Unschooling on a Limited Budget
By Sue Patterson
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29 Oct, 2022
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Can You Unschool on a Tight Budget? When the question of whether a family could unschool on a limited budget, the Unschooling Mom2Mom Facebook group overwhelmingly agreed that the answer is yes. Of course, it can be harder, and raising kids in or out of school takes a certain amount of money. Sometimes families shift their priorities so their children can have more of what they need to flourish. With a little creativity, unschooling can be done very well. Lots will depend on the parent’s attitude. If you’re thinking that you can’t unschool because you don’t have enough money, here are some options you might be overlooking. The library The internet Used book stores/thrift stores Field trips (free days/free places) Free community programs Most museums have one free day per week Trade and barter for services Craig’s List, FreeCycle Buy things at second hand stores that will sell on Ebay, then put money into a fund for kids’ purchases Some libraries loan out day passes for children’s museums Farms offering free field trips Zoos have an annual Free Day Yard sales Consignment stores Create a local group online where members contribute knowledge and skills for those who want to learn (working on car, creative cooking, sewing, building, in additions to how to use a microscope, musical instruments, etc.) Create a local Math Games day Check if your local homeschool group has swaps or books to loan Group trips to places as the group rate is usually less Freebies on Kindle Start a Savings Jar for things the kids would like to have Trips to Europe – or anywhere! – on YouTube Educator discount cards at Barnes & Noble Project Gutenberg – any book that has reached “public domain” status is digitized US National Parks’ gate fees are waived a few times every year Dollar Movie Days or Dollar Movie theaters Work/internships in exchange for classes (theatre, gyms, etc.) Think of the money you save from not having to keep up with fashion trends If your state offers it, Sales Tax Free days happen in August to replenish school supplies you’d use at home, clothing, backpacks, etc. Potlucks with other families Ask family members to give Annual passes (museums, zoos, etc.) for holiday and birthday gifts Camping trips instead of expensive vacations Volunteering at unschooling conferences to get free conference passes
Gertrude is a research journalist working performing her duties as chief editor at this news station. She is a talented writer and comes up with facts everybody wants to know.
