Financial Strain and HS'ing

[Sneezykids]

Anyone else feeling the pinch?

Our state is being hit hard, we currently have *THE* highest gas prices in the U.S. Outings and FT's have dwindled. I did buy a park pass to get into the local parks that have a beach and nature centers. But my plans to travel the state more has been set aside for now.

I went to the grocery store Sunday and apples were $2.99 a lb. Not even organic. My ds is on a special diet too, making our food costs insane right now.

It's bare minimum for us right now. Anyone else HS'ing on a shoestring??

[LilyGrace]

Shoestring......thread....whatever you want to call it, YES! It is frustrating! I'm glad my car gets 40mpg, but it is still hard to get around and do everything. Free events and picnic lunches are about it for us right now. I need one more book for the fall and have to order almost all new books in January (we do year round), and I'm already trying to scrimp and save - and I haven't even managed the fall book yet!
OTOH, I am very happy to be close to such a good library that understands the pinch and has made certain accomodations for me (having worked there helps!). And I know our financial situation will get better in October, but not much.

[Nature]

Yup. Its really really put a damper on what we can and can't do. I simply cannot afford the gas it takes to travel. We walk, and if we can't walk.. we can't go. Its a frustrating time to be sure.

[elizawill]

YES we feel it. when i quit working it cut our income in half...and that was over 3 years ago. we have literally arranged our lives around making ends meet on one-income, including moving from CA to the east coast where housing is much cheaper, i meal plan each week, all of our clothes are second hand, and freecycle has become my best friend. fortunately my parents and my sisters are all very wealthy....so i get all of their awesome stuff!!!!

other than that, i ask for money in lieu of gifts for the kids, and i put it toward homeschooling things and extracurricular activities, etc. it all works out i suppose, as we truly lack for nothing )

[boysrus]

Yup.
We are actually on a waiting list to enroll our boys in an alternative school because we will both need to start working in order to buy a house.

[poisonedapple]

Ah shoestring, how familiar you look! It's hard, I try to do the best I can, spend money wisely, and hope it's good enough at the end of the day. As for gas prices, they are pretty high here too, and I try to be conservative with my gas, without missing out on the summer. I don't want to tell the kids we can't have that awesome picnic at the state park, because of gas. Whereas maybe we will only go once and then spend more time at the local park down the road, etc. We still plan to go camping in southern Illinois (5-6 hour drive) in August, and it will cost with gas, but I feel the memories will be worth it. And its really our only trip out of state all summer.

[phathui5]

Incidently, there is a book you can get from the library called Homeschooling on a Shoestring that has a lot of good ideas.

[townmouse]

Yes. Gas and groceries are nearly unaffordable. : I have 4 little celiacs here, so I understand the frustration of a special diet in these times.

I'm thinking of trying to sell or rent this house, and move to a small town where we can park the van and walk/bike everywhere.

I haven't bit the bullet yet because there was an awful lot I didn't like about that town. I prefer the diversity of the city. However, my dc are only gonna see the diversity of our (sidewalk-less) street if I can't afford gasoline! Not sure what to do.

[Dillpicklechip]

Originally Posted by Sneezykids

Anyone else feeling the pinch?

Definitely. Gas is getting ridiculous, and the price of all groceries is going up at the same time. Every time I think our budget can't get any tighter, it does!

There are certain supplies and books I'd really like to have for the kids but I've had to realize that we just can't manage that much. So mostly we're just working with the library and some books that my parents gave us the money to buy. No microscope or new paints for now.

One good thing though about homeschooling is that you don't have to deal with the school expenses. When my daughter was in school I spent a lot on nice clothes and shoes and whatnot for her, which doesn't seem as important any more, and I also spent an awful lot on school fund raisers and field trips.

But still, homeschooling still adds up to be more expensive than public school, especially if one parent is staying home from work to do the homeschooling. It's definitely hard sometimes. But I feel that it's the right choice for us all the same.

[SandyBeachBums]

Yes, we moved to the city. We do pay more for rent and we no longer own our home. But, we don't need two vehicles. I don't waste 5 hours a day plus expenses commuting. We can walk almost anywhere and I can keep going to the University which will hopefully allow me to make better money in the future. It's my "job" right now and the grants really help out.

My dh has a lot more opportunities for work here, too. If I have to get a part-time job (I can't imagine finding the time) I could a lot more easily and a lot closer to home.

If we didn't have food stamps I have no idea how we could eat well. My dh messed up the paperwork a few months back and we had to rely on the food bank. It was awful.

[hsmamato2]

shoestring and homeschooling is a reality for many of us..... I have been hs'ing for 14 years now,and knew in the beginning it would mean we wouldn't be keeping up with the Joneses...... :
at first I thought Op's post had to be in my state, but your sig says midwest..what?!? gas and groceries cost more out there? I assumed CT would be one of the highest.....:
We plan carefully what/where we'll be going for classes trips etc. if it's really worthy,I'll travel a bit, but most things can be found fairly close to home for us
groceries are another thread altogether,especially special diets...food co-ops, I 've been finding lots of special foods on sale on Amazon.com lately for ds(wheat free),buying in bulk,and saving that way! if you sign up for email notices,they send you special notices,like buy 2 cases wheat free mac and cheese,and get $10 off,stuff like that....
But I look at it this way-even if we didn't hs, I'd still have to feed my kids,and drive them places, so in the end, the value of hs'ing far outweighs the extra cost of gas....
books, the library has TONS to read,including many hs'ing program/curriculum,so we can try things out- the internet is FULL of free sites to print out learning pages,etc-
our library has free passes for museums,etc-
but we all feel your pain!

[Sneezykids]

<<at first I thought Op's post had to be in my state, but your sig says midwest..what?!? gas and groceries cost more out there? I assumed CT would be one of the highest>>

I'm in Michigan. Gas prices keep spiking here and our state is already in the pits (7% unemployment rate) high taxes too (we pay $7000 a year, ow! and not getting to use the ps system...grrr)

[UUMom]

Yes. Everything feels insane right now. Gas, home insurance (which tripled)...everything.

[Nature]

Originally Posted by SandyBeachBums

Yes, we moved to the city. We do pay more for rent and we no longer own our home. But, we don't need two vehicles. I don't waste 5 hours a day plus expenses commuting. We can walk almost anywhere and I can keep going to the University which will hopefully allow me to make better money in the future. It's my "job" right now and the grants really help out.

My dh has a lot more opportunities for work here, too. If I have to get a part-time job (I can't imagine finding the time) I could a lot more easily and a lot closer to home.

If we didn't have food stamps I have no idea how we could eat well. My dh messed up the paperwork a few months back and we had to rely on the food bank. It was awful.

Those months are hard. I know. This month is food bank month for us as well.

[MidwifeErika]

We will be shoestring ourselves..... well, that is how we have been raising the kids all along

We aren't buying any books, just checking them out from the library. And we ask family for art supplies for christmas and will do the same this year. Even running to the library, I am trying to not do it that often because it is probably about 8 miles or so there and that adds up! I wait until my husband comes home with the car that gets good gas mileage and our minivan just sits most of the time now.

[oldermamato5]

I don't think we 've ever not been a *living on a shoestring* family. I did buy Oakmeadow's 3rd grade complete curriculum this year for my dd-9. Pricey to say the least. OTOH,I didn't buy anything for my 8 or 15 year old sons. Also I will reuse the Oakmeadow for the 8 yr. old if he is interested. Both boys are more unschoolers where dd is not. She loves those workbooks.

We are definitely feeling the gas crunch and as we drive a big old paid for station wagon the gas milage isn't the greatest. We are selective where we go for sure. For instance,we are going to a big living history museum in August that is an hour away. We will not be running around that week to other things because we can't afford that much gas.

This has always been our life though. And I do love being home with my kids

[hahamommy]

I, too, can't quite remember a time I wasn't living on a shoestring... though in hindsight, I think I have been much more financially blessed than I am right now, with far less gratitude!
My son and I live very conservatively, in order for me to be at home with him full time. Our already stretched budget took a $600/month hit when we moved out of our nanny job's house and out on our own. I thought we were broke then! HA! Luckily (for our finances anyway) we are currently without a car. We get rides to the homeschool park day (fellow homeschooler on the same block). We've also given up ALL fast food and I've had to figger out how to actually cook stuff we like and want to eat
This too shall pass...
Life IS good...
my two most favorite mantras of the season