Major Homeschool Curriculum Savings

I'm entirely proud of myself. This year, for the first year ever, I purchased all of the kids curriculum books from Amazon. I can't believe I have spent so much money in past years. I like books in good condition so that was one of my criteria for purchasing them used. What I found out was that a lot of book carriers have these books in new condition-many are just overstock and they are trying to get rid of them. In some cases I saved over 93% on certain books. I've broken everything down and emailed my husband the results. Best of all, the money I saved will stay in the homeschool budget for really fun things like our field trip to the Culinary Museum next week or the Prairie Class next month where the kids get to build a sod house. How fun! So while it seems like a heavy duty curriculum, it's really not. We supplement with Internet findings, projects, hands on stuff, museum visits, art and foreign language classes and a whole host of really great stuff.

So here is what we've chosen for curriculum and what the cost breakdown was. Remember-we orderded very early this year so this curriculum will be for next September. I couldn't include what the publisher would charge for shipping because most charge per pound or by purchase price. I do know it would be far more than the $3.99 that Amazon charges. Because of that I think my savings would be over $100 more in shipping charges.

Curriculum Listing 2009-2010

Patrick (grade 8)

Science: Science Insight-Exploring Living Things
Scott Foresman/Addison Wesley 1999
ISBN 0-201-33281-7
Publisher price $69.45
Cost-$5.00 (homeschool book fair)
Savings=$64.45

Literature: Elements of Literature-Course 2
Holt, Rinehart and Winston 2007
http://www.holtmcdougal.com/
ISBN 978-0-030-424137
Publisher price $93.65
Amazon price $48.90
Shipping-$3.99
Total cost= $52.89
Savings=$40.76

Language Arts: Language Network grade 8
Holt, Rinehart, Winston
ISBN 978-0-395-96738-6
Publishers price $54.90
Amazon price=$0.74 (yes-74 cents)
Shipping=$3.99
Total Cost-$4.73
Savings=$50.17

Math: Math Advantage 1999
Harcourt Brace
ISBN 978-0153114410
Publishers price $76.65
Amazon Price $11.00
Shipping=$3.99
Total Cost=$14.99
Savings=$61.66

History: Contemporary’s American History 2 after 1865
Mathew Downey 2005
Wright Group Publishing
ISBN 978-0077044381
Publishers Price=$49.97
Amazon Price=$45.36
Shipping=$3.99
Total cost-$49.35
Savings=$0.62

Contemporary’s American History 2 Before 1865
Mathew Downey 2005
Wright Group Publishing
ISBN 978-0077044350
Publishers Price= $49.97
Amazon Price=$24.59
Shipping=$3.99
Total Cost=$28.58
Savings=$25.38

Morgan (grade 5)

Reading: Open Court Reading
SRA/McGraw Hill
Publishers Price $60.03
Cost=$free (recycled from Patricks books)
Savings=$60.03

Math: Math Advantage-grade 5
Harcourt Brace Publishers
Publishers Price= $87.00
Cost=$Free (recycled from Patricks books)

Savings=$87.00

Language Arts: Flash Kids (grade 6)
Harcourt Family Publishers
Publishers Cost=$7.99
Total Cost=$free (never used from Patrick’s books last year)
Savings= $7.99

History: The United States History
Scott Foresman Social Studies 2005
ISBN 978-032-807-5720
Publishers Price=$85.85
Amazon Price=$49.02
Shipping=$3.99
Total Cost=$53.01
Savings=$32.84

The United States History Workbook
ISBN 978-0328081783
Publishers Price=$32.75
Amazon cost=$$6.75
Shipping=$3.99
Total Cost=$10.74
Savings=$22.01

Tae (Kindergarten)

Sadlier Phonics-K 2004
http://www.sadlier-oxford.com/
ISBN 978-0-8215-7900-8
Publishers Price $12.99
Amazon-not available
Shipping $7.95
Total Cost: $20.59

Zaner-Bloser Activity Phonics-K
http://www.zaner-bloser.com/
ISBN 978-0-7367-0283-6
Publishers Price=$12.00
Shipping=$5.00
Amazon=not available
Total cost= $17.00

Total I would have spent if not using Amazon=$694.19

Total savings=$452.91

Total spent=$256.88

I'm so entirely please that I bought a full curriculum for 3 kids for $256.88. I kicked some curriculum butt!

The kids had art class today today-I'll post pictures later.