Making a Homeschool Budget
How do you make a homeschool budget? I cringe when I think about giving advice on the subject. My husband and I have never written a formal budget. We know how much money comes in each month and approximately how much we spend.
The easy way to make a budget is to subtract your bills from your income. OK, that was a bit too simple. So, look at your bills. You will see that some bill change amounts each month while others stay the same.
The bill that change amounts each months are items like electricity, phone, and groceries. Start thinking what you can do to lower these bills. With electricity use florescent lights. We use less lights during the day. To save on heat we use a wood stove. To cut the phone bill try to make less long distant phone calls or use your cell phone for long distant. Maybe you can live without a land line or the cell phone, so that you are only paying one bill.
The biggest area that you can cut is in groceries. I am using coupons and buying on sale. I also have a garden and make my own bread. Look for recipes that use common ingredients. Many magazines and recipes books list cost per serving.
Also look at what you spend your extra money on such as lattes, and other entertainment. If you go out to the movies, could you instead rent a video? Instead of going out to eat some of the time, could you pack a lunch and eat in the park? Do you need to buy name brand clothes?
Now take the extra money that you are saving and use it for your homeschool budget.
Lastly look for affordable homeschooling resources. Look for used books and free resources.
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