11 money experts on the best thing they ever bought for $10

A $10 bill l won’t get you far these days — in most cities, it won’t even cover the cost of a movie ticket. Still, there are some smart purchases you can make for 10 bucks that have far more value than the number on the price tag. We asked 11 money experts to share the best thing they ever bought for $10 or less.

You’ll be surprised by just how far 10 bucks can go.

1. BiggerPockets Podcast

Brandon Turner, real estate investor and cohost of the “BiggerPockets Podcast,” told GOBankingRates, “I bought my house for no cash, whatsoever. Does that count? I simply borrowed all the money plus rehab costs from a private money lender, then fixed the place up and refinanced it to pay off the private lender.”

Knowing that answer is probably up for debate, he added, “I’d go with ‘Rich Dad Poor Dad.’ I picked it up for a couple of bucks at a thrift shop and it changed my life completely.”

2. The Disciplined Investor

Andrew Horowitz, CFP and host of “The Disciplined Investor,” said the best thing he ever bought for $10 or less was a “Tatuaje Fausto #114 Maduro Wrapper … about $7.50.” Not sure what that is? Us, too. He explained further: “A cigar a day helps keep worries away.”

3. Entrepreneur on Fire

“Entrepreneur on Fire” host John Lee Dumas spends his spare change in the app store. When asked what his best purchase for $10 or less was, he told us, “The premium version of the app Tripit. It’s an app that keeps all my travel plans in one simple place. It’s simply a game changer.”

4. Epic Real Estate Investing

Do you have a hard time keeping up with your busy schedule? “Epic Real Estate Investing” host Matt Theriault has the solution. “The best thing I ever bought for $10 or less would have to be my SheduleOnce.com subscription, although it costs me $9 a month,” he said. Sure, you’ll have to make that purchase 12 times a year, but “no more multiple emails, phone calls, or texts back and forth trying to create appointments with people” sounds like a great return on investment.

5. Money Girl

“Money Girl” host Laura Adams is another financial podcaster on our list who knows the value of a good app. “I get a lot of value out of free or low-cost apps,” she told us. What’s her top pick? “My favorite right now is Acorns, which allows me to round up each purchase I make to the next whole dollar and automatically invest the difference,” Adams said. “It’s a fun and easy way to automate my investing.” Considering Acorns just make our list of the best apps for first-time investors, we’d have to agree.

6. Motley Fool Money

“Motley Food Money” host Chris Hill is all about keeping his caffeine buzz going. When asked what his best purchase for $10 or less was, he said, “Coffee. Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts or anywhere else. A hot cup of coffee tops anything else I could buy for under ten bucks.”

7. The Truth About Money with Ric Edelman

Ric Edelman, host of “The Truth About Money with Ric Edelman,” is known for his practical advice, so it comes as no surprise that his best $10 purchase is pragmatic and timeless. “A watch,” he told us. “Tells time great, looks great, lasts long. Gets the job done and didn’t require me to spend money I could put to better use elsewhere — like saving for retirement.” We’re just going to assume he’s not on the waiting list for a $600 Apple Watch.

8. Rich Dad Radio Show

Before “Rich Dad Radio Show” host Robert Kiyosaki wrote his the best-seller, “Rich Dad Poor Dad,” he gained inspiration from a board game. “The game of Monopoly,” Kiyosaki told us. “When I was a kid in the 1950s, my rich dad would teach his son and me about money by playing Monopoly. As we played, he would impart his thoughts, real-life experiences and wisdom to the two of us. Today, I play Monopoly in real life. I purchased my own game, a used game of Monopoly at my church flea market for 50 cents, and began a Monopoly club in the sixth grade, teaching my friends the same things my rich dad taught me. Today, I continue to be a teacher and an entrepreneur in financial education.”

9. So Money with Farnoosh Torabi

“So Money” host Farnoosh Torabi didn’t even need to spend $10 — her best purchase was free! She explained, “The best thing I signed up for is Skype, which is free. It’s thanks to Skype I can run my podcast from anywhere and speak to guests wherever they are.”

10. The Clark Howard Show

We know all about budget travel tips, but we’ve never heard of a deal like this. Clark Howard, consumer expert and host of “The Clark Howard Show,” told us about a time he got a crazy price on airfare. “An airline ticket to Washington D.C. once — there was a sale for tickets for, you guessed it, $10!” he said.

11. Freakonomics Radio

Ten dollars went a long way for “Freakonomics Radio” host Stephen Dubner. “When I first moved to New York, I bought a remaindered copy of Jonathan Yardley’s biography of Ring Larder, one of my favorite writers,” Dubner said. “It somehow persuaded me that I too could make it as a writer in New York. Pure delusion, but it worked.”

Considering “Freakonomics” and “Super Freakonomics” have sold over 7 million combined copies as of May 2014, that hardly seems delusional at all.