Homeschooling and money

[*Lindsey*]

Hi mamas! I should introduce this by saying that my DH comes from a homeschooling family, and many of our extended family and friends homeschool. I should also tell you that I just graduated with my degree in Early Childhood Education and am a certified teacher. My opinion of public schools has changed a lot, especially since having my children. I'm afraid DH might be totally : if I don't follow through with it.

We've been living on my DH's (self-employed) income for over 3 years now and struggled along the way. We have a very small house (about 800 sq ft) for the 4 of us and it's super crowded. We're looking to buy next summer. I'm hoping to find a job for the upcoming school year, teach for 3 years and pay off some debt, and then quit and stay home to homeschool the kids.

This is *my* plan. I've mentioned it to DH before, and he always says "we'll see." I understand his reservations, IRT money, mostly. That is the scariest part for me too, since we'll have a house payment, student loans, and other bills.

Can anyone offer me any advice/tips/support/suggestions on how to make it work (money wise)? I know that we can make anything work if we try hard enough. I know a lot can happen between now and then, DS is 2.5 right now so it will be about 3 years before it comes down to it.

Most days I really despise money...

Thanks so much!

[babibelli]

from my expereince once you get used to living on a larger income, you're less likely to learn how to live w/o it. That being said, have you thought of a compromise? Perhaps you could buy a home after you're out of debt and can stash some money away. That's what we're doing. Your interest rate will be lower, making your house payment lower. I work evenings at a bookstore. It's not what I had done in my "career" but it is a good supplement to our income and allows me to stay at home during the day to hs. I notice you have a degree in ECE-how about starting your own daycare when you buy? That way you can work from home. There are many, many ways to make things work on a small budget with a little trial and error. Good Luck!

[mattemma04]

If you have public charter online schools in your state(e-schools) that might be a good option for you to use your degree,and you might even be able to do it from home.

[natashaccat]

Could you HS other children along with your own? You could go the licenced DCP provider route and limit your hours around times that work with your HSing schedule. DH and I do split shifts so that we can keep our kids with us and HS them.

[*Lindsey*]

Thank you all for the great tips/advice. I knew I could count on you all!

The daycare idea is one DH and I have discussed before, but thanks for the extra ideas on how to make it work. And the thought of working to pay off the bills for the next few years and then buy a house is a really good thought (that I never thought about since I'm so anxious to get outta this house!)

I'd love to hear how others make it work for their families as well!

[~Quse~]

You could tutor. I bet with your degrees your hourly rate would be substantial.

[Fieryfly]

I do schoolage home daycare so we can still keep our homeschooling lifestyle and also help make ends meet. I started when my oldest was 8 and it has worked quite well for us. Many homeschool moms I know teach some sort of class, run a home business of some type, or work a PT when their DH can be home w/the kids or somewhere their kids are welcome.

Good luck with your planning!

[*Lindsey*]

Thanks again!

I talked with DH about it and he seems on board with the idea. We've agreed that if I can work for 3 years and pay off some bills, then swinging the house payment on his pay alone would be no big problem.

I'm very excited about the road that lies ahead of us to get to that point. I'm just praying: it all works out for us. I suppose if I had to send DS to school for one or two years it wouldn't be *that* bad.

[True Blue]

I was also thinking, since your degree is ECE, when your DS is old enough would it be worthwhile for you to teach in a preschool part-time? It only takes a couple hours a day to homeschool, especially in the early years. Just a thought.