Homeschooling does not have to break your budget! Although you may be spending money to homeschool, you will save money by not having your child in a public or private school.
Homeschooling families avoid the expenses of new back-to-school clothing, school lunches, book fees, school fundraisers, duplicate supplies for school, and more.
By the time you add up all of the school expenses you have saved, you might be surprised to find that homeschooling isn't as expensive an alternative as you thought it would be! It is entirely possible to successfully homeschool without spending a fortune, and below are some great resources to add to your budget homeschooling toolbox.
Start your savings by getting our free homeschool planners below.
Learn More About Homeschooling on a Budget
What to Use Instead of Curriculum
Sites with Extensive Free Curricula
- Easy Peasy All in One Homeschool
A complete, free online Christian homeschool program for Preschool - 8th grade that was designed by a mom for her own kids - Easy Peasy All in One High School
From the creator of Easy Peasy for Preschool - 8th grade, the high school site is set up similar to the lower school, except that there are no levels - Ambleside Online
A complete, free online Charlotte Mason styled homeschool program with a corresponding discussion forum - Khan Academy
Khan Academy now contains over 4200 free videos for K-12 in mostly math and science topics; some videos reach into the humanities with playlists on finance and history. Each video is a digestible chunk, approximately 10 minutes long, and especially purposed for viewing on the computer. Playlists are available to help progress through a topic in a logical manner. - Crash Course
Engaging video courses (from John Green and his brother Hank) designed to be review courses for AP exams; topics available are US History, Chemistry, World History, Biology, Literature, and Ecology.
- Alison
Alison offers free courses on a variety of topics. All content is free, with the site funded by optional purchases of certificates and/or diplomas. Groups of courses are organized into Learning Paths, which allow students to work their way through a logical progression of course material.
I am looking into starting homeschool for my youngest. Thank you for some of the pointers you have here. Are there any homeschool sites that I should avoid?
For curriculum, it is helpful to check homeschool curriculum reviews from other parents for a sense of what the program is like. For help sites like this one, you can look for an "About" page (here is ours) to see if the site lines up with your worldview and parental perspective. Here are some red flags to look for when evaluating organizations and websites. Keep in mind that homeschooling is regulated by the state, so homeschoolers in one state may offer advice or information that is incorrect for your situation. Best wishes on your homeschool journey!
Thank you
You're welcome, Karin. Happy homeschooling!