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Frugal Ways to Build Your Homeschool Library

Your homeschool library doesn’t have to be expensive to be expansive. You can build your homeschool library in frugal ways. Here are some ideas to try!

homeschool library

If you are anything like me, you are probably an avid book collector. Especially if you’re piecing together your own curriculum with living books. One of the backbones of your homeschool is your personal library, right?

Book after book may line your shelves but it doesn’t have to be expensive to build up your homeschool library with fun, educational, and useful books. I love finding frugal ways to grow our homeschool library. Here are 8 ways to get you started.

Frugal Ways to Build Your Homeschool Library

  1. Yard sales– Yard sales are a fantastic way to bulk up your library. Taking a few moments even to dig through boxes of books is well worth the treasures you might uncover. I have found countless wonderful read aloud books, reference books, and leveled readers at yard sales from teachers or just from children’s personal libraries that have been outgrown.
  2. Ebay– I love grabbing steals off Ebay, whether it’s a buy it now deal or auctions. You can often get even deeper discounts on books by buying lots instead of individual books. You can get fiction, non-fiction, reference books, and even homeschool curriculum at a discount.
  3. Amazon– While it is not always the best price for new books I have found a ton of picture books and chapter books deeply discounted on Amazon. Plus if you have Prime, you get free two-day shipping. You can also find many titles for free or very cheap for the Kindle — and you are saving space ( which gives you more room for more hard copies!)
  4. Homeschool Curriculum Groups– There are many homeschool buy/sell/trade groups on Facebook that sell everything from leveled readers to full curricula. I have purchased many chapter books, science reference books, geography books, and more at a fraction of the cost of new, even with shipping.
  5. Library Sales– Once or twice a year libraries sell books that have been taken out of circulation be it from damage, they have been replaced with newer versions, or donated for fundraising. Most are sold for less than $1 in a big outdoor sale. Call your local library and see when the next sale is. Go early!
  6. Book Swaps– You may find one in your area already but if not consider hosting your own. Invite homeschooling friends, other families in your co-op, and advertise on a local homeschool page. The premise is simple and costs nothing out of pocket. Have everyone bring books they no longer need/want and assign each points based on size/condition, or however you want. You can trade your books for the same point value as you brought.
  7. Thrift stores– Goodwill, Salvation Army, and smaller thrift stores are an excellent resource for books of all types and all ages. Goodwill has been a great place to shop for second-hand books to beef up our library.
  8. ChristianBook.com – Another great online place to shop that carries a multitude of homeschool resources and curricula. They have great sales from time to time, so be sure to watch for those!
  9. Thriftbooks.com – Their tagline is “Read More. Spend Less” and I can’t think of a more perfect motto for homeschooling bookworms! You can even earn points as a cashback type of deal to get more books. I often browse there first to see what I can find. Just recently I saw classics like Hatchet and To Kill a Mockingbird for less than $4 a piece!
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Sara
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3 Comments

  3. So many great ideas! Christian book has been a favorite website of mine for decades! If you sign up for their emails you can get coupons for free shipping. Also they have a homeschool catalog you can have mailed to you which is a great resource.

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