So, I am frequently being asked “how much does homeschooling cost?” Well, let me ask you; How much does a house cost? How much do shoes cost? How much does a dinner cost? While asking you these questions, various numbers probably popped in to your head. Perhaps, you thought $200,000 for a house, or $30 for dinner, or $600 for shoes. The answer will vary from person to person, just as the cost of homeschooling will vary from family to family.
I cannot tell you how much your family will spend on homeschooling costs. However, if you came looking, wondering, how much homeschooling is then you are probably not the type who goes and buys a luxury car without caring about the price tag. You are instead probably like me, and the bottom line in most of your decision making is money. Therefore money is no joking matter and you want answers. Here it is, the cost of homeschooling:
ONE BOX OF HAIR DYE
So, if you are asking me if you can afford the cost of homeschooling then I must ask you, Can you afford $5 for a box of hair dye? (Even if you have to wait until a sale, and use a coupon.) Honestly, most Americans can say “yes” to that and thus, truthfully, most Americans can afford to homeschool.
Over the years I have met parents that spent a few hundred dollars per child each year on curriculum sets, as well as parents that spend virtually nothing. Let me tell you this; the parents spending top dollar don’t necessarily have smarter children.
The other thing I have noticed is that parents tend to spend the most when they first get started because they are tempted by the pretty box sets and have dreams of homeschool classrooms. I am here to say don’t waste your money on things like name plates for your child’s desk and big apple streams.
Instead, save that money for a bottle of wine. A nice bottle of wine to drink while you dye the gray out of your hair. Because the other thing I know to be true is, the ones with the most expensive curriculum are turning gray just as quickly as the ones grabbing workbooks at the dollar store.
Homeschooling makes us gray just as motherhood makes us gray. And just like motherhood, homeschooling is not about spending money but about giving of yourself.
How much do YOU have to spend on homeschooling? Don’t worry if your budget is small! Plenty of free homeschool curriculum and inexpensive resources are out there. Used material and public libraries are easy on the wallet. You can also save money on basic supplies such as pens, paper and of course hair dye by shopping back to school sales or making do with what you have.
Now, relax and know you can afford to homeschool. I promise one day you will be veteran homeschooler and a mother will come to you who wants to know “how much is homeschooling?” You will know you done it right when you are able to smile at her and simply say “A box of hair dye.”
Love this article. At the age of 29 I first started finding the odd grey hair on my head, now I know to just add that to the price of homeschooling.
everything has a price– its all what you put into to it and it isn’t always $$$–most of the time for our family is the internet and being creative– to get the results– We try to teach our children to think out of the box– stay focused, and explore–experience and experiment, there is always something new to learn, even if it seems old. My light bulb is always coming on,after they show me (the children) I never thought of.