When a family makes the decision to homeschool, it usually entails downsizing to one income. In addition to this, the family often then assumes the full financial responsibility for their child’s education. And while financing an education for even one child may be intimidating, it is absolutely possible to do, even on the most limited of budgets.
Free Curriculum
Yes, you read that right- free curriculum actually exists!
Easy Peasy Homeschool offers full online courses from preschool through high school. Even electives like Bible, foreign languages, art, music, and PE are available at no cost!
My oldest used the Drawing Professionally course for his high school art credit.
The Good and the Beautiful offers free K-8th Langugage Arts and Mathematics curriculum as free downloadable PDF’s, and lesson videos available on their free app. Just print and go!
My youngest is currently working through their Math 4 Course.
Guest Hollow provides a free high school biology course, as well as a free Science of the Seasons course for grades 1-4. Two of my four kids have successfully completed the biology course, and we continue to utilize Guest Hollow for high school social studies and science.
Ellen McHenry’s Basement Workshop includes a plethora of fun freebies for multiple ages and subjects. Our family has incorporated many of her projects into our lessons, especially for science. I even put some of her downloads to work in the The FREE Guide to Studying the Human Body in Your Homeschool!
Unit studies and lapbooks are available to everyone on Homeschool Share. I have fond memories of using the Beatrix Potter Unit Study with my kids many years ago.
Freedom Homeschooling maintains a very comprehensive lists of free curriculum available for subjects from kindergarten through high school.
Education.com features a learning library with over 30,000 digital and printable resources for preschool through 8th grade. You can access their content with a free account (the free account is limited to a certain number of downloads per month). I used their downloadable worksheets a lot when my kids were younger.
Supplemental lesson activities can often be found on Teachers Pay Teachers for free, or at a nominal amount.
Free books
You probably already know that your local library can be an absolute gold mine for procuring books for your homeschool, but many libraries also offer memberships to Libby and Hoopla at no cost for their cardholders! Both platforms offer access to hundreds of titles in both ebook and audio format, from picture story-books, to classic literature.
If your library isn’t offering these services, you can still try Open Library. Open Library has millions of titles available in their internet archive. You can even track your reading and set a yearly goal.
Project Gutenberg is another internet ebook treasure trove, with over 70,000 free titles!
Many libraries also belong to a library network that offers inter-library loans. This means that if your local library doesn’t have the book you’re looking for, they can check the catalog of other libraries within their network, ship the book, and allow you to borrow it at no additional cost.
Free Videos
Despite it’s flighty reputation, YouTube can be a handy free resourse in your homeschool. I have often been know to utilize YouTube for algebra and trigonometry problems, but beyond that, the site allows access to a copious amounts of educational content.
Here’s a list of the channels we allow in our house. As with all things, be sure to peruse the list to make sure it honors your own family’s values.
I also utilize YouTube to create playlists of videos I can assign for my kids’ lessons. I include access to some of these playlists in my Monarch Butterfly unit, astronomy unit, Introduction to Architecture & Engineering, public speaking, and human body study.
Used and Discounted Curriclum
Buying curriculum used can save you hundreds of dollars! Co-ops and private schools often have end-of-year sales where you can find everything from math manipulatives to full textbooks at steeply discounted rates. One of the best things about these sales is that you can ask the parents who used them with their own kids for tips!
Ebay is another great resource I have used to find used curriculum. Shipping costs can be kept at a minimum by utilizing media mail for books, and Ebay often allows you to make lower offers to the seller if the price seems too high.
Your local thrift store may also be worth a look for notebooks, literature, textbooks, and other school supplies like looseleaf paper, binders, hole punchers, etc.
Many retailers offer educator discounts to homeschoolers! I have personally accessed the discount available at Half Price Books and Target.
Homeschool Days
As homeschooling becomes more mainstream and familiar to organizations, many have begun to offer Homeschool Days specifically for local homeschool families. Over the years our family has utilized these days for discounted access to museums, amusement parks, aquariums, and zoos. Many places also offer special educational booths and merch throughout their property on these days!
Use What You Have
Finally, make use of what you already have. This is probably one of the best ways to save money as a homeschooler. Borrow from a friend, reuse your math curriculum for the next child, scour the house for the materials you need for the next experiment instead of buying the fancy (and expensive!) science kit. Re-read the books you have- the story you read aloud to your then 5 year old may sound very different to your now 9 year old!
When my kids were little and we were just beginning our homeschooling journey, a few seasoned homeschool mothers generously passed on their math manipulatives, books, clothing, even a microscope!, to our family for our children’s use. It was a huge blessing to us, and I do my best to pass on what our kids no longer need to other local homeschool families to support our community.
Don’t forget that while curriculum catalogs and conventions make expensive courses look ever so tempting, much of what our children need to learn can be found in the world around them.
Bake with them.
Take walks outside.
Read aloud.
Chat.
Play games.
These things are completely free and accessable to everyone. And they are extraordinarily beneficial for your child.
My Island Homeschool 
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