I was a single mom many years back so I get some folks have to work.
Now I am married and am blessed to have the choice to homeschool. Like you, I can’t do it without some MAJOR changes to lifestyle!
In order to have me at home, here’s what we did:
*Got out of debt (except mortgage) before starting
*Sold a car and got a moped to save on gas
*Cut our utility bill by 60% by stopping using our dryer, turning off lights, not let water run, using a woodstove to heat our home, etc.
*Learned to cook from scratch.
*Started buying everything in bulk, especially when things go on sale. For example, if we find a good deal on say, chicken, we fill our freezer full.
*Found ways to stretch some things, mixing store bought milk with powdered milk (the kids haven’t caught on yet LOL)
*Got rid of satellite TV, trash pick up, home phones (still have cell phone and internet)
*Shop at consignment stores/thrift/ebay for clothing, books, whatever I can find! Anytime we need to buy things we go there first.
*Learned to sew and knit. We repair a lot of things, like socks, rather than run out and buy new like we used to.
*Learned to do handyman stuff ourselves
*Grow a garden plus canning the food
*Started last year raising chickens for eggs, this year we are hatching many more chickens for meat
*Use bleach, vinegar, or baking soda for 99% of cleaning things around the house
Anyway, doing all this we still squeak by. It is a full time job for me - I work harder now than I ever did working 40-50 hour a week job. But what a blessing it is and how worth it!!!
We are definately a no-frills family. You would laugh knowing how preppy we are, or used to be and how nerdy now. My friends think we’ve turned into greenies but fact is, we just became tightwads LOL!
I think... there are some folks who want to homeschool that can’t (finances or other issues), there are some that can and do, and there are some that can but won’t.
Whatever you choose, I personally think everyone should have on hand history and science books that teach truth. I think folks should read what their kids are reading in school, to be able to counter lies and propaganda.
One more thing, it’s not impossible to work and teach. I have some friends who work and homeschool (one is a teacher LOL). One group of 3 came up with a pretty good system.
What they do is they do tag team teaching on different days/shifts while the others work. It’s working out well for them. They’ve shifted their schedules a bit (for example one works on a Saturday to be able to have a day off to teach during the week)
Sounds pretty much like every homeschooler I’ve ever met.