Most of us know what a loaf of bread costs, or a six-pack. If we go shopping for a new pair of sneakers, we're pretty sure how much we'll have to shell out. Same for a new Nissan or a tennis racket. All of us are price-aware on some level, with the possible exception of Bill Gates.
But what about stuff that we use but don't have to buy? What does a streetlight cost? Or a manhole cover? Or a movie screen?
Or what about stuff we hope we'll never have to buy? What does a liver transplant cost? Or a private investigator?
Then there's the stuff that most of us wish we could buy, but can't. A Learjet. Tampa Bay's most expensive shoes. A swimming pool full of Courvoisier.
OK, that last one might not have occurred to you. But once we started asking what stuff costs, we couldn't stop. And now that we've seen the results of the 2004 election, maybe it behooves us all to start counting our money. Hey, if everyone starts thinking like Republicans, maybe next time the Democrats will be able to put up a better fight.
Will you ever buy a bulldozer? Probably not, but now at least you'll know how much one would set you back.
—ERIC SNIDER
HEAVY MACHINERY
Bulldozer: $270,000. Caterpillar D6R XL
Garbage truck: $107,900. 2003 IHC 7400 rear-loading, pre-owned (19,518 miles)
Soft-Serve Ice Cream Truck: $34,999. Features include two-flavor soft serve with a twist; large generator in separate custom-built compartment; 5.0 cubic ft. chest freezer; 60-gallon wastewater tank; 32-song music box with speaker; hot fudge warmer; shake machine
SUITE!
What it cost to open the Renaissance Tampa Hotel International Plaza (Aug. 11) and ensure that guests would be comfy:
Construction: $45 million (293 rooms, including 116 double/double, 171 king rooms and six suites)
Towels and bedding: 1,704 down surround pillows $16,886
300 foam pillows $1,572
100 dozen bath rugs $15,778
100 dozen bath mats $2,172
332 dozen bath towels $14,654
332 dozen hand towels $5,398
332 dozen wash cloths $2,101
250 double blankets $10,667
200 king blankets $10,398
152 dozen double
flat sheets $21,713
76 dozen double
fitted sheets $10,115
120 dozen king
flat sheets $21,367
60 dozen king
fitted sheets $10,045
272 dozen pillow cases $6,196
TOTAL $149,062
300 bathrobes: $5,760 (only in eighth-floor rooms and suites)
Cost of Standard Room on a Saturday night: $269
Cost of Presidential Suite and adjoining room on a Saturday night: $1,000
The most expensive hotel suite in Tampa Bay
Boca Ciega suite, Don Cesar, St. Pete Beach: $1,924 a night
Two-bedroom suite, over 1,600 square feet, marble foyer, Italian crystal chandeliers, dedicated butler service additional $600 per 24 hours
THE STREETS OF ST. PETE
Manhole cover: $70.63-$80.23 (several types)
Traffic lights: $285.38 (five-section head with arrows); $137 (three-section head, no arrows); bulbs $2.99 each
Stop signs: $12 for the post, $15-$22 for the sign, depending on size
Computerized parking meter: $325 (meter, housing and rate plate)
Fire truck: $296,537
Standard-issue police sidearm: $357 (Glock)
Police patrol car: Base price $22,921; fully equipped with radio and laptop: $32,690
Traffic Cone: $14.20
28-inch, 7 lb., with reflective band, WCT Products Inc.
All of the above figures provided by City of St. Petersburg, except for the traffic cone
SHOPPING FOR CARRIE BRADSHAW
Most expensive women's shoes in Tampa Bay (that we could find): $2,800
Manolo Blahnik black alligator pumps at Neiman Marcus, Tampa
Most expensive men's shoes in Tampa Bay (that we could find): $750
Magnanni crocodile slip-on at Kirby's, Tampa
MIXED MEDIA
Advertising rates on WPSO and WXYB AM (Greek language stations)
30 seconds on 30-day contract: $50 per spot
60-minute show, 30 days: $150
WBRD AM, 1420 (gospel ministry)
30 seconds (7-10 a.m.): $22
One-hour show, weekdays: $125
Rate for a 30-second political ad on Tampa stations in late October
During top-rated 6 p.m. news (WTSP-TV Ch. 10/CBS): $1,600
CSI (top-rated prime-time show, CBS): $8,000
60 Minutes (CBS): $3,200
Today Show (WFLA-TV Ch. 8/NBC): $1,000
Fly-over airplane banner: $344 an hour
Advertising Air Force, St. Petersburg
Full-page, full-color ad in the Weekly Planet : $3,046
PIMP YOUR RIDE
Custom car stereo system: $35,000. Recently installed in a Chevy Tahoe by Audio Itch, Tampa: Six JL Audio 5,000-watt amps; eight SVR Batteries; two alternators; four JL Audio 13-inch subwoofers; two pairs of Audiobohn horns; two pairs of JLXR speaker components (6-inch speakers with tweeters); in-dash Video/Audio player with navigation by Pioneer; voltage regulators; Epicenter controller; two headrest monitors by Sabb; interior redone by Louis Vuitton (door paneling, headboard etc.); special cables; Dynamat sealant (keeps car from rattling)
Stock Chevy Tahoe, loaded: $46,000
Tricked-out wheels on an SUV: $10,800
Lowenhart 23-inch rims, $2,400 per wheel, $300 per tire.
Limos
2005 180-inch Super Stretch Hummer H2 Limo: $104,800
2004 120-inch Lincoln Town Car: $69,800
2000 Jaguar XJ8 120-inch: $125,000
1985 Chrysler LeBaron, 20-inch factory stretch, 43,000 miles: $2,200
YOU ANIMAL
Cost of feeding a manatee at Lowry Park Zoo: $300 a day (mostly lettuce)
Cost of feeding a marmoset: $1 a day
(worms, lizards, bananas, grapes, the occasional marshmallow)
SCHOOL FUNDING
What it cost the Hillsborough County School System this year for:
Textbooks: $15,531,028
Desks and chairs: $1,602,799.67
For classrooms and libraries; students, faculty and staff
IF YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR IT
Lap dance
Mons Venus (Tampa): $20-$30 (negotiable)
Seven Seas (Tampa): $10 to go into "the room"; $25 a song
Maximum fine if you get busted: $500 (plus up to 60 days in jail)
Cyber Blow-Up Oral Sex Doll: $69.95 (with cyberskin lips and mouth)
Big John Male Doll: $45.95 (with multi-speed, vibrating penis)
SPORTS CENTER
Air Hockey Table: $2,295
Dynamo Air Elegance with wood grain, no-clog puck return
Soccer Netting (fits goals 8 x 24): $119.99
Goal Sporting Goods SGN4-O brand, offers 4-mm braided nylon construction
Tarps to cover a football field (120 yards by 53 yards): $2,916
Nine 120 x 60 foot tarps @ $324 each at Tarps Plus
Nautilus Nitro Plus leg press machine: $4,000
Stairmaster Club Track 2100-LC Treadmill: $7,100
Deluxe tennis court: $35,000
Lights, synthetic surface, acrylic cushion particles, net, fencing around it — takes 60 days to install
Quote from Stewart Tennis and Fencing, Inc., Bradenton
THAT'S SHOWBIZ
Van Halen: $750,000
Guaranteed fee for 2004 tour date
David Byrne @ Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center: $20,000 fee to Byrne, plus an estimated $15,000 in extra costs for production, stagehands, catering, advertising, etc.
Brian Wilson @ Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center: $60,000 fee to Wilson, plus $39,000 in extra costs
Ani DiFranco @ Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center: $15,000 fee to DiFranco (she discounted it from $20,000 due to hurricanes), plus $18,000 in extra costs
What it costs to have Chris Isaak play at your backyard barbecue: $75,000
Rate for private/corporate functions. Does not include expenses (transportation, accommodations, etc.)
MILITARY BUDGET
Tank: $7 million
U.S. Abrams M1A2, if bought new. However, no one is building any of these tanks new, says the Congressional Budget Office; rather, the Army is taking older models of the M1, stripping them down, and turning them into M1A2s.
Army uniforms in Iraq
Desert Coat (uniform top): $26.10
Desert Trousers: $28.25
Desert Boots: $66.25 (note that this item is being replaced by a desert boot with an improved sole that costs $77.70)
Department of Defense
Pair of general's stars: $2.50
Available at base store at MacDill AFB
RENT CHECKS
St. Pete Times Forum (rental fee for concerts and sporting events): $24,000 plus tax vs. 30 percent of net ticket sales, whichever is greater
Tampa Theatre (rental fee for concerts; community, educational and professional association events): Mon-Thurs., $2,250 per day; Fri.-Sun., $3,000 per day, plus "dealer prep and options" (5-percent restoration fee, staffing, ticketing, security, stagehands, cleanup, insurance, etc.), which average $1,000 to $2,000 for most events
LARGE ELECTRICS
40-foot wooden distribution pole ("telephone pole"): $160
25 KVA pole transformer (looks like a bucket at the top of a pole): $475
Streetlight: $90
250-watt standard, includes fixture, bracket, lamp and photo control
Bucket truck: $155,000
Progress Energy
SNOOPS
Private Investigation: $35-$75 per hour (plus expenses)
Price depends on how involved the investigation is, according to Tampa's Russell and Associates Private Investigators
MEDICAL EXPENSES
Transplant surgery
Heart: $50,000-$287,000 (average: $148,000)
Kidney: $25,000-$130,000 (ave.: $51,000)
Liver: $66,000-$367,000 (ave.: $235,000)
Pancreas: $51,000-$135,000 (ave.: $70,000)
Battelle Institute/Seattle Research Center
MRI: $1.5 million
Magnetom Espree, top-of-the line unit by Siemens, "open bore" (large opening, shorter length). 1.5 Tesla system makes it capable of high-resolution imaging and advanced clinical applications.
Cosmetic surgery (average prices in three states)
Liposuction (traditional/single site): Calif., $2,281; N.Y., $2,550; Fla., $1,490
Breast implants: Calif., 2,012; N.Y., 2,325; Fla., $1,744
American Society of Plastic Surgeons
Frozen assets
Freezing entire body: $120,000 (Alcor Life Extension Foundation, Arizona); $28,000 (Cryogenics Institute, Mich.)
Just the head: $50,000 (Alcor)
THE MOVIES
Movie screen (500-seat theater, 40×18 foot screen): $10,500
Screen material ($7.50 sq. ft.): $5,400
Frame: $4,000
Installation: $1,000
Movie projection system: $80,000
Includes projector, lenses, screen, Dolby 6.1 Surround Sound
The new exterior sign at Tampa Theatre: $724,135
THEY DO WINDOWS
To wash the exterior windows of Tampa City Center, which is all glass: Four to six men working for one month at $50-$75 an hour
Bay Area Window Cleaning, Tampa
Exterior Window Washing for St. Petersburg Municipal Service Center (Fourth St. and Central Ave.): Approx. $2,000 (10 floors, 485 windows)
SHOW ME THE MONEY
Automatic teller machines
NCR Personas 86: $43,294
State of the art with touch screen, Morpheus flat panel display, works in direct sunlight. (Amount needed to fill it: $150,000)
NCR EasyPoint 55: $8,753 (includes installation)
Low end; generally found in convenience stores
Slot Machine: $1,899 (on sale from $2,399)
Edge Plus Video Poker Multi-Game model with factory bill validator and quarters slot
Gumball machine: $139 Arrow Vending Three-Compartment model
This article appears in Nov 10-16, 2004.