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If you can get the book at your local library would you still buy it? I am thinking in terms of books used in HOD. Most of these books are available at my library and I don't have a particularly hard time going to the library to get them, buuut I am just wondering if I should buy them anyway. I just don't know if I can justify spending the money when they are available elsewhere. I love books and I would love to buy them all I just don't know if that is wise use of money. Soooo what do you think, should I by them??? or should I use the library.

If budget were an issue I would certainly use the library, and then maybe just purchase some of the favorites to enjoy again.
I like to purchase books because I am not really interested in making library trips since my kids are on the young side, and sometimes going to the library can be such a hassle. My 2 year old thinks the library is a jungle gym/park for running around in!

I think if the library works well for you that would be a great way to enjoy the books.

Candice

For us, it is definitely a budget issue but I don't buy any book that I can get at our library except, of course the spine-type books that will be used over a long period of time. I also don't have a lot of storage space and that is a consideration as well. We go to the library every week anyway, so I just request books online ahead of time and pick them up every week. I did this even when we did Sonlight, although I admit it's much easier with HOD!

I was wondering the same thing. But in the end I went with just buying the books. I think it will be easier for us, since I have 1 little one and my son is a special needs child, and for me it's not easy taking them everywhere all the time But I do understand the money issue, trust me:)

I buy the books because I don't think you can EVER have too many books! Plus, I plan to use them with the younger siblings. I'll just say that every book we've used so far has been worth every penny, they are such high-quality books. I also have to admit that if I tried to check them out of my library, I would have VERY big fines in the long run, and would probably wish I'd just bought them!

I'm a big library user. We go every week. But I'd also take into consideration if your community has a lot of homeschooling families. The demand on the books you need could be higher. It can be very frustrating to find out the week before you want to check out a book for school that it's already out.

I buy the books, but I buy them used. I scour yard sales, used book stores, online resources and curriculum fairs for used books. I'd say the average price per book I buy is $2, so buying is well worth it to me. I love to read and so does my dd and hopefully my ds will also, so having the books on hand is really nice.

I buy as well. I am awful at the library thing ....Plus I have 4 kiddos, therefore I figure I will be using the books at least 2 more times. I will get my money worth and save on the library fines.

This is our 1st HOD year, and we bought all of the books. Last year we used a program that relied heavily on the library (we usually had 50-100 books/CDs out at any given time) and I must say that not using the library as much has been a huge relief. Now we can go to our library here and there and enjoy it, as opposed to a necessary weekly (or often biweekly, due to the timing of Interlibrary loans) trip. Also, the HOD books are the kind we want to keep!
So I cast my vote for buying as many books as you possibly can, and using the library as needed for what you can't buy.
Anyone have solutions for storing all these fabulous books? I dream of a house with a library like Beauty and the Beast, where I can go flying around on a ladder to all the floor-to-ceiling bookcases

We have always used the library A LOT! And we quite often have late fees to go right along with that....poor planning on my part and we don't get them back on time, and more recently a lost book and a damaged book to pay for. So, when I make my next purchase I will be buying the books that go with the curriculum. We will still use the library, and I'm sure we will still have late fees, but at least for our schooling we will always have what we need and can use the library as just a fun trip and gets lots of great books to use in addition. That's just what we're gonna do...everyone certainly has their own ideas. HTH

I buy a lot, and use the library, too. My dd is an avid reader, and I hope my 2 boys will become avid readers. Buying the books means the kids can read them over and over, really enjoying them. I agree with another person... you can't have enough books in the house!

inHistiming wrote:We have always used the library A LOT! And we quite often have late fees to go right along with that....poor planning on my part and we don't get them back on time, and more recently a lost book and a damaged book to pay for. So, when I make my next purchase I will be buying the books that go with the curriculum. We will still use the library, and I'm sure we will still have late fees, but at least for our schooling we will always have what we need and can use the library as just a fun trip and gets lots of great books to use in addition. That's just what we're gonna do...everyone certainly has their own ideas. HTH

This is us, exactly! My libarary doesn't have late fees-they are voluntary-and they let us check things out long term. However, I still feel purchasing the books are the best option for us. It's nice to not have to worry about if the right book is going to be available, or if it's going to get used in the two week window, or that it's not going to get lost or damaged.
Plus I also agree with whomever said you can't have too many books!

Earlier, when I used FIAR for a year, we had late fees too, and we had trouble with books we needed being checked out or with not being able to keep them long enough. We ended up paying more in late fees and library fees than it would have cost to buy the books in the first place (we even had to pay to join the library too since we don't live in that city and our small local library didn't choose to put their funds into the state's library pool- long story ). Anyway, it is a huge relief just to have the books on hand and has made homeschooling consistently an easy thing to accomplish. It has become a goal of mine to have a personal home library of outstanding books that we own, since those are the books they reread and reread. However, if funds are a concern and you have a good library you are able to get to easily and often, libraries can be wonderful.

In Christ,
Julie

We were able to just buy the books this year because LHFHG is so affordable and we will be reusing all of the books for dd in a couple of years. As the years progress, I can see that we may want to borrow some books from the library (or buy secondhand). More books means more money! But building a home library is important for us, too.

Thanks for the replies. I am still trying to decide but since I love books I am thinking we might just go ahead and purchase the books. I had originally budgeted purchasing them but then I realized that the library had several of them, which got me thinking.