Really Free Homeschooling - is it possible?

by Sera
(United States)

Question
I would love to start homeschooling my four kids, ages 5 to 11, however, we are very dependent on the daily free hot lunches the children currently receive at their public school as well as all the materials provided to them by the school (paper, paint, etc.) as well as field trips.

It seems like there are alot of free homeschooling resources available, but I'd still needs a certain financial level to afford all the crafts and outings with the kids or am I missing other ways of doing it?


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Answer
Hi Sera.
You are right. Even free homeschooling does need a certain level of finance to even just afford the extra food needed. You may also need to budget for extra heating during the winter, and some homeschooling materials.

If you are determined to homeschool it will take a lot of creativity on your part to make your budget stretch.

First you would need a way to feed your family for less. There are lots of sites with frugal recipes that may give you some ideas. And I also think that food boxes are popular - they are a great way to get top quality food at a discount. You can find out more about them here or here.

Craft materials often don't come cheap. Why not see if your local thrift store stocks the kind of things you need. And do check out freecycle - it is an excellent way to get things for free. If you put out the word on the type of things you need, then I am sure you will get a response. Also see if you can find a scrap store in your area. This is the type of thing I mean. You may well find that they can supply your needs.

With regards to free field trips then again, be creative. Nature walks don't cost anything and work well even in the city. Ask in your local library for a list of free events and exhibitions in your area. And there are lots of virtual field trips available on the internet.

More Ideas

Free Homeschooling

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Cheap Homeschooling


My (non-homeschooling) friend has a frugal website with lots of other activity ideas - Fun Frugal Mom.

So. Can it be done? I think so, with a lot of creativity and determination. Why not give homeschooling a try over the summer vacation and see whether it can be affordable for you?

best wishes, Julie.




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Free homeschooling
by: LoriD

Even though I'm in Canada and we get funding for homeschooling I believe free homeschooling can be done.

Julie gave you some great ideas and yes it will take a committment in order to make it work - but it will be so worth it.

Another suggestion I would have is a book called You can Homeschool for Free which you can probably get through the library and this website www.homeschoolingforfree.net

Also I would HIGHLY recommend using your local library, it's probably one of THE best values for homeschooling.

For school supplies wait until everyone has gone back to school then all the big box and dollar stores have their really good discounts on any paper/pencils and pens you might need (off season is the key) not when everyone else has to buy theirs.

Also if you connect with your local homeschool support group many of them have a resource library or a "donations" pool that they set up for homeschoolers who are on a budget. Homeschoolers who have stuff to donate put in a library of sorts and those who need it use what they need and return it to the library when they are done. We've also done this for hs's who have lost everything in a fire and needed to start again.

I hope this gives you some ideas and possibilities - there are ways to make it work!!
Homeschooling on Budget
by: Sera

Thank you for the great ideas! I will try it all and it is great timing with summer coming up. Thanks! Sera
really free homeschooling
by: Sera

I'm starting to homeschool now and I'm using the resources from this website. Thank you so much for the helpful tips, the library, the websites. Here we go!!!

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