by Shari McMinn

But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs (1 Timothy 6:6–10 ESV).

CHEC and many other state Christian homeschooling organizations highly encourage parents NOT to accept government tax-payer funding for their families’ homeschools. Why? A true saying is, “What the government funds, it controls.” Desiring and accepting government funding for homeschooling ends up limiting your family’s educational freedom to raise and disciple your children as you see fit. Do not fall for this type of “homeschool welfare.” Instead, rely on God’s plan for meeting your family’s basic needs as you provide your children with a homeschool education based on your conviction that it is for His glory. 

This week is School Choice Week (Jan 26th to Feb 1st). If you want to hear the Christian conservative case against School Choice, check out this series of podcasts that Robert Bortins of Classical Conversations recorded on https://refiningrhetoric.com/. His guests include Sam Sorbo, Alex Newman, James Lindsey, Jim Mason, Lisa Logan and Aundrea Gomez. Also, read this article by Robert Bortins, “Is School Choice a Free Market Solution?”

The years you have your children at home are just one season of your life. During this season, remember that God will reward the many sacrifices you make, including financial ones. He will bless the home education you personally provide to your children on a modest budget as you invest your time raising children with a kingdom-focused vision. With God’s grace, you can reap the reward of your investment in the years to come when your children live by biblical principles, enjoy healthy relationships, and are well-prepared for adulthood. 

Many parents like me taught their children solely at home before private and government programs were created to assist homeschoolers. There were limited curriculum choices and extracurricular options. Yet, homeschooled children thrived educationally and socially as we all worked to instill biblically-centered values and helped our sons and daughters develop good character. And the majority of our now-grown adult children are flourishing in their careers and lifestyles. As homeschool parents, we accomplished this through close relationships and by doing life together while living with a very limited household budget. Indeed, many parents still homeschool without government assistance! 

But how can families deal with the high cost of living AND homeschool their children on tight budgets without utilizing government programs to help cover homeschool expenses?

My husband and I found many creative ways to eke out a living on one modest income while homeschooling, at first in an urban neighborhood, then on our remote farm. These strategies also prepared me well for the 10-year season of home educating my children as a single parent after my husband’s untimely death:

A. Creative Ways to Save Money

1. Be content with less to allow Mom to stay home and Dad to work just enough to pay essential bills.
2. Cut back on utility costs by living in less square footage while tolerating colder and/or warmer inside temperatures, living sunrise to sunset, and limiting electronic and phone usage.
3. Drive and insure only one car (or two), taking turns sharing with your spouse and teens.
4. Forgo “luxuries” like eating out, coffee from specialty shops, and paid entertainment away from home.
5. Hang out with other frugally-living homeschooling families to avoid material peer pressure.
6. Limit the days you leave your house since staying home saves money; travel only on Sundays for church and one other day for appointments, errands, and outside-the-home lessons.
7. Purchase 25 lbs. bulk beans, grains, pasta, and fresh produce.
8. Cook delicious meals from “scratch,” which are more nutritious and significantly less expensive than buying pre-packaged “convenience” foods.

B. Creative Ways to Make Money

1. Begin a family economy by:

• Catering events for your church, community circles, friends, and local fundraisers. 
• Cleaning offices at night or churches during the week with your spouse and kids.
• Starting a childcare, lawn care, or pet care business with your children. 
• Keeping hens in your backyard and selling their eggs (beyond what you consume) to neighbors.

2. Offer your skills to provide someone else an enrichment activity or a service in exchange for an enrichment activity for your own kids (i.e., piano or art lessons).

C. Creative Ways to Maximize Money

1. Dress yourself and your children well in hand-me-downs and thrift store finds.
2. Delight in recreational sports together as a family instead of participating in team sports.
3. Encourage daily creative play outdoors, either children on their own, with siblings, or as a family.
4. Enjoy hands-on kitchen science while preparing meals together as a fun family activity.
5. Give homemade gifts and ask relatives for school and hobby supplies for holiday presents.
6. Reduce screen time and increase actual face time; relationship investment reaps future rewards.
7. Resist the pressure to provide an abundance of enrichment opportunities to all your kids (i.e., music, sports, and other activities).
8. Trust God for your spiritual and physical daily bread, including the number of children He wants you to feed, homeschool, and raise.
9. Use the internet for free homeschool help, including tutorials and videos.
10. Utilize read-aloud and audiobooks (check them out from the library) to make the Bible, history, and literature come alive.

Look for other creative ways to reduce your expenses rather than focusing on your desire for more money to do things you cannot afford right now. Learning to be content with what you currently have in meager circumstances is a valuable legacy you can pass on to your children for their future lives as adults. Living on less is not a burden; it is a priceless blessing that helps you teach your children valuable character strengths that money cannot buy: contentment, gratitude, long-suffering, patience, and thriftiness, to name just a few. 

The sky is the limit for creatively living simply on less when your budget is very limited. Do not forget that billions of people worldwide live with less than you possess, and many of them still have the joy of Jesus, which money cannot buy; it is a free gift to all from our Father in Heaven. This is the most important lesson you can teach your children, and it cannot be bought with tax-payer funding.

Shari McMinn, your trusted homeschooling friend   

P.S. In what ways do you maximize your family’s finances? Please share in the comments below!

About the Author: Shari McMinn

Shari McMinn is on staff with CHEC. She homeschooled 9 of her 11 children on a remote farm in northeastern Colorado while living on a limited, one-income budget, including 10 years as a widow. A published author of five books, professional editor, and public speaker, this article is excerpted from “Shari’s Frugal 40” list found in Chapter 23, “The Family Economy,” of her first book, Stretched Yet Unbroken: A Family Knit Together Continues Their Legacy of Faith. Learn more about her books, speaking, and writing ministry at ShariMcMinn.com. and contact her with your questions regarding homeschooling at Shari@CHEC.org.