Homeschooling is Frugal
While discussing frugality at The Dollar Stretcher, I realised that homeschooling is frugal for us. I suppose that’s one of those surprise benefits because I didn’t begin instructing our children hoping to save money.
Home is a key word in homeschool. I am not out working and needing to pay work related expenses, I am not spending fuel or other funds being out of the house. I am home.
While I am home instructing, I can do things that women who are out of their homes most of the day may not find the time for.
I can cook from scratch or in bulk which often is less expensive. Between classes or on our lunch break, I can easily prep foods. It’s not a problem to step away from our table to stir a pot or check the oven if I must.
I have flipped through the sale papers, clipped coupons and made shopping lists while monitoring the children’s work. If I didn’t feel I needed to sit at the table and not do other things, I may well fill my time with other activities.
I have spent less on homeschooling than some of my friends and relatives who send their children to public school.
My children don’t need expensive uniforms nor do they even have to meet clothing regulations. I shop at thrift stores for good deals on durable and decent items and they can select seasonally appropriate choices from those wardrobes to wear. We don’t wear shoes in the house so we don’t wear them to class either. This means shoes are for outdoor use only and last longer due to less wear and tear on them.
I am not obligated to purchase specific items. I use a basic set of supplies that are fairly cheap and I buy them when I see them on sale, not necessarily at the beginning of our school year. Binders, rulers and other things can be used for multiple years and some supplies can be shared rather than each child having their own. I have even gotten freebie binders, folders, paper, pens and pencils from friends who had used supplies or leftovers that could not be used in the current year because they were not the right color, size or type required.
Activities and field trips are done on our schedule and budget. My husband’s work has ups and downs. Homeschooling allows me to do more when we can afford it and cut back when we can’t. Activities have dual purpose. Since we do them as a family, it is time spent together. We skip having to pay for school trips or activities in addition to family ones.
As most frugal folks know, saving money is sometimes in what we save to reuse. I don’t have to buy a lot of craft or project supplies because we make use of tidbits we save. I have re purposed other items for school like my husband’s old work clipboard to hold my lesson page for the day or one of his old work binders used for a science binder.
Yep, I like saving money by homeschooling.