Budgeting for next year.

I'm assessing all we've spent and looking ahead to predict what we might need for next year. This was our first full year homeschooling. So there was extra spent, some trial and error. I now have a good sense of how it will go.



As I mentioned in my previous post, I went over by about $100. Next year I don't want to do that!

I'd love to have the girls participate in a homeschool co-op but the only one here we're looking at $800/child, PLUS 15 volunteer days. I run a home daycare and it would be excessive days off. I could pay out those days.... but it would be way too costly. It would cost me $2400 plus payout for volunteer days. Not going to happen.

We'll be content with the workshops and what not that are offered through the school board($10 per workshop per child), and through the various others venues. It would be nice to have them out and about for a day a week, meeting other kids, but not at the cost they are offering it. This is the only co-op that is in this city.

For next year, we will be getting the curricula for dd14 and dd12 from the school board, it will cost $500 including registration. For dd7, I don't use the school curricula, but handpick what I want to use, it would be much cheaper to go through the school($120), but I don't care for it. I have most of what I need already. We purchased 2 grade levels at once this year, we've already progressed into the next books in some areas, and do plan to work through the summer, but slowly. So for the fall, we're not in need of much at all. Her registration is $50. Thankfully it isn't out of pocket in August, they hold off until the government sends out the first disbursement of funding. It is deducted directly.

I've started setting aside $50/mo for next year. It won't amount to all that much, but it will create a working budget for me to use, so it doesn't sit on my credit card until I'm refunded. So come September I'll have $300 to work with for class registrations, consumables. In October I submit receipts, and continue building my school fund. Once November hits, I'll have gotten my refund, and added another $100 to the fund. So when January comes and I need to order items for the second semester, I'll have a good working fund again, approx $500. I intend to build this up as a $1000. Then I can leave it as a cushion. I think now, we're pretty much set and don't require much more for reference books. I have most of what I need for other curricula too. I have AAS to the 6th book(from older dd), so dd7 doesn't need anything more now. As well as Math Mammoth, we have all to grade 5 now. So only one more in a few years if we don't get it for dd12. So there is some wiggle room. The costs for her go down as we re-use some of the curricula we had for the older ones.

NEEDED:
DD14 - One Year Novel, Bible study

DD12 - Bible Study, possibly next Math Mammoth,

DD7 - McRuffy Science 3(I think)
SOTW 2 activity guide(pdf)

So we're in pretty good shape for the fall in terms of curricula. My spending budget will cover all of that This will allow for some really creative things for next year, and I'm excited about that. We'll be exploring what is out there for workshops and field trips for next year. I may register the kids for cross country ski lessons next year. Apparently the kids that did it this year had a riot! I am determined not to go over the budget next year. But by the looks of it now that I've written all down.... looks good to me!