Pennies Make Dollars

Last week I talked about The Value of Art, so this week I will add to it by talking about how pennies make dollars. Because many of you who responded to last weeks blog asking why I talk about framing greeting cards when the frame cost way more with the card you purchase. The answer to this is you buy the frames at the Dollar Store, which is the illustration I meant to provide with talking about affordable food purchases.

Growing up in a family business my parent's (who were born in the 1920's) had a mantra, if you will, that pennies make dollars. My father also emphasized this with my siblings and I as we got older on how we should work and provide for our families. In other words, pennies make dollars because people spend them - if there were no pennies, people would have to spend more money to purchase the same amount of goods - and this usually works best with repetition and duplication.

For example, as a business model, one of the reasons fast food restaurants make so much money is because customers are drawn in by the affordability of small burgers and fries. The average fast food meal costs just over $4, and customers are likely to buy multiple small burgers and fries instead of one large one.

In fact, fast food restaurants have been known to make as much as 80% of their total sales from small hamburgers and fries. Large burgers and fries, on the other hand, only account for around 10% of total sales. This is likely because customers are often more likely to order a large burger if it is more affordable, and they are less likely to order it if it is more expensive.

The same is true with the simple Greeting Card framed, and this can be just as important to our survival as food. Thus my description about Greeting Cards and the value of Art is how they are an affordable way to own artwork that speaks to you. Living simply is the best way to make it through the economic inflation we are now experiencing.

I actually create my photographs for cards compared to the average artist on Pixels who put a lot of energy into selling big sizes and more of them. But my true intention is to help people to live simply.

The other question many of you asked is what I mean by my intentional living the lay Catholic vow of poverty. The lay Catholic vow of poverty requires participants to live below their means and to make every effort to minimize their possessions. Participants are also expected to give away any extra money that they earn. This vow is meant to illustrate the importance of voluntary poverty and to encourage people to think about ways to decrease their materialism.

A part of the vow of poverty includes redemptive suffering, which means what I give up (with food or possessions, etc.) is in sacrifice for a specific cause. Redemptive suffering is a powerful tool used by God in the salvation of sinners. It allows Him to bring about eternal forgiveness in people's lives.

It is through the power of Christ's shed blood that we are saved from our sins, and through His resurrection that we are called to new life. In fact, it is through our suffering that we are able to learn and grow in our relationship with God.

Finally, some of you asked about the food from the Dollar Store, how some of it is more expensive than say Walmart or Aldi, and some of it does not use as good ingredients as other stores. Yes, this is why I also mentioned stores that sell the Best Choice Brand / Always Save Brand as, for example, canned or frozen veggies cost less than a dollar with these brands, if fresh produce is not a choice. And Laundry detergent 'flys off the shelf' at the Dollar Store.

You can shop Aldi or Walmart if you prefer or have no choice, but since I have a choice the organizations these two businesses donate to are not in agreement with my Catholic values. It didn't used to be this way, but now more and more we are forced to make these choices. Especially in our culture of abundance, and the recent business climate where pennies makes dollars.

So this is my take on helping each other make it through life, and the business of Art.



Photo: Glorious Morning 2 - An egg sandwich on a plate and a steaming hot fresh cup of coffee illuminated by the morning sunrise, makes for a glorious morning. Reference link https://pixels.com/featured/glorious-morning-2-frank-j-casella.html




Thank you for reading,

Enjoy your day!

Frank J Casella, Art Photographer
Blogger on Fine Art America


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