Funny, and sadly true.
The grand total (slightly misleading, I'll explain in a minute) was $1,416.56. Not cheap, but not crazy expensive either. That was 4 kids, one 8/9th grader, one 3rd grader and 2 Kindergartners.
I say that it's slightly misleading because we school year-round, so our kids are moving in and out of grades differently. We may have to buy 2 math programs for one child in one year, which can up the cost quite a bit. Overall, I would say that the above number is pretty accurate, but would give a couple hundred dollars to allow for kids moving quicker through programs, or for trying something and then stopping that curriculum.
We also are an "eclectic" homeschooling family, which means I obsessively research curriculum and pick what I want for my kids. We don't follow a pre-boxed kit based on grade level. They can definitely be handy because you don't have to research anything and it's all there for your student, but it doesn't allow the freedom for your kids to move at their level. Some premade kits can be quite expensive, but it's all in what you want. If you have more money than time and worry about missing something that needs to be taught, then those kits are a lifesaver.
Research shows that the average homeschool family will spend $900 per year per child on school. This seems extremely high to me. We are nowhere near that amount, and I don't anticipate that we ever will be.
Could we do it for less? For sure. For example, when we buy books for literature (if we're not using the libraries) I will by a nicer version to build up our home library. It's still tax-deductible and I'd rather have a prettier hard-cover than a cheap paperback that might not make it through all my kids.
We could also buy more non-consumable curriculum. But my 2 kindergartners love their worksheets and ripping them out and having me grade them. So it's worth it to me to buy those instead of something that they would write answers in a notebook.
And just for fun because I couldn't resist.
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