$6 more seems pretty steep, I think
Mouser has this from newhaven display for $6.98, except it is side pin. But the price is moving in the correct direction
And ordering from mouser or digikey (or ???) means you can get some of the other electronic bits needed that sparkfun doesn't stock or that they overcharge for.
NHD-02161Z-FSY-YBW
Needs more digging through product catalogs and spec sheets to keep the price down though.