Since I’ve skipped the last couple of Fridays, I’m writing to you as the parent of a now eight year old! Which means we’re halfway to sixteen (if he even ends up driving at that age – maybe we’ll get him an electric bike instead).

So far, I don’t have any “bittersweet” feelings about him getting older, just sweet ones. I wasn’t in love with the baby phase, so seeing him grow into his own person is one of my favorite things.

If you’re a parent and not a baby person, know you aren’t alone feeling simply joy as your kid gets older. There are more of us that feel that way than you realize, I promise.

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Friday’s Frugal Five.

1. Related to the kiddo turning eight was the birthday party we threw for him a couple of weekends ago. Like previous years, we held his party at our home, spending a few hundred dollars for the whole event.

Unlike previous years though, he is now in school in person, and attending parties with school friends at “event” locations. He asked to have his party at one of those places, but also wanted a bunch of friends at his party. We talked it through with him, explaining that to have twenty friends at a trampoline park / other party venue, we would be spending a thousand dollars or more, and that wasn’t an option.

We got to a place where he was content to have his party at home, and he absolutely loved having so many friends over at once. We bought a bunch of Costco pizzas and cupcakes from the grocery store. They drew pictures, played football and soccer outside, and otherwise had a great time. And we spent a fraction of what it would have cost at a venue.

2. With the days getting longer, our chickens are starting to lay more again. In the shortest days, we were getting 0-1 eggs a day. Now, we’re getting 3-5 a day. I’m definitely feeling flush on that front right now.

They’re now laying enough again that we’re getting more than we eat at home, so the kiddo has been able to sell some eggs to friends and neighbors again.

3. The kiddo and I took the bike down the hill over the weekend to go to the bookstore to pick up the newest Wings of Fire graphic novel, which he paid for with his own money.

When we got to the checkout though, he was surprised that the cost was more than he was expecting. We had a conversation then about how we will sometimes spend more money to buy things from our local stores over purchasing at Amazon. (I did pay for the difference though, this time)

4. It looks like I’m going to be buying an electric cargo bike after all. It’s a lot of money. Aka, more than I’ve ever spent on a car (though, as Regina points out, I’ve just never spent a lot of money on a car).

We had a WPF Insiders book club Thursday night to discuss Financial First Aid by Alyssa Davies, and we spent a while talking about purchases that bring us happiness. I realized in that conversation that I was trying to justify this purchase as a solely financial one, and that I hadn’t considered my happiness and quality of life in the discussion. Thanks friend, that conversation helped a lot.

5. Interested in having a money date with me? Regina and I are running a Galantine’s Day giveaway through WPF, and one of the things you can win is an individual money conversation with the two of us. You can sign up here (open to folks of all genders).