Homeschooling on a tight budget, or nearly free

Yes, you can homeschool well on very little. The library, used books, free online material, and other homeschool families will cover most of what you need. If you spend anything, spend it on math and reading, since those are the subjects where a good, well-sequenced program saves you the most time and worry.

Start at the library

A library card is the most valuable thing a homeschool family owns. Borrow read-alouds, science books, history, biographies, and picture books for every topic you study. Many libraries also have free programs for kids, online databases, audiobooks, and some lend museum passes or kits. Ask a librarian what your card gets you. Most will also request books from other branches for you.

Buy used

Homeschool families sell last year's curriculum constantly. Look in local homeschool groups, used curriculum sales, and online marketplaces. Math and phonics programs are often available for a fraction of the new price. Check the edition, because a teacher's guide and a student book from different editions may not match.

Use what's already free

Books in the public domain, like most books published in the United States before 1931, are free to read online. Project Gutenberg has tens of thousands of them. Free video lessons, printable worksheets, and nature guides are easy to find too.

We keep free printable math worksheets for every grade, with answer keys and no account needed.

Trade with other families

Swap curriculum with a family whose kids are a year ahead or behind yours. Share a science kit. Trade teaching, too. You take the art class for both families, and they take the writing class. A co-op can do this at a bigger scale.

Skip what you don't need

You don't need a separate classroom, a matching desk set, or a curriculum for every subject. Kids learn at the kitchen table. Science can be a library book and a walk. History can be read-alouds in order.

Know where a little money helps

If there's a small budget, math is usually the best place to spend it, then phonics for young readers. After that, good paper, pencils, and a printer you can afford ink for. A museum or zoo membership can be worth it if you'll go often.

Don't forget your time

Free resources can cost more of your time, since you're the one finding the pieces, printing them, and making sure fourth-grade math actually leads into fifth-grade math instead of repeating half of it. That's a fair trade for many families. Just count it.

A library card, a math book, and a parent who shows up every morning will take a child a very long way.