$800 Eggs

I went to Costco yesterday with a budget to spend $200.  But as I walked in, the first thing my eyes saw was a set of monkey bars (or a jungle gym if you call them that) ... yellow, blue, and red.  I've wanted one of these since moving to Saratoga Springs and here it was ... at Costco for $179.99.

By the time I got to the register I knew my purchase total should be around $400 (more than I spend at Costco usually, but that impulse buy really got me, though now all your children are invited over to play on our jungle gym - so it's worth it to me)

The cashier rang it up, $1247.  My brain instantly went into shut-down mode.  Yet even in shut down mode, I can still calculate.

Brain in shut down mode:  There are people waiting behind you, just ignore it!
Brain in calculate mode:  This isn't right, there's no way I spent over a thousand dollars at Costco with just one cart.

Brain in shut down mode:  The lady is waiting!  Slide your card! SLIDE YOUR CARD!
Brain in calculate mode:  I bought peas, broccoli, 2 milks ... I did buy 5 dozen eggs for the first time ever.  Is there any conceivable possibility that 5 dozen eggs cost $800?

Brain in shut down mode:  It's just $800, ignore it, ignore it. You've ignore $.80 before, you've probably even ignored $8.00 before, this is just $800, ignore it!

Well, the calculating brain won.  "Excuse me, but it should be around $400, what did I spend an extra $800 on?"  YEAH for calculating brain!!!

The lady had rung up the wrong kind of playground.  The really cool kind that costs $1000, but not the one I was splurging on today.  She laughed as she fixed it ... a tinkling, light-hearted laugh that belied the internal struggle I'd just endured.  Total this time = $379.