Financial Benefits of Homeschooling?

Question:
Some family friends are going through financial difficulties... due to a number of occurrences over the last year, the father is now making approximately half of what he used to make. The mother has gone back to work full-time....was working part-time so she could be home when the kids were. Is there anyone out there who has some statistics on what the family could "save" if the mom homeschooled the kids instead of working. This is a very stressful situation as everyone would prefer that she did not work. I have some ideas of things you could consider, but would really like some more solid information.

Answer:
We never had a lot of money when the oldest children were younger, but I always figured that by staying home I managed our income very well, and the money I saved by mending, gardening, preserving food, cooking from scratch, making gifts, etc, meant that we lived better than many people on twice the income. You only need one car. Savings particular to homeschooling - reduced medical expenses. Have you noticed how much illness comes home from school? No chocolate bar sales- ditto gift wrap, expensive citrus fruits, etc No fund raising No requests for spending money to spend while on class trips. No need to compete fashion wise. Comfortable clothes for at home, the "good" clothes last longer. Home lunches are healthier & less expensive than school lunches - less waste. What they have no appetite for stays in the fridge. Less driving - not always having to attend school functions, pick the children up after school, bring them in early for a school trip etc. that's what comes to mind right off the top of my head.

You save time - no bus rides, no school lunches.

You save stress - people are not running in different directions.

You save family closeness

The greatest savings are spiritual - what price can you put on seeing your children grow in grace & favour before God and man?

If the children must go to school, be sure that a parent is home when they come home. That is when they tell you about school related difficulties. If you can send them off each day with prayer and a blessing, and greet them with a listening heart, then you strengthen them for the ordeal. (Believe me, school can be a real ordeal for a child - and a severe testing of their faith.) Your child needs you to reafirm their belief - When all their school fellows see nothing wrong with premarital sex (if the couple really cares) your child needs you to affirm his conviction that premarital sex is always wrong etc.