AIBU to consider downsizing our home to work less and home educate?

101 replies

PotentialPartTimer · 07/08/2026 00:05

Has anyone majorly downsized their home to allow them to go very part-time and avoid nursery then possibly home educate? If so did you regret it?

We are a reasonably high earning couple DH on 55k me on 70k on a xompressed 4 day week but live in low cost of living area. Now DD is here and we want another I am becoming more and more certain I don't want them spending much time in nursery or school and would rather home ed (to head off the questioning I have a masters in Developmental Psychology, would be supported by my mother who is a recently retired maths and physics teacher and would ensure regular socialising opportunities).
We currently live in a gouse worth around 500k (but very little equity) and would be looking to drop to something around 250k which would allow me to drop to one say a week and potentially DH to 4. I don't want to fully quit as I have a very secure, flexible role and would like to maintain the ability to return to it if needed.

I guess my question is, if you have done something similar was it worth it? Would you recommend it or do you miss your old lifestyle?

OP posts:

sashh · 09/08/2026 06:33

TempestTost · 07/08/2026 23:50

We didn't really downsize as such, but I did stay home mainly so I could be with the kids and home educate. So we went without an income I could have brought in. I did do some home childcare and the odd but of very pt work in those years.

Eventually I did have to go back to work and the kids to public school, and that's something I have regretted enormously. My oldest did pretty well having been home educated for the majority of years, the two middle kids who had a good foundation in reading, writing, and math have done great to fine academically, but the school environment was bad, especially in the middle years. The youngest who was in public school from the beginning notably did not learn the basics of reading, writing, and math at school, I still had to do it at home. As for other school subjects, the content is less than stellar.

If I had the money I would absolutely stay home with her. We're seriously thinking of having her dad teach her when he retires in two years. At least that will avoid the toxic middle school.

Are you in the USA?

I've been watching some YouTube from US teachers and I don't know if this depends on the state or is nationwide but some have been saying how they are no longer allowed to differentiate work.

One was an English teacher, she said what grade she was teaching but said she had children reading two grades lower and a few at a grade or two higher.

She now has to find books all the students can read, or at least she has to try.

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