2-Dollar Books

Sophia Institute Press is having a $2 sale and some of the titles are pretty darn good. Go check it out.

Other books for Catholic parents.

Pre-Publication Special Extended

Ecce Homo Press has extended the prepublication special for For the Love of Literature to November 27th. The release date has also changed. Orders will be shipped by December 15th to insure delivery before Christmas.

"I have no doubt For the Love of Literature will prove to be a valuable tool for new homeschoolers, veteran homeschoolers, public school teachers, librarians, private school board members, your teacher-aunt, your neighbor with the 2-year-old and the new baby, your pregnant cousin, all parents who have a love for their children, and even the niece or nephew headed to college.

Maureen calls her book a "glorified booklist" but it is way more than that. She has done a job of extensive research in putting this book together so you and your children (no matter how or where they are educated) can enjoy the ripe benefits of continuing their education through the love of literature.

On behalf of all parents who devote their lives to educating their children for life, thank you, Maureen, for all you've done and all you continue to do for us!"
-- Cay Gibson, author Christmas Mosaic

The Dangerous Book for Boys

I've been wanting to get The Dangerous Book for Boys for my son's 9th birthday. But a new hardcover at $25 is a whole lot of money. Fortunately, while shopping at Sam's Club, I found it markeddcown to $14.87.

I think this was the best $14.87 I ever spent. Birthday Boy and his brothers absolutely love this book. They've had their noses in it all day.

I checked amazon.com to read the reviews and they have it for $14.95.

Free Book Swap

I received this tip from a Thrifty Homeschooler member:

This is such a cool website. I am going to use it for school. You list your books to give away...just using the ISBN number on the back of the book...and give it away for free...and you get points to get your own choice of books for free. Only cost is cheap book shipping. I think it is an AWESOME idea. Just thought I would share it with you all. http://www.bookmooch.com/

Librivox: Free Audio Books

This is very cool: Librivox, Acoustical Liberation of Books in the Public Domain.

Volunteers read books (from the public domain) so that the rest of us can download them for free.

I think I'm going to ask for an MP3 player (an IPod knockoff) for Christmas. You can load tons of audio books on those things.

Hat tip: Praiseworthy Things

Sharing Resources: Shipping and Handling

When ordering curriculum/books by mail order, combine your order with a friend, or a few.

Several homeschooling mail order companies offer free shipping and handling if you place an order over a certain dollar amount - anywhere from $50 to $250. Combining your order with a friend may just give you a large enough order to get free s/h.

Always be aware of shipping costs. I've seen more than one company offer discounts on curricula and then make it up with outrageous s/h.

Paperback Book Swap.

Speaking of The Thinking Mother, she has a great blog post, complete with how-to tips, on a cool paperback book swap.

50% Off Readers for Limited Time

50% OFF DIRECT FROM THE PUBLISHER

The American Schoolhouse Reader is a three-volume anthology of reading textbooks used in American schoolhouses from 1890 – 1925 with beautifully colorized illustrations and reformatted text. This quality set includes excerpts from a clever 1913 alphabet book (Book I), short stories from turn-of-the-century first readers (Book II) plus skits and stories about nature and historic figures (Book III).

Children will enjoy stepping back into American history, rediscovering what life was like in turn-of-the-20th-century America. Farm animals, apple carts, steam mills and schooldays are beautifully illustrated in full color, bringing the charm and beauty of the post-Victorian era to life. Timelessly educational, these reproduction hardcover books preserve the wholesome principles and values of yesteryear.

Ages 3 to 9.

50% OFF THE RETAIL PRICE OF $33.95 = $16.95 if you respond by October 31st. PLUS FREE SHIPPING ON ALL ORDERS.

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.

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

Homeschool Book Swap

Got this from one of the Thrifty Homeschooler members. Very cool:

Homeschool Book Swap

It's a place to find or give away books for free or for postage. I thought it would be nice to have a place where people could list books they needed or books that needed a new home! It's still a small group, so the more people who join the better!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/homeschoolbookswap/

Check it out!

Another site to donate to is: http://www.booksamaritan.com/