Things Americans Love: Multiples of 10 and Saving a Penny

I've decided to start a new series of observations on some of our society's favorite things called "Things Americans Love".

The first installment is "Multiples of 10 and Saving a Penny". We love multiples of 10. Instead of selling something for a dollar at Jewel, things are sold as "10 for $10". Estimates are almost always rounded to the nearest 10. Ten is the easiest number to multiply. As we get older, birthdays that fall on multiples of 10 are given special significance (30, 40, 50, etc). In basketball, double-doubles and triple doubles-- achieving 10 points, rebounds, assists, and/or steals-- are highly regarded. "One million" has been one of the coolest numbers since we were kids. We are obsessed with ten and its multiples.

But when it comes to money, what we Americans truly love is saving a penny on a deal. That TV is $500? NO! It's $499.99. What a difference! It's everywhere- grocery stores, car dealerships, jewelry stores, phone plans. Who cares that taxes and surcharges bring the cost well over that penny or dollar saved. As long as it brings some level of comfort that the retail price was not rounded to the next dollar, it's cool.