Everyday Cheapskate: Lessons from a 2-year-old

I gave my son and daughter-in-law lots of gifts when their son, Elijah, was born. But none has come back to bless me more than the gift of Friday. Since he was 6 weeks old, I’ve closed the door to work on Fridays to care for and learn from my grandson, Eli.

In these two years, Eli and I have explored our neighborhood looking for cats, dogs, bugs and birds. We’ve met neighbors we didn’t know and found the skunk we knew existed but had never seen. We’ve played at the park, counted planes and listened for fire engines.

Last week, we took a walk to the 99 Cents Only store to see whether we could find anything from the movie “Toy Story.” I was fully prepared to shell out a buck or two if indeed we could find anything. I figured it was doubtful, given the kind of store it is. But the most amazing thing happened.

Before we could even get through the door, Eli locked eyeballs with Buzz and Woody on a gift bag. I was surprised and reacted with great drama, which made him laugh hysterically. As we walked up and down the aisles, Eli made one “Toy Story” discovery after another.

I would have never noticed the things he found – photo albums, stickers, books, pencils, cups, plates, cards, keychains and other “Toy Story”-branded trinkets. The more things he found the more I reacted, which only spurred him on.

Here is where Eli and I are not at all the same: He didn’t want any of these things. He just loved finding them. The fun of discovery became its own reward. I, on the other hand, have some kind of automatic response mechanism that insists that if I love it, I must then buy it.

I learned a couple of important lessons from Eli that Friday.

First, I don’t have to own things to enjoy them. Isn’t that an amazing thought? Just because I don’t own it doesn’t mean I cannot enjoy it from afar. Second, often there’s greater value in doing things together than in owning things.

Creating this little game and then beating me at it over and over provided Eli…