Now that we’ve been homeschooling for nine years, I think I’ve heard just about every objection to homeschooling possible. But it always interests me to hear from people who would like to homeschool, but feel that they can’t.

I’ve heard all of these:

“I want to homeschool, but I’m too busy!”

“I want to homeschool, but I’m not a teacher!”

“I want to homeschool, but I can’t stand being around my kids all day!”

And – “I want to homeschool, but I’m too broke!”

Do you think that you’re too broke to homeschool? If so, you’re not alone. Many people think that they can’t afford to homeschool.

But that’s probably not true! Most of us who are homeschooling are not financially comfortable by any stretch of the imagination and yet we make it work! Read on to see how.

Image c/o: Maridav / depositphotos

I’m Too Broke to Homeschool!

Why do some parents think they can’t afford to homeschool? Because of some very common misconceptions about what it takes to actually teach your children at home. Take a look at some of these mistaken ideas to see if you’ve been assuming you can’t afford to homeschool.

Misconception #1: Homeschool Curriculum Costs a Lot of Money

Let me be clear here: You CAN spend a lot of money for homeschool curriculum. But you absolutely do not HAVE to, even if you’re laser focused on high-quality materials. There are plenty of ways to find good homeschooling resources without spending much (or sometimes without spending anything at all).

Many boxed curriculum programs are rather pricey, but you can buy them used and save a bundle. Or you can use a virtual online school option that may be provided for free, depending on the state you live in. Or you can put together your own program using online resources that provide your state’s educational objectives for each grade.

There are plenty of ways to get your homeschool curriculum without spending much money at all. Trust me. We’ve been doing it for years.

Misconception #2: Homeschooling Requires A Parent to Stop Working

Another common idea is that you have to stop working in order to homeschool your children. You don’t. In fact, you may not have to give up your career at all. Depending on your profession, you may be able to work from home a large amount of time and only stop in at the office as needed.

Or, if you want to work from home, there are plenty of ways to do so. I actually work full-time hours and I’ve been homeschooling for years. It can be done. And here’s another tip: homeschooling doesn’t take nearly as much time as public school, so you may not need as much extra time in your schedule as you imagine.

Misconception #3: Homeschoolers Need a Lot of Extracurricular Activities

If your kids attend public school, then you already know about the amount of extracurricular activities involved: field trips, sports, dances, fundraisers. So you might think that you need to duplicate all of these events if you switch to homeschooling.

You don’t. You can, but (again) you don’t HAVE to. You can choose a couple of sports for your kids to play at a local rec center, which will be much less expensive than playing for a school team.

Or pick up a couple of classes online in foreign language, cooking, coding, and just about anything else your kids might want to learn. Since they’re available all the time, how many you try and how much you spend is up to you. Your kids will be just fine if they do less. In fact, they may even enjoy learning more.

How do you make sure your family can afford to homeschool? Are you someone who wants to try teaching your kids but think you’re too broke to homeschool? Share your feelings in the comments!

Want more ideas for homeschooling on the cheap? Pick up my book “How to Afford Homeschooling” for more simple tricks to stretch your homeschool dollar!

Don’t miss these other homeschooling tips!

And get even more ideas for your homeschool year on my Homeschool Planning Pinterest board!