Enter Providence. I subscribe to exactly 2 blogs -- not alot compared to most folks I know. So imagine my surprise when one of the week's posts was titled "Where to Buy Used Homeschool Curriculum." Jackpot! I followed one of the links and within minutes found a listing for a gently used Sonlight core that was only $195 with free shipping. It didn't include a handwriting or math component, but it had all the key pieces I wanted (history, science, art, literature, and worldview). Our box arrived just a few days ago, and all the books were in "like new" condition. Owen Ray has been begging to take his "school books" with him to bed, so he can look through them.
In addition to this core, we'll be using the following:
Handwriting Without Tears - K
Math-U-See Primer