One way to do that is:
if ( NumericTrue( $cost ) ) {
    ...
}

sub NumericTrue{
    return shift()*1.0;
}

[download]
(Updated to allow e.g. 99 cents to be a cost.)

-M

Free your mind

In reply to Re^2: Integer vs Float during addition by Moron
in thread Integer vs Float during addition by chrism01

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