Used or New? That is the question!
Most, if not all, homeschoolers wrestle with the decision of purchasing new or used education materials. As we’ve traveled to conferences, we’ve noticed that many of you first frequent the used book sales and then look to purchase new materials to match the editions you’ve found at the sale. In many instances, combining used and new materials works. In other cases, purchasing the updated editions is a better choice.
When a new edition is published, it means that there have been content changes made. Sometimes these are minor; in other instances, there may be a completely new technique or event explained.
You should also be aware that if you’re planning to combine used and new, sometimes the consumable materials for the older editions are not available. If that’s the case, the pages in the used text aren’t going to match the new consumable worktext.
So, before deciding to purchase a used book, make sure that the new material you’re planning on using with it hasn’t changed. Otherwise, you’re opening up yourself and your student to avoidable confusion and frustration
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