SisterTipster on Home Schooling AND Life - FREE Curriculum and Other Stuff in this Economy!

2009-Jun-16 - FREE Curriculum and Other Stuff in this Economy!

I am all over a bargain~and having really felt the crunch of these economic times, I've looked for economical ways to do just about anything. Like many of you, I am researching and planning our next year of homeschooling and researching options for the best curricula choices for my children. Factors that I consider are ease of use, content/quality and cost. I sure wish cost wasn't an issue! With so much income downsizing going on in our country; yes, we are there with many others too, it's scary how much a year of homeschooling COULD cost! (Check out my previous post HERE for a free online curriculum solution with FREE out of print books!)

I want to share a few tactics that can sometimes turn into "pay dirt" for a mother-load of great FREE curriculum! I am a member of my local Yahoo group, FreeCycle. FreeCycle is a national web-based Yahoo group that you can join, which is list owned or moderated where there are rules for offering and "wanting" items with local groups in many communities. I've been a member now in two different locations, and the rules were somewhat different between the two. Basically it's a group to keep good or sometimes bad, depending, really...OUT of the landfill and going into the hands of folks who can use the stuff! How cool is this? I keep saying this about different things, but when you consider USING what we HAVE in this world slows down the rate or useless garbage that has the potential for overtaking God's green earth! Recycling and repurposing and thrift are all good for this or any other economy for that matter.

Here's my personal experience:

I have joined my local FreeCycle group and recieve email updates through the Yahoo group. When an item becomes available that I can use, I reply with a well worded polite request to be considered. (Rules are in place where the person offering an item or items can at their/my discression offer to any responder that strikes the giver's fancy.) Sometimes I get my request; sometimes I don't. I have made some FreeCycle friends of folks who I've gifted my unusable items with and who have contacted me personally with items they knew I was looking for as well. With FreeCycle there are no guarantees over what I might receive, but one this is certain: I can always find a good home for items I no longer need. Folks in FreeCycle will pick up, and if someone doesn't show up, folks seem to "remember" the inconsiderate action. . .one can always email for a different pick up time or a change of plans. It's a GREAT group!

I am so totally pumped over FreeCycle because we have received four years of gorgeous totally useable homeschool curricula for high school with a Biblical worldview from my FreeCycle group member who just listed their offering, and I responded. Praise the Lord! There were a few subjects I had not nailed down that it was looking like hundreds of dollars to accomplish.

Are you in the boat with me of shrinking finances with an increasing load to carry?

Other items I've received were vegitable plants from a fellow FreeCycler who had too many starts for her garden. Another who needed her raspberries thinned, so we got FREE starts! A stack of used magazines (kind I enjoy reading) that yeah, weren't fresh off the press, but the price was right! Art supplies...We gifted furniture and other items too! It's been so much fun!

Check out FreeCycle over in the Yahoo groups. Yahoo has free email where you set up an account that's free and work from there. Also to plug Yahoo, there are tons of homeschool support groups available. You do have to request joining the list and give a brief intro. Something like,
"Hello,
I am a homeschooling mom of two highschoolers...blah blah blah or I am interested in recycling and repurposing items..." depending of course on the group. It doesn't have to be elaborate is the main point I want you to know.

I am gonna get off here and go ck out my FREE homeschool curriculum! (FIVE BOXES! I will FreeCycle what I can't use back to bless someone else!)

Wishing us all better economic times and blessings
SisterTipster

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