For the Love of Libraries
The library is a great free resource! The library in my old town has a book cart that has used books they want to sell — for cheap! I’ve got some great educational books for 25-cents! We’ve found some of those ‘New True Books’ that tell about for example ‘The Hopi Indians’, etc, that my kid will use.
One of the best buys I got at the library was book-on-tape: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn which comes in a video-tape case type of thing, has around 4 tapes, I believe it’s the unabridged version, for 50-cents! The cost of it brand-new I think would be over $20!
Library book sales are the best! I’ve been to the sales at my local library and my first experience with them was amazing. I did not realize the sale was going on and when we got there it was going to be over in about one hour. It was also the last day so the library had the prices $5/bag (they used the brown paper grocery bags). Because we got there so late, I actually got $5/car! I ended up with six computer paper boxes and several grocery bags full of books - and the library wanted me to take more! They really tried to get me to take their romance novels (ugh!), which I would have taken directly to a used book store to use for store credit :). No more room. I got some American Heritage encyclopedia style books and quite a few other sets of encyclopedias. My kid can use them for projects and cut them completely apart and I certainly will not mind. My parents, when my sister and I were young, bought the Encyclopedia Britannica set which cost them quite a bit of money. The pages were thin and I was so afraid I would tear them just turning a page. I am glad I paid only pennies per book so my kid can enjoy them! Because of our adventure that day at the library, they took my name and phone number to call me when they have another sale. They welcome us when they see us come in, ‘here’s our homeschoolers’ LOL!
Tags: books, budget, cheap, curriculum, homeschool, library
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Beginning Homeschool Curriculum
Before looking at prices for full-blown homeschool curriculum, see what interests your kids. Go to the children’s section at the library and see what they’d like to read about. When I first started, I made the mistake of plunking down money (which I really couldn’t afford) for “curriculum” (that had been barely used).
Costco and Sam’s Club have inexpensive books if you want a workbook. I get the Learn At Home book (at Sam’s) and supplement it as we like (or I feel a need to). Some might call it a ’spine’ - basically a starting off point.
Money is better spent on museums, zoos, aquariums (most offer homeschooler discounts or a discount where you get a pass for one place and receive similar discounts at other locations - see the discount page for info on the ASTC Passport Program - if your nearby locations are not listed, you can always call and ask too), etc and if she chooses a favorite animal head back to the library and read about it, search for free craft projects on the net - www.enchantedlearning.com is a cool place to start.
Tags: beginning, budget, curriculum, discount, homeschool
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Black Friday 2007
Black Friday Shopping Tips
Before you head out to the mall or shop online for that perfect present, take a few moments to read these tips to help you have a less stressful holiday season.
– Decide in advance exactly what you want and what you can afford.
– Read sale ads carefully. Some may say “quantities limited,” “no rain checks,” or “not available at all stores.”
– Don’t buy on impulse or under pressure. This includes donating to charity. Do your research.
– Get a written copy of guarantees and warranties.
– Get the seller’s refund, return and cancellation policies.
You’ll find more helpful buying tips at:
http://www.consumeraction.gov/caw_general_beforeubuy.shtml
If you decide to brave the crowds and hit those Black Friday sales, don’t forget to:
– Eat a healthy breakfast. You’ll need energy to stay focused.
– Be courteous to others, despite the fact that others will be tired, cranky, and competitive, and clerks will be exhausted.
– Have a sense of adventure and challenge. Much of the difference between a stressful experience and an exciting one is your attitude.
Where to find the deals:
http://www.dealtaker.com/blackfriday.html
Tags: budget, cheap, shoestring
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Deal of the Day
We stopped in the resale shop today and my dd came across the handheld games. They were inexpensive so I bought her one. This game is really neat. It’s called Wordhunt (by Radica). It has different timed and 1 no-timed setting. It gives you a word and you find all the words in it that you can by mixing up the letters. Like just now it gave me the word ‘newspaper’ and you have to try to find all the words you can make with the letters in newspaper. We got it for $2.50. It’s on ebay for 25. And the batteries were included 
Pretty neat.
Tags: budget, cheap, educational. language
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