laura is currently working through the Kings Mountain book, which we're using to jumpstart her unit on the colonial time period. As we will be going through St. Louis in March, I emailed the Ulysses S. Grant National Park there and they're mailing her a booklet to work through prior to visiting the park. That way, when we visit, she needs to watch a film, turn in her booklet, and she will receive a badge or patch. The Junior Ranger program also has offshoots like Junior Cave Scientist, Junior Angler, Spaceflight Explorer, even a Junior Paleontologist program! I've been looking for a way to teach my daughter about liberty and the proper role of government. Books from The Tuttle Twins (affiliate) are an exciting way to do it! With fun illustrations, engaging story lines, and common sense ideas, The Tuttle Twins books help kids understand why freedom is important. Grammar/Writing Grammarly.com (affiliate) offers downloadable grammar checkers as well as a plagiarism checker. This is important for homeschoolers who are in high school and writing essays and term papers. Access their plagiarism checker here. Curriculum SchoolhouseTeachers.com (affiliate) is a website I use a lot, and their quarterly print magazine is a source of great information by itself. Give your homeschooling family a Fresh Start in 2020. Join SchoolhouseTeachers.com by January 31 to save over 50% on an Ultimate Membership (PreK-12). Lock in at $99/year (code: ONLY99) or $12/month (code: ONLY12) before prices go up in February. Over 400 courses for the family! Like Education.com, Teachers Pay Teachers is a powerhouse for worksheets, unit studies, compilation studies, and everything in between. It is not membership-based. Simply searching for the grade level, subject, and free pricing nets you tons of worksheets or supplemental work to increase understanding for your curriculum. You can pay for materials, and the bigger packages are worth it. In addition, 7Sisters Homeschool (affiliate) offers high school level electives, co-op/group information, high school transcripts, and, best of all--no busy-work ebook curriculum from 20+ year veteran homeschool moms. The ladies that make up the 7Sisters Homeschool are dear to my heart--give them a try today, you will not be disappointed! Conferences Teach Them Diligently (affiliate) is the granddaddy of all homeschool conferences. Featuring nationally-known speakers, a huge exhibit hall, incredible children's and teen's programming, it's a homeschooling feast for the whole family. This year, TTD conferences will be held in Nashville, TN; Rogers, AR; Waco, TX; Mobile, AL; Denver, CO; Columbus, OH; and Atlanta, GA. Jam-packed with workshops, powerful keynote speakers (Tim Tebow in Nashville, anyone?), exhibitors, and community -- you cannot lose! Here's a teaser for you: I'm scheduled to speak and exhibit at the conference in Atlanta (Athens)...I'd love to meet you! The Homegrown Generation Online Family Expo is a one-of-a-kind event. Live and fully interactive, the conference will feature some of today’s most popular speakers addressing the most important issues that homeschool families face. Sign up today for lifetime access to this event. The Expo will be held Monday, February 17th to Friday, February 21, 2020. Live workshops will be held between 12 PM and 7:30 PM EST (9 AM and 4:30 PM PST). Speakers include Kirk Cameron, Sam Sorbo, Israel Wayne, Ginger Hubbard, Leigh Bortins, Rachael Carman, Durenda Wilson, Connie Albers, Aby Rinella, Karen DeBeus, Ana Willis, and Danielle Papageorgiou, with many more to come! All Homegrown Generation Homeschool Conference workshops will be available for live viewing and participation on a private Facebook Group and in the attendees area here. Every attendee will receive a Swag Bag featuring gifts and resources from our sponsors and speakers. Additionally, attendees will have access to a vendor’s hall, resource recommendations, and life-time access to the course materials and conference videos. All that, for the low per-person rate of $20! Friends, I would never recommend anything that I don't use myself. If I like it enough to be an affiliate, that means it worked for me. I had the opportunity this year to be an affiliate for a homeschool company, and when all was said and done -- neither Laura nor I liked the product. So I ended the affiliate relationship. Not so with the above! Check out the above resources--you will not be sorry! Happy Homeschooling! Love y'all, Terrie (C) 2020 Terrie Bentley McKee ALL RIGHTS RESERVED  |
AuthorTerrie Bentley McKee is an author and speaker who homeschools her youngest daughter. Married to her husband Greg, they have four children, all of whom have special needs of varying degrees. Terrie is a follower of Jesus Christ and tries to glorify God in all she does. To read more about her testimony, click here. Affiliate LinksHomeschooling One Child is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. 
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(C) 2023 Terrie Bentley McKee ALL RIGHTS RESERVED