We Paid Cash: A Homeschooling Room

A testimony from Mandy from MissMaesDays.com

The day had come when I had had it with storing all of our school supplies, projects, lesson plans, and books in our kitchen drawers and cupboards. For years, I was using the kitchen island and drawers for homeschooling our kiddos and it just was not working.

I had an “a-ha moment” when I looked at our hardly-used formal living room…it was the perfect space for a classroom!  When I saw it in my mind I knew it could be done.

But we didn’t have the extra cash to transform an entire room in our house into a school room. How in the world could I afford the furniture and supplies to make the conversion?!

Then it hit me like a ton of bricks! Sell the formal living room furniture — the couches, tables, lamps, and decor. Then, USE that money to purchase the items I need for our school room!

Voilà! A school room paid in full, without using credit cards.

Here’s how I did it:

1. I listed my formal, living room furniture on Craigslist.
2. I sold smaller items on eBay.
3. I purged my entire home of unused, unwanted items, readying them for a garage sale. (Any items that didn’t sell on Craigslist and eBay were sold in the garage sale.)
4. I planned and orchestrated a successful garage sale.

After my efforts to create some extra cash, I found that I had over $1,000 cash IN HAND. So, I set out to get some deals!

How did I do it?

1. I shopped garage sales for furniture pieces.
2. I shopped discount stores for decor, teaching supplies, classroom supplies, manipulatives, and games.
3. I researched curriculum to invest in. I found coupons and deals to purchase curriculum.
4. I scoured the internet for deals on things that you simply can’t find locally.
5. I sought the internet for my “dream, can’t live without” pieces. (Mine was a double-sided whiteboard easel on wheels!)
6. I shopped for discounted paints/supplies at my local hardware store for decorating my school room space.

Once all of my hard work had paid off, I sat back and prepared to design our homeschool room knowing that we paid CASH for it!  It was the greatest feeling in the world. (Here’s a look at our finished room).

MissMaesDays.com is the creation of Mandy Mae; wife, mother, teacher, and frugal-DIY-enthusiast. Hoping to inspire mothers to take action in making a positive influence in the lives of their children with simple, DIY, crafting, thrifting, and teaching projects, Mandy Mae enjoys sharing both her successes and hiccups with easy-to-follow tips & tutorials.

Have you saved up and paid cash for something — large or small? Submit your story for possible publication here.