Old homeschool curriculum is something every homeschooling family has laying around. And there will always be a few things that as the mom, you might want to hold on to for sentimental reasons. But most of the time, there just ends up being an abundance of homeschool materials you aren’t sure what to do with! In this blog post I’m going over the best ways to deal with old homeschool curriculum, so you can declutter and maybe even make a bit of your money back!
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Used Curriculum Sale
Sometimes, people within homeschool communities get together and have a used homeschool curriculum sale. Talk to some of the homeschool moms around you or in some local homeschool co-ops and see if there’s one you can participate in. If not, start one yourself!
These types of sales are a great way to get rid of your old curriculum and make a little bit of your investment back. Usually these sales are perfect for the type of curriculum that can be re-used easily. If it’s a workbook with every page filled out, that may not be the best item to sell. But if only a couple pages are done and the rest are empty, that works! Also, things like teachers manuals, textbooks and reading material are perfect for resale.
As a homeschool mom, I enjoy looking at used curriculum because it gives me a chance to see it in person and read through a few pages. I can also talk to the people who used it and get their opinion on how it went. You can’t get that experience with purchasing a new curriculum online, so it makes these sales really helpful. Plus, the buyer saves money and the seller makes some. It’s a win-win!
Curriculum Swap
Another way to deal with old homeschool curriculum is by hosting a curriculum swap! These can be a lot of fun! Invite some of your homeschool friends over, or meet somewhere free like your local library. Have everyone bring their old homeschool curriculum and instead of buying from each other, you swap!
To keep the trading fair you could set up categories like “paperback swap”, or “textbook swap”. But if you don’t care about that and are happy to just trade anything, that works too!
Ask ahead of time for everyone to share what grade level or levels of curriculum they are bringing, so that others know whether or not they should participate. It wouldn’t be much fun if a homeschooling mom of littles showed up hoping to make a swap, but it was all high school curriculum!
>>You may also enjoy: Easy Ways To Store School Supplies For Homeschoolers!
Homeschool Consignment
Depending on where you live you may have a homeschool consignment store near you! This is a great place to take your old homeschool curriculum because they do the selling for you, and you get a percentage of the sale. Most places will either pay you the commission or allow you to use it as a credit towards other items at the store!
It’s basically a thrift store for homeschool curriculum! If you’re a homeschool curriculum junkie and you have way more sitting around than you know what to do with, this could be a great option for you. Most places just ask that whatever curriculum you bring to the store is usable and in decent condition.
Host An Online Curriculum Sale
Online sales are another option for dealing with your old homeschool curriculum. You can make these as local or broad as you are comfortable with. If you are part of a homeschool Facebook group you could start there. You can also branch out to some provincial or state homeschool groups because they usually have a huge online community of members.
With online curriculum sales, you may have to mail out your curriculum to the buyer. This can be done a few different ways:
- You can choose to have the buyer pay the cost of postage
- You can offer free shipping within a designated area
- Depending on where the buyer lives, they could pick up from your house or meet you somewhere to avoid shipping all together
Online curriculum sales are really popular and are a quick and easy way to sell off your old materials to make room for next year’s curriculum!
Donate
Sometimes, you might not care about selling your old homeschool curriculum and making some money back. If this is the case, a great option is to donate what you have. A lot of different places will accept used homeschool curriculum such as used book stores, libraries, thrift stores, etc.
Another great donation option is to ask around and find some homeschool parents you can give your materials to! Some people are on a really tight budget and would be so grateful to have someone give them some curriculum. Ask around in your local groups to see who might be in need of something, and start there.
Another way to do this is to simply post online that you are giving away your old homeschool curriculum and it’s first come first serve! List out each particular curriculum you have, the grade level and subject areas, and offer it for free that way!
However you want to do it, you can never go wrong with donating. It could really bless someone along their homeschooling journey to have someone help them out in that way.
Have A Yard Sale
The last idea I’ll give you for dealing with your old homeschool curriculum is to have a yard sale! Set up a table labeled “half price books” and put all of your old books on there to sell! You could even add some homeschool supplies or old children’s books to your yard sale as well! Basically anything you’re looking to get rid of can be sold at a yard sale! People love a good yard sale and you can make a lot of money back if what you’re selling is in good condition.
Advertise your yard sale on Facebook’s online marketplace or in your local homeschool groups. Also, have it at a time when people are thinking about the next school year, such as the end of the year or mid summer.
Summary
I hope this list of ways to deal with old homeschool curriculum has helped you feel a little less “stuck” in the clutter! We homeschoolers can accumulate a lot of books and it can definitely be overwhelming at times! But don’t let them sit on the shelf collecting dust. Selling, swapping or donating are all much better options! You’ll feel refreshed having gotten rid of stuff you don’t need, and maybe even have a little extra cash to put towards next year’s curriculum!
Blessings!
~Maryann
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