Five Money Myths that Trip Up Homeschoolers

by Carol Topp, HomeschoolCPA.com

Do any of you, like me, have curriculum sitting on your shelf, that, if you are honest with yourself, you will probably never use?

I scanned my shelves and easily found this. I will probably never use it.  So, I know I’m a homeschooling mom!  That’s one of the tell-tale signs!

I didn’t know I needed stuff until I saw the ads!

Here are some others. You know you’re a homeschool mom if:

• You shop for birthday presents at educational stores.
• All you want for Christmas is a Barnes & Noble gift certificate.
• You’d rather buy books than clothes.
• Your friends don’t want to help you move because you have so many books.
• For your wedding anniversary, you decide to splurge and get a photocopier.
• You are on a first name basis with your local librarian and bookstore owner.
• The UPS driver delivers a box of Scholastic books to your doorstep once a month

My topic is not about just books, but about two of my favorite things: books and money!

My husband tells people, homeschooling for Carol is not about educating our children, it’s about Carol buying books!

But seriously, I want to share some experiences I’ve learned about money and homeschooling.  I call it the Five Money Myths that Trip Up Homeschoolers

Myth #1:  Just a Little More Money Will Solve All My Problems

Truth: Problem is not lack of money, but lack of contentment

The author of Frozen Assets and Frugal Living for Dummies, Deborah Taylor-Hough, lists what she calls “Contentment Robbers”:

mail order catalogs,

magazines,

malls, etc…

For homeschoolers the list is similar:

homeschool catalogs,

homeschool curriculum fairs,

homeschooling web sites and forums,

homeschooling magazines

and even (gasp) other homeschoolers

Ms. Hough writes, “I started praying that I would discover where this discontent was coming from so I could overcome it and put it to rest.”

I personally do not look at the Sunday sale ads.  I didn’t know I needed stuff until I saw the ads!  So I stopped looking. Maybe it’s the same with you.  What are your contentment robbers?

While homeschooling catalogs & magazines can be extremely useful, only you know if they are contentment robbers.

If they are, here’s some advice:

1. Only look at catalogs when you have a specific need
2. Use a shopping list at curriculum fairs. If it’s not on the list, you don’t need it.

That leads to the next myth on needs…coming soon…don’t forget to watch for it!

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