10 Ways to Save Money on Homeschool Supplies and Curriculum

1. Garage sales, Goodwill, and other local secondhand stores

Garage sales and Goodwill (especially on 50% off days) have been a great way for us to save on common homeschool items like pencils, erasers, notebooks, and binders – most of which are in brand new condition.

2. Watch back to school sales at Walmart and Target

Walmart and Target are known for having great deals on common school supplies right before school, and after most public schools start.

3. Amazon and eBay

Amazon and eBay are a great way for people to get rid of their old things, and other people to buy their thing’s for a fraction of the cost. I’ve found some killer deals on textbooks with both Amazon and eBay. With Amazon, you simply search for your item, and can see the different items for sale; and compare prices and conditions easily. eBay is an online bidding service, so you have to consistently check their site for the latest steals.

4. Slugbooks

It can be time consuming to search up multiple textbooks on multiple sites. Slugbooks helps you price compare instantly. It is meant for college textbooks, but often has homeschool textbooks.

5. Homeschool Classifieds

Homeschool Classifieds is a great way to buy homeschool textbooks directly from other homeschoolers. To make secure transactions, I use Paypal, which is a free and simple online checking account. Paypal lets you make money and spend money; all without giving out your personal information. Biggest perk? If something you buy from another seller online never shows up, or if the item is not as described, you can file a claim and get your money back. Another similar site is Homeschool Trader.

6. Buy, Sell, and Trade Homeschool Groups

Like Homeschool Classifieds, Homeschool Buy, Sell, and Trade groups are a great way to buy reasonably priced curriculum directly from other homeschoolers. Again, Paypal and their protection is great for this.

• Homeschool Curriculum Marketplace
• Used Homeschool Books Buy, Sell, Trade
• A Beka Used Homeschool Curriculum
• Saxon Curriculum Buy, Sell, Trade

7. Take advantage of teacher’s discounts

Many stores ranging from Apple to Jo Ann Fabrics to Barnes and Noble offer teacher’s discounts; and those teacher discounts often extend to homeschool families. Check out this site for a great list of homeschool discounts. And remember, it never hurts to ask!

8. Go digital

The Internet (and Pinterest) is full of free and frugal downloadable homeschool resources; oftentimes made by homeschool moms. Take advantage of the savings of digital curriculum!

9. The library

The library is a homeschooler’s best friend, and is a great way to find books, magazines, and movies for free. In order to keep as organized as possible and avoid late fees, we keep all of our library books in a certain basket, and after using them, put them back in that spot.

10. Utilize what you have

This may seem obvious, but can often seem stressful and is overlooked. Utilize the homeschool curriculum you have, and sell any curriculum you no longer need to help offset next year’s costs.

The post 10 Ways to Save Money on Homeschool Supplies and Curriculum first appeared on True Aim.

Whether you give commission based on certain extra chores completed, or a weekly allowance, grab 3 jars per child. Pringles or shoeboxes work well, but I’ve noticed clear mason jars serve as the best “visual” – as you can see the money. Label the three jars: saving, spending, and giving respectively. The rules typically are although you can take Spending money and put it either in Giving or Saving, you cannot move Saving or Giving money. Find what works best for your family. Some times, the traditional 10% Giving, 60% Savings, 30% Spending works. Other times, during a certain season, more money must be used for Savings rather than Spending.

Saving

The savings jar is for money to be used for large purchases, or to go into a savings account for future use – such as a bicycle, or a big trip. Money in this jar goes towards the large purchase, or a real bank account. If you haven’t yet, take a trip to the bank and open a savings account for your child, where the temptation to use that money is put at ease.

Spending

Spending money can be used however the child wants – such as candies, movie tickets, trips to the Dollar store, vacation souvenir extras, or other “fun” things.

Giving

Teaching philanthropy is important even at a young age. Giving can include birthday or Christmas presents, sponsoring a child, school fundraisers, or tithing.

With this free printable that comes in two different color schemes, help children keep track of the amount of money they save, spend, and give. Each time money goes in or out one of banks, include a note of what it was used for, plus the amount.

Save Spend Give

Save Spend Give Pink

The post Save, Spend, Give! Plus FREE Printable for Kids first appeared on True Aim.

Welcome to Mom’s Library

This post is filled with parenting tips, activities for young children, crafts, devotionals, recipes, and more!

Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss the next Library!

Click here to see all Mom’s Library Posts

Money Saving Tips

50 Homemade Cleaner Recipes – Midwestern Momma

One of the easiest ways to save money is by making things yourself. Here is a list of DIY cleaners for everything from dish soap to laundry stain remover!

A Fast Way to Heal Chapped Hands – Crafty Journal

Chapped hands are inevitable during the winter. Here is a budget-friendly way to help!

Why We Still Shop at a Bulk Discount Store – Morgan Manages Mommyhood

Why shop bulk, especially if you have a small home?

Frugality from the Greatest Generation – Le Chaim on the Right

Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without with these fun 10 tips with WWII-inspired frugality in mind.

2 Secrets of Monthly Meal Planning – Your Vibrant Family

Meal planning can be a hassle, but it doesn’t have to be!

Homemade Cold and Flu Season Remedies – Midwestern Momma

No one likes cold and flu season! Here are some homemade remedies to combat this!

Homemade DIY Eye Make-Up Remover – The Crazy Organized Blog

Make-up remover can be expensive, especially when you can make it yourself with household items!

How to Get Smells out of Wooden Cutting Boards – Morgan Manages Mommyhood

Instead of buying new wooden cutting boards, here are some ways to get the weird smells out of your current ones.

Would you like to participate?

Please follow me and support your fellow bloggers by visiting some links! Grab a button if you were featured!

* by linking up you give Mom’s Library Bloggers permission to use photos from your post with a link back.

Up Next Week: Alphabet Activities!

The post Money Saving Tips and Mom’s Library #173 first appeared on True Aim.

Christmas is a time for family and friends, but sometimes we can’t see the ones we love most.

I moved to Idaho from Oregon to attend Boise State and I’ve never moved back. Idaho is the perfect place for me, the only problem is, most of my family is back in Oregon. That is the only thing I miss, and I miss them dearly.

The happiest memories I have are at Christmas time. Everyone in the family gathered together and when I say everyone, I mean like 30+ people! There was a buzz and a potluck feast like no other I have experienced since.

Although I’m sad that I don’t get to be with them, it is fun to make new traditions with my own family. Luckily, I still get to experience some of the buzz when they call and pass the phone around to everyone for me.

This Christmas, with the Walmart Family Mobile plan I don’t have to worry about when or how much I talk. Their Unlimited Talk,Text and Data/Web plans makes it easy for me to connect with my family in Oregon for just $34.88/month with 5GB of 3G Data so I can use video chat and see everyone too! I can even add a second line for only $29.88.

This is by far the best deal I’ve seen out there with NO annual contract, live customer support and NO overage charges!

I purchased the Samsung Galaxy Exhibit for only $79.88 and was pleasantly surprised. It was just as easy to use as my old phone and included a lot of apps that I didn’t know about, but really love like Flipboard and it features my favorite browser (Chrome) and app store (Google Play). Not to mention, room for all my other favorite apps that help me stay organized during the holidays.

Right now you can get all of these phones on roll back:

• Alcatel One Touch Evolve 2 – $49.88 (was $59.88)
• ZTE ZMAX – $179.00 (was $199.88)
• LG L90 – $119.00 (was $179.88)
• Nokia Lumia 635 – $99.88 (was $129.88)
• Samsung Galaxy Exhibit – $79.88 (was $99.88)
• Nokia Lumia 530 – $49.88 (was $69.88)
• $40 Walmart Gift Card  with the purchase of the Samsung Galaxy Avant, 12/14-12/27.

When I went to the store I was a little intimidated to set up my plan all by myself, but I was lucky to have a wireless center at my Walmart and they helped me set everything up. It only took a few minutes and I had my new phone working!

Make sure you go to Walmart Family Mobile and check your signal strength and to see if it is available in your local Walmart store because the #HolidaysAreCalling!

Are you far away from family and friends this Christmas season? How do you keep in touch?

The post Don’t Think Twice About Keeping in Touch with Low Priced Unlimited Plans first appeared on True Aim.