Last month we snuck away for a quick weekend trip and got a surprise at the hotel check-in—a $150-a-night “damage deposit” tacked onto the bill. Apparently, this was in case we decided to turn the room into a party room for old folks.  When I joked about our lack of party potential, the clerk stared me down like I was crazy. “It’s protocol. We do it for everyone,” she said, assuring us the refund would appear in “a week to ten days.” Well, that was a month ago, and our refund must have decided to take its time because it still hasn’t checked back into our account. I am wondering if the hotel gives a refund at all or just adds it on as a gratuity.

We also had rented a car for two days and were again charged a “damage deposit” of $250, which was more than the total rental cost!  I drive like a little old lady, have never received a ticket or had an accident, have my own insurance, and have always returned the car with the gas tank full.   We are still waiting for that refund. 

During this trip, I had the pleasure of taking my two delightful ten-year-old granddaughters to the mall for one of our all-time favorite activities: the Build-A-Bear Workshop. This outing has been a cherished tradition, and this visit was no different. I was especially excited when I saw the sale: “Buy 1, Get 1 for $14!” Woo-hoo—finally, a chance to save some money!

But alas, my dreams of frugality were dashed when both girls locked eyes on the Harry Potter bears. Of course, they couldn’t resist. Before these magical bears were stuffed, the girls selected scented hearts to go inside them. The salesperson, with great enthusiasm, rubbed the scented hearts all over the outside of the bears—just to make sure the aroma stuck around. Whether the scent would actually permeate through the bears was anyone’s guess, but hey, those bears sure smelled delightful during the process!

While I was distracted (because, of course, I was texting on my phone), the girls made a beeline for the Harry Potter clothing section. Before I realized what was happening, they were busy ripping tags off and dressing their bears in what can only be described as wizarding couture: shoes, pants, shirts, ties, sweaters, scarf, hat, and even a magic wand. Naively, I let them go for it, completely oblivious to the fact that each tiny piece of clothing came with a not-so-tiny price tag. $178 later, we walked out of the store, with me clutching the receipt and feeling like I had just been hit in the stomach. Not wanting to ruin this “bonding moment”, I pasted on a fake smile and did not complain, but did learn my lesson for the next time.

Back at the hotel, hunger struck, and I proudly patted myself on the back for steering the girls away from the overpriced mall food. We decided on Domino’s pizzas advertised for $6.99 each. Cheap and easy, right? Wrong. Somehow, our carefully chosen pizzas magically transformed into $12.99 each. Add in drinks, a service charge, delivery fee, and tip for the driver, and the bill climbed to over $40. Then, to top it all off, the app asked if I wanted to donate to the Children’s Miracle Network. No! I was the one in need of a miracle because my poor ATM card was unable to handle the cost.  I went back on the app, eliminated the sodas and chose to pick the order up myself, thereby eliminating the delivery charge and the driver’s tip, to get the bill to a more manageable $25.

Hidden costs are everywhere. Airline flights are notorious for charging extra for seats and luggage.  Allegiant has great sales of flights for $33, but that does not include $65 for the seat and $50 for carry-on luggage. Give me good, old Southwest Airlines where seats and two bags are included in the fee.  Wait, what?  They are going to start charging for assigned seats later this year? I am never going to be able to keep this all straight.