Buying books

Shopping is fun, well maybe not for all people but I really like it. I don't get much time to do the kind of shopping that I enjoy (long pondering excursions, poring over value, comparing prices wandering up and down the aisles). Most of my shopping seems to entail throwing things in the cart, trying to get through the checkout and back home in as short a time as possible. Coupon clipping and price per ounce calculations have given way to speed and making a mental vow to check for a better value next time.

For buying curriculum however, things have become a bit more tricky. I have been having to spend hours on line, reading reviews, attempting to make good choices about what style of learning may benefit one Schnuckie vs another. Trying hard to guess what level each may be, how independently they might be able to learn, and what additional supplement and practice might they need to progress with any particular program. It is all quite time consuming and much too much uncertainly regarding the overall success rate of any particular item I decide on. I am a tactile shopper by nature, I like to pick it up, look underneath, inside, feel it and sometimes even smell it. I like to know what I am getting before I fork over my money. As a neophyte, used curriculum shopping puts all that out the door, and I am sending checks to strangers, buying sight unseen, and overall forging new ground with every purchase. So far, I have received everything I have paid for and most people have been very kind, generous with advise and overall helpful.

I have been given a few suggestions about buying and I am trying hard to follow them all. Two jumped out as I heard them from many sources. First:

Don't become to invested in any one program, even if you love and it and think it is perfect, your kid may hate it. Some curriculum may not suit their style or their temperament. Be prepared to scrap everything and try something new.

This is definitely not my strong suit. I like to know way ahead what I am going to do and feel pretty sure it will work out, However, it also makes purchasing easier as I console myself with reassurances that it's OK if it is awful, I can always buy a different one and 'I'll do better next time'. (when you know better, you do better) Second piece of advice I got:

Do not buy too many things at once. It is easy to go overboard and get far more that you need and end of wasting money.

On this bit of wisdom, I figure that I have enough kids that if I overbuy for one, it may work out later with another one. But it is easy to see getting out of hand and it is very tempting to just buy buy buy. I have my guest bed covered with curriculum and workbooks at the moment trying to be sure I have things for everyone. I am finding that it really very to start from scratch, never seeing the books, and trying to get complete curriculum for all 4 kids. Well OK, at least for 3 of them. But I am going my footing and while a few things I have bought do not look so great, most of what I have picked has gotten me excited to begin.

The hardest purchase was the first one and now I am finding it almost easy (Paypal, and all), Well, no more time to waste blogging, back to shopping.....