There are many reasons why you might think you cannot homeschool your children.
In addition to wondering if you’re qualified (which you, by the way, most certainly ARE), there also comes the financial worries that go along with homeschooling. How can your family survive on one income? Doesn’t it cost MONEY to actually homeschool? Curriculum and extra classes get expensive, right?
These are all VALID questions. You probably have envisioned your life progressing along a particular financial path, and homeschooling might change that path.
Let me encourage you. Money does not have to stand in the way of homeschooling your children!
Homeschooling has been a tremendous blessing for our family. It changed not only the way we educated our children, but also the way we looked at our lives.
We no longer view ourselves as cogs in a wheel that we simply must roll with - we are able to chart our own course, and that all began with stepping out of the public schools. Once you take that step, you will find that taking other big steps isn’t as scary. In fact, it is quite liberating!
5 Suggestions to Help Alleviate Money/Homeschool Worries:
Look To The Future and Have Faith
The situation you are in today will NOT be the situation you are in three years from now or even a year from now.
I remember when we were buying our current home - my father advised us to stretch ourselves just a bit because generally a financial situation improves as we get older. That little bit of extra home we purchased fit us very well down the line and I’m so glad we had the space and extra land it provided.
The primary breadwinner in your house will most likely be making more money as the years go on and/or you will discover other ways to earn money as well.
As believers, we also knew that if God was calling us to homeschool that He would provide for us to do just that. Yes, homeschooling is a leap of faith in many ways, and financially is no exception!
That leads us to the next reason…
You Have the Ability to HUSTLE
Once we stepped outside of the traditional school box we began to look at many things quite differently. One of those was the ways we are able to earn money.
In the beginning, I was giving piano lessons at home to earn some money to supplement my husband’s income. Then, I began blogging and writing curricula to sell.
Having a side hustle can take on many different forms. Maybe you work a job in the evenings or on the weekends. Or, maybe you find some type of work online. We always have the ability to HUSTLE and can do so much more than we think we can!
Believe me - I get it. I thought when my kids were both in school I would go back to work and then we could achieve our financial goals. I was SO wrong. Homeschooling (and giving up what I thought was future income) actually provided MORE for our family and we have achieved and exceeded our financial goals!
Slash & Burn
My husband is an expert at this, and I’ve learned to become one as well. Take a look at your family expenses and see what you can slash and burn.
Once we began homeschooling I found that our homeschool friends were a great network for a lot of ways to save money. We had aligned ourselves with a new group of friends and because of that we were living our lives differently.
And you must stop trying to keep up with the Joneses - and in many cases, guess what? The Joneses are living in debt, anyway!
A few ideas:
Ditch your cable (we had NO television when my kids were little and we first started homeschooling.
Shop second hand
Health Insurance (We participate in Samaritan Health Sharing Ministries which greatly reduced our healthcare costs!)
Constantly evaluate your car insurance to make sure you are getting the best rate.
Evaluate your cell phone plan to make sure you are getting the best rate.
Drive older, paid for cars
Get rid of STUFF - constantly purge and sell things - you can live quite simply and make some money by selling what you don’t need
Don’t eat out and shop wisely (We frequent Sam’s Club and Aldi for good deals.)
Watch the “click traps” (don’t shop on Amazon - that’s a direct contribution from my husband!)
The Power of a Budget
There is great power in a budget.
Contrary to popular belief, a budget does not restrict you - instead it gives you FREEDOM to spend money on the things that matter most but decreasing and eliminating spending on things that are NOT of value.
My husband was a credit counselor for a nonprofit for many years, so he has counseled people through budgeting. He has also utilized different ways of budgeting within our family.
I, on the other hand, am not a budgeter. To be completely honest, I could care less about budgeting, but I realize its importance and know it is something I MUST do.
Here is the truth about budgeting: Before you spend it is necessary to have a plan in place. This is true for both a saver (my husband) and a spender (me). It has actually improved our communication about money and eliminated the tension we used to have surrounding the subject.
(Get budget coaching from him at Your Profit Pro!)
Curriculum Doesn’t Have to Be Expensive
Finally, homeschool curriculum doesn’t have to break the bank. (But it CAN if you let it.)
A couple of suggestions:
Additionally, when your children are very young they will thrive on good books, play, and a solid math program. You can use your local library to find MANY resources! Check for local homeschool curriculum sales and join your local homeschool group on Facebook to see if there is a curriculum marketplace.
With some research and thriftiness, you can definitely homeschool on a shoestring.
If you need more homeschool encouragement, that’s what I like to do.
At the end of your homeschool journey, you will look back with thankfulness on the relationships and lifestyle you have developed. Those worries that you’ve had will melt away and you will see that it has been WORTH IT.
