We’ve been homeschooling for about 12 years.  Right now we have 8 children who are school age.  And since we have 4 more who will be joining our school in the coming years, it looks like we will be at this for a while.  Needless to say, we try to take advantage of free resources and curriculum as much as possible to keep up with our growing school.  There are several inexpensive and free resources I like to utilize.

Our Local Library

I use our local public library a lot.  I can find a good number of books there to use, particularly for history and reading.  I also like to check out shapes, numbers and ABC books for the younger ones “preschool”.  I have even been able to find some good science videos at the library.

Exchange Curriculum with a Friend

There have been times I have exchanged books with friends when we were not using them at the time.  Once, a friend had a history book that I was planning on ordering, she wasn’t using it so I borrowed her copy instead of buying it.  I have had other friends borrow some of my books that I wasn’t needing at the time.  It’s a great way to save some money, especially if it’s a book you aren’t sure whether you will use.

Websites

Several years ago  someone told me about Donnayoung.org, a website that has free homeschooling resources.  I have so appreciated all the free resources Donna offers on her site.  She also shares what methods and curriculum she used to teach her children, which was a big help when I was revamping the way we do school.  I have gleaned a lot from her and I appreciate her simple approach to homeschooling.

More recently I found another great site.  At Free Homeschool Deals, Jamerrill does a great job of making available lots of different free homeschooling resources and deals.  I have just begun to utilize her blog and I am excited to continue following it and take advantage of some of the many deals she highlights.

Buy Used

Another way I have saved money on books is by ordering them used.  Amazon is a great place to look.  I have found my daughter, who is in high school, a history book and science book for under $10 each.  They were both in great condition.  This was my first experience with buying used books online and it turned out to be a great deal, now Amazon is the first place I check before ordering books new.

Also, most homeschool groups have a used book sale every year.  I have found great deals on gently used books at these sales.  If you are not sure whether your local group has a used book sale you can usually find out at their website.

All of these things have been a great blessing to our family over the years.  What ways have you found to save money on homeschool resources?