💸 Budget With Me For Next Year | Homeschool Spending Breakdown + Spreadsheet Walkthrough

Hey there, hi there, ho there — and welcome back to Making Everyday Magic! I’m Shanna, and if you’re new here, we are a homeschooling family of four wrapping up our eighth year of homeschooling and heading into our ninth! For the 2025–2026 school year, I’ll have an eighth grader and a fourth grader, and guess what? I’ve already purchased the bulk of what we’ll need for the year ahead. So today, it’s time to Budget With Me For Next Year as we walk through my homeschool spending and dive into my planning spreadsheet!

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Budget With Me For Next Year: Why I Share My Real Numbers

Every year, I love to share a peek behind the curtain. Planning, curriculum, setup, and yes—budgeting—are all part of the homeschool rhythm, and we come back to them again and again. If you’ve been with us for a while, you know that our Budget With Me For Next Year tradition is one I truly enjoy sharing.

Let’s be clear: this is not a prescription for how much you should spend or a recommendation of what you should buy. Every homeschool is unique. Every budget is personal. But I’ve found that seeing real numbers can be incredibly helpful—especially if you’re just getting started or aren’t sure what a “normal” homeschool budget even looks like.

Our Homeschool Budget Philosophy

When we first started homeschooling, we were already spending $2,000 a year per child on a part-time childcare program. When we decided to homeschool full-time, we simply shifted that same budget to their education. That’s it—no magic formula, just a repurpose of what we were already comfortable spending.

So our baseline?
$2,000 per child, per year.

Even with that set number in mind, I have to be honest—I’ve never actually hit that limit. Not once. Even when I include things like science classes or extras, I usually come in under budget. That gives us flexibility to splurge when something is really worth it… and also freedom to chase down incredible free or low-cost resources (which I’ll get to below).

My Real Spending Breakdown

Ready to budget with me for next year? I’ve already started plugging in numbers for the 2025–2026 school year. I use the same spreadsheet I’ve had for years—it includes categories like what I bought, when I bought it, how much I spent, and it automatically calculates what I’ve got left in the budget.

Here’s a sample of my actual homeschool spending so far:

Timberdoodle Bundle: ✔️ Ordered!
Denison Algebra: Projected, not purchased yet
Teachers Pay Teachers resources: Added
Crash Course guides/tests: Planned
Amazon (supplies, tools, extras): $24.35 so far
Barnes & Noble (specialty books): Included
Projected Science Spending: ~$500
Projected Classes: Budgeted $500, though it may vary

As you can see, some of my entries are estimates because I haven’t purchased everything just yet. But by documenting everything now, it keeps me on track and prevents that chaotic “where did the money go?” moment mid-year.

Homeschool Budgeting Tip: Use a Spreadsheet

This doesn’t have to be fancy. Mine was set up by my husband with basic fields and a little color coding to help track:

Spent vs. Anticipated
Per child breakdowns
Color codes for projected expenses

Keeping your numbers organized like this makes it easy to reflect, adjust, and plan better each year. Plus, it’s super satisfying to see how far your dollars stretch!

High-Value Resources: Free, Low-Cost, and Worth Every Penny

One of my favorite parts of budgeting is discovering resources that offer amazing value—especially when they’re free!

Some of our recent top picks:

American Chemistry Society’s Middle School Chemistry Curriculum: 100% FREE and phenomenal.
Free elementary, middle, and high school resource roundups: I’ve shared full posts listing incredible options, and y’all have helped build the best community-sourced lists ever.
Teachers Pay Teachers: A goldmine for budget-friendly, high-impact learning tools.

No matter your budget, there are always great options out there, and I love that we can keep this conversation going every year. Whether you’re a no-spend minimalist or ready to splurge on that one curriculum your kid loves—it all counts.

What’s Your Homeschool Budget?

I’d love to hear from you! What’s your ballpark homeschool budget? Do you aim for $100 per kid? Go full no-spend? Or do you set aside a bigger number like we do? There’s no wrong answer, and sharing helps others feel more confident in their own planning.

Drop a comment and let me know how you approach your budget and what resources you never want to give up. 💬

Final Thoughts: Why I Budget Publicly Each Year

At the end of the day, I share my real budget numbers because I want this space to be practical and honest. It’s not about spending more or less—it’s about being intentional with the choices we make for our families. If my breakdown helps you find a better deal, make a smarter plan, or feel a little less overwhelmed—then it’s worth every penny I’ve spent.

So that’s it for this year’s Budget With Me For Next Year. I’ll keep updating my spreadsheet as we go, and if there’s anything specific you’d like to see—like our math picks or how we’re planning electives this year—just let me know!