What’s the Best Thing You’ve Ever Gotten for $1?

What’s the best thing you’ve ever gotten for a mere dollar? Lifehacker scoured Reddit and asked its readers for their anecdotes; below are some of the best (click on the link for more):

• A dollar is about 50 pesos in the Philippines, enough to buy a pack (24 pcs) of ice popsicles several decades ago. During summer breaks, I’d buy a pack and sell per piece to our neighborhood kids. I’d restock from my initial capital + earnings until the new school year starts and I’d earn about 500 pesos.
• I live in Europe. Once I was talking to a girl I met and started talking about America. She had never been there and I remembered that I had a dollar in my wallet. I gave it to her and she was really happy. Still talking to her to this day.
• A wife. I signed up for a river tour in a foreign country. It cost me an extra dollar to ride in the first boat leaving (didn’t want other boats in the way of my photos). Met someone on that boat who later introduced me to her cousin. Been married eight years.
• I bought a McDonald’s burger for this homeless guy near my old job. The guy was grateful, so he taught me how to make origami cranes and we became friends. Fast forward followup: He got back on his feet and now has a nice apartment and a really annoying, yappy dog, and teaches craft classes at a local community center.
• My first car cost me a dollar. In 2000, my neighbors were moving from California to Minnesota and didn’t think their ‘89 Honda Accord would be great in the winter weather, so they gave it to me for a buck. They were back in California in a year and I had that car for five years until it needed some repairs and the motor on the driver’s window went out. I’d likely never have learned to drive manual if not for that car.
• Many years ago, I stopped at the vending machine for my dorm building for a very long night of heavy drinking. It must’ve been 4 or 5 am. I threw a buck in, expecting to get a soda. Well, everything was $1.25 and I only had the sole dollar bill left, so I hit the change return button. I’ll be damned if every single quarter in the machine didn’t come out. I stood there for about 15 seconds in a mix of amazement and confusion. You’re damn right I filled my pockets up. I never did count how much I got, but it was easily $40.