August and the early part of September was dedicated to filling (for the most part) orders for new home school curriculum. It seemed slower than last year, especially since the rush didn’t really hit us until the second half of August. While other sites might be enjoying the new customers from the rising trend to home school, we had less traffic than last year. This might make one discouraged, but it is what it is, and we can only do so much. The internet is a busy, competitive place and we know we are just a tiny fish in the big pond. We aren’t in this business to get rich (anyone seen the Tom Hanks movie “The Money Pit”?), and helping other homeschoolers has been the best part of The Job. Staying connected with the home school community in our own little way is very gratifying and the Lord has seen fit to give us money for food and shelter from other sources. Things are financially tight, but we are richly blessed with the things money can’t buy, and I’m grateful.

When I thought things were beginning to die down for new homeschool curriculum purchases, a surge of calls and visits came later on in September. More often we were asked, “Do you have used curriculum?” This question did not offend me in any way, rather it gave me something to ponder. I wondered how many families were stretching their school budget by purchasing used curriculum, finishing off the curriculum they didn’t quite finish from last school year, or borrowing from friends. When we were homeschooling, we had times when we had to resort to second hand goods, old edition books, and borrowing any where we could. It’s called being a good steward, being frugal, and dare I say it, cheap. Families have to do what they can to make every penny count.

So, the demand is there, or rather, the NEED is there. Professor Mom’s has the Used Curriculum Board on our website. We get no financial gain by having the Used Curriculum Board; we just make it available so other families, like us, can buy school books cheaper, or sell the ones they no longer need. It’s free for sellers and buyers. We hope you will visit the Used Curriculum Board (click on this link) and use it to best serve your needs. We don’t get much feedback about the UCB, so if you do use it, please let us know what you think. In the meantime, we’d appreciate your prayers as we consider taking on a more proactive role in selling used curriculum.