100.03 - Is homeschooling expensive?

[SusanwithaGoodBook]

Is homeschooling expensive?

[OnTheWay]

I think like anything else homeschooling can be as expensive or inexpensive as you want to make it. And it can be affected by the ages of your children, the learning styles of your children and the resources available in your community.

If you live in a community with an excellent library and a lot of activities available (say through parks and rec, the y, the library, local museums , community band/chorus etc.) then homeschooling can almost be free. Especially for younger children.

If, like me, you live in a rural area with a horrible library and not much available and older children then it will be more expensive.

I think the size of the homeschool community in your area matters too. If there are more homeschoolers it is more likely they will be able to offer services to homeschoolers.

As far as curricula choices go it can be as inexpensive or as expensive as your make it. There are lots of things available online (again, especially for younger children) that are cheap or free. Used books are a big help.

Like anything else it pays to do your research.

[Sherylc]

For us hsing is expensive cos we've decided to order our books and goodies from USA. The exchange rate makes it expensive. There are many creative ways of cutting costs, though.

We also decided to compare what we spend on hsing and how much we would pay out if we sent our dcs to ps. (Our schools all have expensive uniforms and lots of hidden costs) Even with the exchange rates we are paying less in the long run.

[whitehart]

The answer depends on what you're comparing to the expense of homeschooling. I like the bumper sticker that says "If you think education is expensive, try ignorance!"

Homeschooling may be more expensive than public school (but even that depends on how much more you would personally spend for clothing, extracurriculars, the dreaded supply list, etc.), but you'd have to work at it really hard to make it cost what private school costs, especially for multiple children.

For our family, like many others, the major financial cost is what economists call "opportunity cost." In order to homeschool, I have given up the opportunity to work in the field of my training outside the home.

Even this isn't as big a cost as it first seems when you consider the costs involved in two parents working-- after-school childcare, transportation, wardrobe, higher tax bracket, extra eating out, etc. The additional opportunities that open up because one parent has a more flexible schedule also figure into this. It will vary for each family.

[MrsEvans247]

in hsing bookstores and online, hsing can be accomplished quite economically. Sites like this one offer places for people to advertise their used materials. It may take time to find what you are looking for, but at this stage in my life, I have more time than money and you may be in the same boat!