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Living Frugally - Homeschool and Grocery Tips

Homeschooling often means living on one income. For some this is a deal breaker and a reason why many would not even consider homeschooling. The idea of living on less money is just not thinkable. That said, even though I will admit that for many homeschooling is really a sacrifice financially, one can make it work. Today I will share with you 5 homeschooling and 5 grocery tips that I use to lessen our expenses and help us live on one income.

In homeschooling:

  1. Use the Library: if I can find it at the library I do not bother buying the book and use the money for something else, or a book I can't find at the library.
  2. Sign up for group buy: these can be really helpful as you can get 25 to 95% off a product. My favorite to use is HomeschoolBuyersco-op.com. There are also some Facebook groups who offer this.
  3. Resist the urge to buy every curriculum you think you like or could work: This is the most difficult one. There is so much good stuff out there, we feel that we want to try everything and we often think that something else would work better. Well, not necessarily. I have learned to be very picky and not act on impulses when it comes to curriculum buying. Do your research and be sure you want to invest in what you are buying.
  4. Make use of Buy/Sell/trade site and Facebook groups: you can get good deals there. You can also make money by selling your stuff in order to buy other material.
  5. Follow blogs and websites that showcase freebies: HomeschoolGiveway.com, FreeHomeschoolDeals.com, Homeschoolingfreebie.com and Homeschool Freebie of the Day. You can really get some cool stuff through these websites. I certainly have. Don't forget to check out Year Round Homeschooling as well.

On my grocery bill:


1. I keep a running list of items that I need to buy on a whiteboard in the kitchen or the fridge. I seek to stick to my list at the grocery store.

2. I try to go to the grocery store no more than twice a week. The more you go to the store, the more likely you are to pick up things that you either did not need or could have waited next pay check.

3. I shop the flyers and price match. Some items I only buy when they are on sale; items like canned goods, cheese, jam, sugar, flour, honey, cereals. Sales are cyclical, so they always come back on a rhythm, and if one store does not have it this week, another store might next week. Just be patient and follow #4.

4. I stock up the sales. Now, I do not have an indefinite amount of money, so I cannot stock up too much, (neither do I have a big storage room). However, I buy enough to keep me until the next sale, usually depending on the item, that amount varies between 2-5. A sale cycle is usually between 6-8 weeks.

5. I buy wholesale. On some items buying wholesale is really a better option. I love Costco. A lot of items sold there are sold at the sale price in a regular store, so I just buy there and save myself the headache of checking for these items on the flyers (plus I get a rebate from the membership). They sometimes offer you other perks, like cheaper gas, in the case of Costco.

Hope these are helpful to you. Any tips to share, please comment below!

This post is part of the Schoolhouse Round up on Frugal Living.

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