Frugal and Free Homeschooling {part 5}

Is it possible to homeschool for free or inexpensively?  Yes, it is. I remember lamenting that I was so low I didn’t have enough money to send my kids to school.  At the time, I felt like I had failed entirely.  Then, I realized what a blessing to know I had no way to go but up and that I could not send my kids to school.  I did not have a car nor money to buy clothes, shoes, and materials just to go to school.  I was forced to see the true cost of homeschooling.  The cost is very … Continue reading

Can Your Homeschool Blog Earn Money? {Part 1}

The homeschool cup runneth over with homeschool blogs.  Many frazzled homeschool moms and those at a loss for inspiration have found restoration in many of the amazing homeschool blogs on the net today.    My experiences blogging about homeschooling has opened up a world that I may have otherwise missed; both as a homeschooling mom and as one who profits from blogging.  Many homeschool moms have also discovered this opportunity and desire to learn more about profiting from their blogs. Since most homeschool homes balance on the tip of one income this potential source of support or business is becoming more … Continue reading

Featured Homeschool Blog: 2 Teaching Mommies

2 Teaching Mommies is a collaborative blog written by Madonna and Amber. Their goal is to inspire creativity and a love of homeschooling in moms just like you. With big imaginations and an even bigger hearts these ladies guide you through well thought out lessons at no cost to you. If you are seeking a place to start your journey homeschooling your preschool through Kindergarten child, 2 Teaching Mommies, should be your first stop. The effort used in putting lessons and unit studies together is unmatched. Each themed lesson will contain a letter, number, basic science, social studies, color, and … Continue reading

Juggling Working and Homeschooling

Homeschooling is a full time job. However, it doesn’t pay the bills so often homeschooling parents both have to work. Living on one income was a sacrifice many homeschoolers made in the name of educating their children at home. It was the “price” of homeschooling. However, in today’s economy living on one income with the cost of homeschooling is becoming increasingly more difficult. In many homes the parent responsible for homeschooling is getting a job or starting a business. Adding a job or business to homeschooling a family can be overwhelming and throw things off track. How do you cope? … Continue reading

Homeschooling With Charlotte Mason

After watching my two oldest girls struggle with public school due to boredom and friction with “the cool kids,” I decided to home school my three youngest. It was an easy decision, but creating my own curriculum was often confusing. I didn’t want to use the traditional Christian home school programs such as Alpha Omega, Abeka and others. Aside from the fact that they’re quite costly and need to be purchased for each grade, I found them to be more stringent than what I was looking for. While doing some research on homeschooling programs, I came upon the Charlotte Mason … Continue reading

Don’t Let Christmas Guilt Cost You More

I have been hearing murmurs about Christmas guilt as the big day gets closer. People are second guessing their decisions to not buy for the extended family. People are thinking that just one item may not satisfy their children. People feel bad for leaving out teachers, mail men, co-workers. People are worried about what they will do if someone gives them a gift if they did not give them anything back. It’s enough to make me want to hide in my room until January first. During the last month or perhaps longer most of use frugal people have seriously considered … Continue reading

Three Generation Families do Better Financially… at what cost?

Findings from the November 2009 Journal of Families issues states that three generation households are better than two generation homes headed by a single parent. The reasoning behind this is that having the grandparents and parents share the financial burden of the home will keep children out of poverty. “Using data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation from 2001, the researchers found that the presence of just one grandparent makes the odds of living below the poverty line 80% lower than for children living without a grandparent, and children living with two grandparents are at an even greater … Continue reading

Frugal is: Living in Your Van to Save College Costs

I hear about people living in their vehicles all the time, generally because they are down on their luck. Even famous people have been known to live in their cars during hard time,like Jewel and Tyler Perry, for example. Just two years ago Ken Ilgunas was called a crybaby for an article he wrote in the Buffalo News Opinion Column as he complained about being a college graduate and living at home. Here is an excerpt of the column he wrote: “Desperate times called for desperate measures, and I had no intention of living in a society that was as … Continue reading

Costume Exchange for Halloween Savings

If your kid doesn’t have their mind set on one specific hard to find costume, or even if they are, you can save a great deal of money if you can find that costume at a costume exchange. A costume exchange works by someone setting up a exchange event or location and anyone who comes in can drop off an old costume (in good condition) and get another free of charge (or inexpensively). If you can’t find a costume exchange in your area, you can throw one by sending out invitations to everyone you know and setting up clothing racks … Continue reading

The Cost of Homeschooling VS The Cost of Public School

I was sent a link this morning for an article called Even government envious of homeschooling success. The article begins with the following: “Question: If Method 1 spends – on a national average – $10,000 per child annually, and Method 2 spends only $500 per child, but Method 2 delivers better academic results, which method is preferable? Fact: The average government school spends $10,000 per child per year, but its students scored 1.4 points lower than the family sponsored homeschooled child on the ACT, according to results from 2009.” As much as I want to side with homeschoolers in this … Continue reading