Hidden Costs

I bought a new laptop today. I found the model I wanted in the Sunday ads. The price was reasonable, so I took advantage of the opportunity.

My husband and I walked into the store knowing the advertised price. By the time we walked out, we had paid much more. Taxes were part of it, of course. But most of the increase was due to sales based on rebates. Then, of course, we needed to resist as the salesman tried to persuade us to purchase an expensive extended warranty.

He was nice. I have no complaints. He was simply doing his job. But when I walked into the electronics store I had not been counting on the hidden costs.

Hidden costs are everywhere. Life has many surprises. A teenager gets into a car with some friends and ends up in the hospital. A woman believes him when he says he loves her, even though they just met. A middle-aged man takes time away from his family to work through his mid-life crisis, and when he returns he finds they don't want him. All cliches. But all true for hundreds, maybe thousands, every year.

Life has hidden costs. Be careful.