Monday, March 16, 2009

The cost of crickets

My son. He loves money.

He saved his allowance for weeks before leaving for Mexico. The only thing he purchased, besides a handful of snacks, was a laminated poster of old pesos. He made sure we collected 22 coins while on vacation to bring back for each one of his classmates. For Christmas his most favorite present was a two dollar bill. The bill is a treasured keepsake that is permanently displayed leaning against his ATM (piggy bank) machine. He knows the values of all the coins, understands how many dimes/nickles/quarters make up a dollar, and enjoys counting his fortune.

In January he lost a five dollar bill and wanted a "loan" to which of course I declined because um... hello... did he really think I was going to bail him out? What a stupid solution to his personal finances. Knowing that there was no opportunity for a bail out he was fueled and feverishly looked for his money. When he found it, he immediately deposited it into his piggy bank.

Yesterday he turned the table on us. "I can loan you my hard work and you can pay me back!" He replied to my husband when he told Jay that he didn't have the money in his pocket to pay him for his help. My husband decided to strip the playroom to the bare studs, after our flood, so the boys have become their own father-son construction team. "I want to work today, Daddy. I want to knock down another wall!" Jay continued to badger my husband.
So work they have been doing. Lots of work. Jay has knocked down walls with a hammer, popped up floor trim with a crow bar, carried out scrap wood with construction gloves and all for the price of five dollars a day.

By far the cheapest and most adorable construction team in all of Ohio.

He has finally saved enough money to withdraw some and make a purchase on his own. Which is a HUGE deal in our household because new toys are saved for special events like birthdays and holidays. For the last month he has walked the aisles of Target making mental notes, he has circled books on his Scholastic book orders, and asked me to log onto Legos dot com to scroll through for ideas.

Instead, the future economics professor with a degree from Columbia, settled on a much longer term investment all on his own.

Meet Froggy:


And now he has learned that ten crickets equal one dollar. Oh vey!

37classy comments:

Indy said...

Froggy eats crickets? Who knew? We have aquatic frogs and they only eat some little pellets. I am sure Jay will learn a lot from your new pet. Make sure there is a lid on it so your new kitty doesn't have a little snack.

Becca said...

He is just so responsible with his money! I believe I could use his help!

Oh, he definitely makes the most adorable construction worker around! I bet they are having so much fun together.

Scary Mommy said...

He is the cutest help money could buy!!!

Reminds me of my brother who has always been a saver- my parents used to borrow money from his piggy bank, leaving IOUs because he always had so much in there! And oy vey is right about the crickets. Good luck.

Jessica said...

A FROG!!! Gross. I could never. That's definitely a boy thing! :)

By the way, I'm SO glad that I get paid more than $5/day!

Heather said...

WTG Jay-working hard & enjoying the spoils

Krystyn @ Really, Are You Serious? said...

Oh, Mr. Responsible!

I'm so glad you didn't bail him out when he lost his money. I love that he appreciates the value of a dollar (because, let me tell you, so many of my students do not...and they are 16-18).

And, did he realize he got himself a gift he's going to have to keep investing in? Wow! That's huge!

(And, Jay and OHdaddy make the cutest construction team I've seen! $5 a day? We've got some work to be done here. I'll even spring for the airplane tickets!)

the planet of janet said...

and so it begins...

frogs, crickets, lizards, spiders, lions and tigers and bears.

oh my.

Kate Coveny Hood said...

Ah - I remember aquarium pets... My brother had several. Just be glad it's crickets, and not worms, or fish, or WORSE!

Adorable slave labor.

Lisa said...

He could probably by some blue chip stocks for the cost of crickets right now :) Cute story - love what a little saver he is!

Unknown said...

I wish the govt. would treat AIG like you treated your little guy there with his $5. But enough of that...

Your guys work well together and what a great lesson for your son. So what's froggy's name?

Putting the FUN in DysFUNctional said...

Hello, froggy! What a neat purchase for him to make.

Gretchen said...

I'm probably blind but... is froggy a log? Is there a frog in there somewhere? Is it like one of those pictures where if you stare at it long enough it jumps out at you?

Flea said...

Oh what FUN! Boys and their amphibians/reptiles. :) My youngest has a fish and loves spending his money on it and his cat. But none of the kids are as savvy as your son with money.

Oatmeal Head, last summer, helped dad re-side the house. He asked for a Wacom tablet as payment. Cheap labor is wonderful.

Jeni said...

Thankfully, none of my kids ever had any desire for the pets that require cages/tanks and special foods! We stuck to the dogs and cats. The stepgranddaughter did have a hermit crab for a while but it just sort of disappeared and I really don't know what happened to it. Maybe it just died and she buried it or something. Who knows. That was about 4-5 years ago though.

Melissa ♥ Spoiled Mommy said...

Oh look how adorable he looks working!! I hope he always has that outlook on money-great job Mommy!

Jessica said...

Can we hire out at that rate? I def. have some demolition and if his "remodeling" charges are the same...they are hired!

Jo Ashline said...

Our sons share the same affinity for money.
Superman searches the house for loose change!

too cute!

Blessings From Above said...

Definitely the cutest construction team in all of Ohio! :)

Unknown said...

Oh man! Can he please come install a hot tub in my apartment complex after he is done? I think I can afford $5 a day...

Anonymous said...

That is kind of awesome how responsible he is with his money. Also, i'm kind of jealous that he got a frog. I want one, but with going back and forth from home to college so much I am waiting until i'm done to get any pets.

tracey.becker1@gmail.com said...

I love that he is so bright about money. That will ONLY Serve him well in the future!

Courtney said...

Definitely a cute team...he looks so proud of himself. He definitely made a great investment that he worked really hard for. Congrats Jay.

Stephanie said...

So sweet! He seems sooo smart!

Tami said...

Good job Mommy!! What a great thing you are teaching him!

We had frogs awhile back, my kids loved them. We had a seperate little tank for the crickets, they are hard to catch though if they escape!!

Exciting that they are working on your playroom together.

Danielle (Life with the Hewitt Family) said...

Such a cute post! I love the pictures of your little construction worker!

Melissa @ I Pick Pretty said...

I feel certain there's a lesson for our federal government in your son's story.

That really is the cutest construction team I've ever seen.

MIT Mommy said...

How fun! I'm sure they are loving the time together - maybe even more than you will love your new room!!

3 Peanuts said...

We handle money the same way...they are THE CUTEST construction team. Jay sounds A LOT like my HArry. You are teaching him well.

Ellyn said...

I believe your small boy has a better grasp of money and finances than a lot banks I could name. Wonderful lessons, Mom and Dad.


Loved the pictures of him helping his dad. So cute.

Kari said...

A frog is way better than a toy to a boy!! ha ha. {that was not meant to rhyme, but hey, I can work it out!}

Dennis and Leslie said...

I could really use some advice from your son....I'm not very good at saving money ;)

Ashley said...

Hey, that's some cheap help. Does he paint too?

Stephanie said...

First of all, you should have been elected president with that bail-out policy you have. Second, with his careful money habits and willingness to do work, he's well on his way to success. Good job, mom. Too many kids today don't get either one of these principles of industry.

I am P said...

Ha! We have a frog too, Osi, like
the NY Giant!!

Schmoogie earns $1 for shovelling the driveway and $1 for the deck over the winter...sounds like abuse of child labor, but he has really learned the value of a buck!

MommyTime said...

I love this post. It's such an important thing to teach children the value of money. We've been trying to work on that with our son, who has recently developed a sense that we must be buying something for him (not a toy, necessarily) every time we set foot in Target. I've had to set a whole series of rules for what it will take for him to earn the new bathing suit he both wants and needs. But otherwise, honestly, he would be whining for something else new again the next time. This is a hard thing to teach, I know -- so good for you for how well you've done!

Rhea said...

My 12 yr old tried to talk me into a tarantula. NO FREAKIN WAY.

Jaina said...

Cute construction pictures...too adorable! Sounds like you've got a business major in the making ;)

 

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