I have a good relationship w/ the shop, they were willing to interrupt their work and pull the cranks for $5, but I didn't want to walk the bike home or risk damaging the cranks by riding them loose. So it seemed most expedient to have them overhaul the BB.

It is not just, or even primarily, the money that bugs me. If I'd bought the tool, I would have another tool, and a chestful of tools is a sort of psychological security blanket for me. And if I'd pulled the BB at home, I'd have inspected the threads, evaluated and treated any rust inside the shell, maybe applied framesaver, put O-rings on the spindle, touched up any paint nicks, etc etc. I'd have done a more complete job than the bike shop's very good mechanics will do, through no fault of theirs.

So, now I am going to buy the damn tool. The worst of all worlds - I pay for the BB overhaul and I buy the tool. But I got a lesson.