Grocery Tip #11 - Leave the Cart at the Door

Even though you're doing a terrific job in preplanning your grocery trips, there are going to be times when you have a grocery emergency and have to run to the corner market for one or two items. It could be because you have an unexpected guest arriving or because your teenager decided to eat all of the eggs for lunch that you needed for the evening meal. Whatever the reason, don't let that little side trip turn into a shopping extravaganza.

When you walk into the market, walk right past the shopping carts. If you have to carry your groceries in your arms, you are not going to be as tempted to pick up that lovely $10 bouquet of gladiolas (my personal temptation) or that $5 bucket of ice cream that your hips don't need anyway.

Leave the cart at the door and only buy what you really need.

Keeping Answer Keys Organized

We use Saxon Math in our homeschool. Each child is, of course, using a different text so I have lots of answer keys to keep track of. What I have done is 3-hole punched each answer key and put them altogether in one 3-ring binder.

This not only keeps them all in one handy place, but keeps them in good shape. Before I did this, I found my answer keys falling apart, or the covers coming off, by the time I got to my second child. After all, they are getting daily use.

This isn't just a tip for Saxon Math, you can do this for all sorts of programs and texts.

Now most answer keys are pretty thick and impossible to hole punch with a standard 3-hole punch. My husband works in a school and has access to a power hole puncher. If you are not so fortunate, your local office or copy store should be able to help you out for a small fee or even for free. If they do charge you, ask if they extend their educators' discount to homeschoolers!

Memorization to Music

Little children have great memories. We can use that to our advantage and build a foundation for later studies by having them memorize important facts.

One way to do this is to put the facts to be memorized to music. Have you ever noticed that the ABC's are set to "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"? Sing the state capitols, or historical dates, or whatever, to a favorite tune and they will be easier to remember.

Carnival of Homeschooling: Week 19

What is a Carnival of Homeschooling you ask. I was asking the same question not too long ago.

Click here to check out week 19 of the Carnival. The central theme this week is Albert Einstein.

Here's how it works. A different blogger hosts the Carnival each week. This week's host is Why Homeschool. In the week leading up to the Carnival, the host searches for helpful posts from other blogs to feature. For example, there is a link at the Carnival to my recent post about homeschooling conferences.Go check it out. It really is fun!

Grocery Tip #10: Making Use of Throw Aways

Your grocery tip for this week is to make good use of food most people throw away.

Think about all of the vegetable scraps and bones that you throw away. Now is the time to get into the mindset of always asking yourself if something can be put to good use before throwing it in the trash can.

Because of my child with severe diet limitations, I began to make homemade broth years ago. After cooking up a delicious roast chicken and serving it to my family, I take the carcass, throw it in a pot with some seasonings and vegetable scraps, cover it with water, and boil it to death. The resulting broth can be frozen if it is not needed in the near future. You can do this with beef, pork, turkey, and fish bones as well. I also make vegetable broth if I have a lot of vegetables scraps. Believe me, homemade broth is way better than a bouillon cube mixed with a cup of water. And it's so easy, if you can boil water you can make broth!

One summer, my preteen daughter pickled watermelon rinds. Of course, rinds are not something you would normally eat, but pickled they're actually pretty good. I would say that was a pretty good use of a throw away!

Another way to make use of food throwaways is to compost. Over the years the harvest from our gardens have gotten better and better. Our flowers are bright and beautiful, and our vegetables are big and delicious. I credit this to our homemade compost. In addition to raking our leaves into the compost heap each spring, we throw in vegetable scraps, egg shells, newspaper, dryer lint (from cottons), hair clippings, the rabbit's droppings, lawn clippings, coffee grounds, and a few other odds and ends. No more spending oodles of money each year on top soil, manure, and peat moss!

One more idea for you all before I close -- Leftover Soup! When I have just a wee amount of vegetable or meat leftovers from dinner, not enough for a single serving the next day, I put it in a special container in the freezer. When my container is full, I make leftover soup. I mix it together with my homemade broth, perhaps throw in some rice, and I have a delicious soup.

This last Christmas, my husband and I were at a formal dinner party where the hostess served a wonderful cheesy broccoli soup which lead to a conversation about favorite soup recipes. When my husband was asked his favorite soup, his face lit up and he exclaimed, "My wife's Leftover Soup. It's the best!" I couldn't believe it!

Top Ten: Getting the Most Out of Your Homeschool Conference

This article originally appeared in Heart and Mind magazine.


The Thrifty Homeschooler
Getting the Most Out of Your Conference Experience
Maureen Wittmann


Are Conferences Worth the Money?
My husband, who has been involved in educational reform for more than two decades, keeps up-to-date in his field by subscribing to several good education magazines, reading all the right books, and attending conferences. We, as homeschoolers, are professional educators too and we should do no less.

We subscribe to homeschooling magazines, read all the great homeschooling books, and now conference season is upon us. Is it possible to be thrifty and still attend a conference that asks us to fork out anywhere from $20 to $40? To answer this question we must first define the difference between thrifty and cheap. Thrifty is getting the most for your money. On the other hand, cheap is getting something of little worth.

When considering whether or not to attend a homeschooling conference make sure not to be cheap. Instead ask yourself if and how the conference will benefit you to determine if it is worth the money.

Ordering curricula sight unseen is never a safe bet. Conferences offer you the opportunity to see a lot of the great curricula available to homeschoolers, whether you plan to make a purchase that day or sometime in the future.

Conferences are also beneficial in other ways. We all have something to learn and attending the talks can give you ideas to improve your homeschool. Talks also often offer encouragement. Just being under one roof with hundreds of other homeschoolers is rejuvenating. I always come home from our Michigan conference pumped up and ready to face the next school year. To me, that alone is worth the cost of my admission ticket.

Saving Money in the Vending Area
Interestingly, when I speak at homeschooling conferences, my Thrifty Homeschooler talk is often scheduled during the final spot of the day. If I was one to dwell on conspiracy theories, I might believe that conference organizers are worried that I will tell my audience not to spend any money in the vending area. No, instead of telling my audience to pass by the vendors, I try to help them buy wisely. We all have books and curricula that we need to purchase. In a nutshell, we need to remember to distinguish the difference between our needs and our wants.

Last year my friend Karen St. John, a key figure in putting together the Michigan Catholic Home Educators’ conference, helped me put together a top-ten list to make your homeschooling conference experience a successful one.

1. Come with lists of what you need, want, and would like to have, for the upcoming school year. It saves LOTS of time by asking “Do you have . . .” If the answer is no, you can move on to the next vending table. This list is especially useful when looking through the used book sales. Include any needed OOP (out of print) books on your list.

Conferences give you the opportunity to check out books and curricula up close and personal! Even if you aren’t buying that day, you can get a feel of what vendors, books, and curricula, fit your future needs. You may also find that new colorful curricula that has been getting tons of hype, isn’t what you need after all.

2. Always make sure that you check the used book tables before buying new books, as well as checking for vendors offering discounts and “conference specials.” Also look for opportunities to sell your used books and curricula. Most conferences offer such opportunities.

3. Many vendors will allow you to order ahead of time so that you can pick up and pay for your package at the conference - shipping free! Plus you don’t have to worry about the vendor running out of stock before you get to their table. It’s worth an email or a phone call to find out if a favorite vendor will do this. If you don’t get around to ordering in advance and your favorite vendor is out of stock, many will offer free shipping and handling if you place an order at the conference.

4. Vendors are often looking for someone who will man a table. Call and see if a particular vendor would like you to work their table and then check with the vendor coordinator for that conference to see if a table can be rented through the company you wish to represent. You can negotiate for books and curricula in exchange for your time, or if you prefer - cash.

5. If you are traveling from out of town, check out campgrounds for rates cheaper than hotels. The most fun that I have had at conferences is when I have traveled with girlfriends and we split the cost of gas and lodging.

6. If you like to enter all of the free drawings at the conference, bring some return address labels with you. That way you aren’t wasting time filling out your name and address over and over again. Keep in mind though, that vendors often times offer free drawings so that they can put you on their mailing list.

7. Make a budget and stick to it. Also keep in mind that smaller vendors, and often the conference organizers, do not take credit cards. You will need to bring an allotted amount of cash or your checkbook.

8. Register early for a discount. Often times, joining the state or local support group will get you a discount to the conference. (In addition to a regular newsletter, sometimes a HSLDA discount, local support, etc.).

9. Volunteers receive discounts or sometimes get in for free. There are all kinds of volunteer jobs to do. If you want to make sure to get to all of the talks, you could volunteer to be a monitor. The monitor sits in on talks and helps the speaker if a need arises. Some other fun conference jobs - pick up the speakers from the airport, open your home to speakers or vendors, take phone inquiries, registration, and so on. You can also volunteer your teenaged children. My teens have assisted with setup and takedown at our state conference.

10. Leave wee ones at home so that you can focus on the conference. I’m one of those moms who takes my kids everywhere with me. But on conference day I need to concentrate on the entire next school year and need to think clearly as I shop.


Maureen Wittmann and her husband Rob homeschool their seven children in Michigan. Mrs. Wittmann is coeditor and contributing author of The Catholic Homeschool Companion (Sophia Institute Press). She welcomes you to join her at The Thrifty Homeschooler.

This article originally appeared in Heart and Mind magazine.

Homeschool Library Connection

A big way to save money in our homeschools is to utilize the library. Check out this great email list to get started using the library effectively: Homeschool Library Connection.

From the website:
Description

The library can be an awesome resource for homeschoolers, but is useless if it doesn't carry the books that we need.

The sole purpose of the Homeschool Library Connection email list is to help homeschoolers make purchasing suggestions to their public libraries.

I will present titles of interest to homeschoolers, including all of the information that you should need to make a purchasing suggestion to your library -- title, author, publisher, date published, ISBN #, price, and comments.

Let your voice be heard. If your library has a website go to it now and see if you can make purchasing suggestions online. If so, make a suggestion! If not, next time you visit the library ask for a patron request form and then fill it out!

Some tips:
--The form you need to fill out may be called a variety of things: patron request, item request, purchase suggestion, or something similar.
--Sometimes it's easier to ask a main library instead of a suburban or branch library.
--You'll have a better chance of a purchase at a big library than a small one which needs to get rid of books to save room.
--Titles published in the past year are more likely to be purchased. Librarians want their purchases to have a long shelf life and so are weary of older books.
--If you do suggest an older title, make sure to comment that it is a "classic" and will be checked out for years to come.
--Don't give up if you feel that your suggestions are ignored. Your voice will eventually be heard!
--Tell all of your like-minded friends to make purchasing suggestions too. There is power in numbers.

Learning Math through Living Books

If you like to use "real" books in your math studies, or would like to learn how to start, this is THE website to visit: Living Math

There is an accompanying email list at: Living Math Forum

Homeschooling on the Radio

I taped a radio interview with Steve Wood last week on homeschooling and I just learned that it'll be aired tomorrow (Thurs., May 4th) from 2 to 3 pm, Eastern time. It's a Catholic radio show, Faith and Family Radio, but I think the interview would be helpful to non-Catholics too. In fact, I encourage you to invite family members or friends to listen. Steve tried to ask questions that would come from non-homeschoolers and those considering homeschooling.

To find a radio station in your area, or to stream online, go to http://www.ewtn.com/ and click on Radio. You'll also be able to listen to the interview after the fact at Family Life Center.

Sharing Resources: Go right to the publisher

One way to save money is to cut out the middle man. This concept can be applied to our curriculum purchases. Some publishers will give discounts, as deep as 50%, if individuals place a bulk order. If you contact your fellow homeschoolers, you may just be able to get enough orders for such deep discounts.

We have someone in our homeschool support group who use to take orders once a year for a favorite publisher and as a result we enjoyed a 40% discount.

Now every publisher has different rules, so you need to take the initiative to contact your favorite publisher and ask. Some publishers require that purchase 10 of the same title, while another may only require that you buy $200 worth of any books. Larger publishing houses may require that you be an established business with a tax ID number.

Also, if you have a favorite education or children's magazine you may be able to get a discount for your homeschool group. In the case of magazine subscriptions, you will need to find out if the bulk order has to go to a single address, or if you can have the magazines sent to individuals.

Grocery TIp #9 - Sharing Resources to Buy in Bulk

Grocery Tip #8 was all about warehouse clubs. There are other ways of buying in bulk. I often times buy meat in bulk. Most recently, I split half of a side of beef with my friend Dawn.

This is a great way to save money, since meat is an expensive staple. I have an extra refrigerator/freezer given to us by my sister when she bought a new house, so I have lots of room to stock up. If you don't have extra freezer space, or have a small family, do like my friend Dawn and find a friend or relative (or several if need be) willing to split the savings with you.

Look for reputable businesses that sell quantities of beef, chicken, and/or pork. There are some fly-by-night companies out there that will rip you off, so ask around and find out who provides the best product for your money.

My most recent bulk-meat purchase came out to $1.79 per pound. The meat was flash frozen and nicely wrapped. I got all the cuts, from steaks to roasts to burgers, and they were well butchered. If you like liver, you would love to know that the butcher threw in 20 pounds or so of beef liver with my purchase. He also threw in some nice soup bones, which are nearly impossible to get at the grocery store anymore. Next time, Dawn and I plan to split a full side from this butcher, so our per pound cost will be even less.

ThriftyHomeschooler list member Cheryl writes:

Our family has lived on one income most of our married lives, 18 to be exact. We found the biggest saver of money is to buy our meat in bulk. We purchased a chest freezer one year with income tax money and keep it filled with meat and veggies. Once a year my hubby let's it run low to clean it, usually in January.

We buy 60 lbs. of chicken at time (usually from a meat distributor) and repack it to family servings. We do this for hamburger, beef, and ham. Now bear in mind that my hubby is a chef and can cut meat, so we buy the beef and ham whole and he cuts it. So in the long run, the only thing we buy weekly would be milk, bread, eggs and the specials that our local grocer has on sale. This keeps our grocer bill to about $50 a week and we have 3 children and a grandfather to feed.

It takes a little initiative and a little preplanning to save money, but it is worth it if it means that you get to stay home to care for and educate your children!

Lit-based Phonics Lessons

Literature Based Reading Lessons
This is an interesting website. Free literature based reading lessons with strong phonics emphasis. Put together by teachers at a Christian grade school.

Car Schooling: Books on Tape

Do you ever feel like you carschool instead of homeschool? I know that I have days when I feel like the children and I have spent more time on the road than in our home.

Take advantage of that car time. After all, your children are a captive audience. They can't go anywhere when you're driving.

One thing that we do is listen to books on tape. This week we have been listening to, and loving, Mary Poppins on tape.

Now to buy books on tape would cost a fortune. However, you may be able to get them free at the library. That's what I do.

It sure is a great way to make use of time that might otherwise be idle. (What's that old saying? Idle hands are the devil's work.)

Buying and Selling at Used Curriculum Fairs

From Practical Homeschooling:

How to buy & sell used curriculum: 15 top tips on how to do it with style by Jennifer Thieme

Re-Use Tip: Scrubby

In a pinch I've used the mesh bag that onions come in as a scrubby for my dishes. Just wad it up in a ball, hold it together with a rubberband if you wish, and you have a homemade scrubby.

Natural Learning: Science for Littles

In preparing a foundation upon which to build science skills, we must first ask ourselves "what is exactly is science." Science is so much more than the simple collection of facts. Science is about observation. Yes, we need to know basic facts such as the boiling point for water and that the earth is the third planet from the sun, but we also need to remember that those facts were first discovered by observation.

Young children love memorizing facts and so teaching them science facts such as the order of the planets, would be both fun and useful. But I encourage you to do more than that. Teach them observation skills.

There are four parts to observation:
Ask what is happening.
Predict what might happen.
Test your prediction.
Make sense of the results.

Science involves trial and error, it is a way of thinking. Children learn science best if they are encouraged to investigate and experiment. Young children love to see, to touch, to manipulate. They like to how things change.

When babies throw their plate off the highchair and onto the floor, they are not being bad, they are observing. They wonder what will happen if the plate goes over the edge. They may even be making a prediction. They test the prediction and then try to makes sense of the results. You might say that the are testing the theory of gravity. (Someone else may say that they are testing your patience)

In cooking, let children observe how the butter melts, how the texture of the bread dough is different from the finished loaf, or how vinegar curdles milk. Ask her why she thinks these things happen.

Take walks outdoors and observe the night sky. How does it change from day to night? From night to night? From season to season? Ask why he thinks these changes take place.

And none of this costs a penny.

Organizing Textbooks

A disorganized home does not lend itself to a good learning environment, nor does it lend itself to a thrifty home. If school books and equipment can't be located, then education is put hold while the search ensues. If a book is lost under the bed amid the dust bunnies, then the checkbook suffers when you have to replace said book.

A perfect example is my now-10-year-old son Joe, who is all male and therefore does not possess the homing gene that we moms carry. Joe lost his phonics book a few years ago. It was nowhere to be found in our home. Wondering if perhaps he had "lost" it on purpose to keep from having to do his work for the day, I told him that if I had to buy a new Explode the Code book, then he would have to start all over from the beginning. He wasn't too pleased at the thought of having to start all over on a workbook that was already nearly complete. Yet, the old workbook never showed up and after a few days of fruitless search we set off for the homeschool store to buy a new workbook.

After a few weeks, and after Joe was nearly complete with the new workbook, the old workbook showed up on a dusty old bookshelf. I realized that for this child, I needed to reorganize. Instead of designating separate shelves for separate subjects, I needed to designate a separate area for each child. Joe needed one space for everything. A simple concept, but one that I had not put into place before this incident. I found a nice little clear plastic magazine holder on sale at the office supply store and all of Joe's first grade workbooks fit in perfectly.

This system has worked beautifully over the past year. For the older children, magazine holders are not large enough for all of their books so they have metal bins (also picked up on clearance at the office supply store).

My friend Becky does something similar for all of her homeschooled children, from grade school to high school. She took cardboard boxes, decorated them with contact paper, and labeled them with each child's name. As school books are used they are pulled from the boxes and then returned before a new book is pulled.

My friend Terri uses wicker baskets in a similar fashion. The baskets line up along the window seat in her dining room. They are not only functional, but attractive.

Find It on the Map

Here is a thrifty, yet nifty, way to reinforce geography for littles.

Learn geography through the mail by means of postcards. Have friends, family, and Internet contacts send postcards from their hometown, field trips, and vacations to your children.

Hang up a big map of the U.S. in your home. When a postcard comes, find it's origin on the map and mark it with a pin. Or, you could hole punch the postcard, tie yarn through the hole, and then tack it to the state or city from which it came.

Try to get postcards from all 50 states. If you're ambitious, go global and set up a world map. And make sure that you reciprocate by sending out your own postcards.

The added bonus is that you stay in contact with all your loved ones.

Saving on Music Lessons: Performance Groups

Are you looking for a way to give your children music instruction without forking out the big bucks for a private teacher and a baby grand piano? One way to do that is to join a performance group. The first place to look would be your church. If you have a good music director, your child can learn quite a bit by joining the children's choir. Also look to your homeschool friends. Many homeschool support groups are forming bands and orchestras.

My children belong to a small performance group - The Renaissance Singers. Several years ago, when we were studying the Renaissance, my friend Becky asked if my children would be interested in joining the group along with her children. I told Becky that it sounded wonderful, but my children had no previous experience in music. Though our homeschool was dripping in music appreciation, music instruction was pretty much ignored. (Boy, do I feel like the bad homeschool mommy writing that out.)

Becky told me that was okay, the music director of the group was willing to work with the children and they would learn music as they went along. Wow, no kidding!

I accompanied my children to the first lesson. I expected nursery rhymes and simplistic pieces. I sat there the entire hour with my mouth wide open as the children were asked to sing a song not only in French, but in three-part harmony. As we drove away from the director's home, I braced myself for a flood of complaints. I was in for a surprise, as all of the children were thrilled and couldn't wait to return the next week. It's true, children do rise to high expectations!

We are now heading into our third year with this group. In that time, my children have learned how to read music, play recorders, and perform Renaissance dances. They dress in period clothes sewn by the music director's husband (he has also created costumes for the Smithsonian Institute!). And the only expense has been for the children's recorders, which cost very little.

So, if you feel the pull to introduce your children to some practical music instruction, start asking around as well as praying over the situation. You never know what you will find!

Natural Learning - Preschool/Kindergarten Math

Some homeschoolers prefer a structured curriculum for preschool and kindergarten. Me? I prefer to hold off on formal academics until first grade. This is what works best for our family structure.

Every family is different and so every homeschool is different. In our homeschool, I do not feel that my children are left behind by putting off formal academics. Little children are so curious that learning comes quite naturally. In fact, they learn simply through their play.

That doesn't mean to ignore wee ones and their learning. Instead take joy in playing with them and learning beside them. Look for those teachable moments.

If you are in the McDonald's drive-thru (and surely, being thrifty, you are only there because of an emergency and you are NOT ordering Happy Meals) ask your wee ones how many chicken nuggets they are going to get after they share the 20-piece box with the rest of the family.

Look for connect-the-dot and maze books at the grocery store. They are inexpensive and kids love them. Connecting the dots teach sequencing. Solving mazes teaches children to look several steps ahead - an important concept in higher mathematics.

Simple blocks and wooden puzzles will help with shape recognition. Don't be afraid to get on the floor with your child and a mess of blocks. As you build together, point out the names of shapes. Search your house for shapes - the round pie pan, the rectangular aquarium, the square computer monitor, etc.

Cooking with little ones offers many opportunities for building math skills. I might say, "I need to divide this bread dough into 2 parts," or "We have to roll this pastry out to nine inches." Let them measure out ingredients or help double a recipe.

More important than anything, give your child lots of time to play. Children naturally explore and create. Play gives them opportunities to solve problems, learn about physics, shapes, and building foundations.