Used Homeschool BooksWhere to Find Used Homeschool Books by Marcie Ciampi 
When building your homeschool resources you can save a lot of money by shopping around for used and free homeschool books. I love books. Libraries are like candy stores to me. But I try to spend less money on books I know I'll only use this teaching year, so I can dedicate more funds to field trips, art & science supplies, and other enrichment materials. Here are a few of the ways you can find used homeschool books: 1. Borrow material from a fellow homeschooling parent. If you don't know any homeschool parents, look into joining a local
support group. Ask your local librarian what he does with the discarded books. Libraries often have books that are worn, donated, or outdated, but still have a lot of life left in them. 3. Ask a local public or private school teacher if you can look at the educational resources she uses in the classroom. Don't be afraid of school teachers, they are really quite nice! And most teachers are more than willing to spend time helping another teacher. They might even give you free stuff! Go to the school office, explain your situation, and ask if you can set up an appointment and visit a teacher after school. If you have a friend who has children in the public schools, ask her to help you make the arrangement. If you belong to a particular religious faith, you might consider visiting a private school of your denomination. Also, look into your place of worship's library. 4. Contact the local school district office to find out what they do with their retired curriculum. Most districts adopt new curriculum on a regular basis. I'm teaching out of an outdated Saxon Math book, without the manual, without the quizzes, and without the answer sheets, and the book works fine. The cost to me = $0. 5. Be inventive. Go to used bookstores, garage sales and thrift stores. Don't forget to look at used magazines and dice and card games. I purchased stacks and stacks of curricula at a local used bookstore for the price of tax alone, by trading in some of my other books at home for store credit. I found a mint-condition Scholastic weather book at GoodWill(originally $18.00)and paid only $1.00. Join a local freecycle group, where you can trade goods for free. Post an add in your local paper looking for free educational books and materials. 6. Go online to the following places for book swaps or free books. See
Home School Used Curriculum Stores Use your encyclopedia, dictionary, existing books, etc. Primary age picture books with stories are great for teaching older children grammar and sentence structure. 9. Borrow books from relatives and friends. Ask for book gift cards to used bookstores for presents. 10. Keep your eyes open everywhere you go for used homeschool books. You never know where you'll find books!
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