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!

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.