Most of us think that ten bucks isn’t much. Sure it can get you a burger from McDonald’s, but you can’t really buy anything other than a hearty meal or two. Well, sometimes ten bucks do make a change. We present to you 10 examples of why you should reevaluate the worth of 10 bucks.
1. A HOUSE
Have you heard about the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development program called the Dollar Home Initiative? Well, that’s when a single-family home goes into foreclosure then the Federal Housing Administration puts them on sale. If they don’t succeed in selling the house within six months, they offer them to low-income families by putting a price of just $1.
2. A MOVIE FRANCHISE
Once upon a time, a producer named Gale Anne Hurd bought the rights to an unknown movie that had never appeared on big screens. It turns out that the film at hand was The Terminator, directed by James Cameron.
3. A KICK IN THE PANTS
Upon moving to New York City, Stephen Dubner bought a $10 copy of ‘Ring’ Jonathan Yardley’s biography of sportswriter Ring Lardner. Having read the book he thought to himself how he could also make a living as a writer in New York. Well, Dubner’s Freakonomics and SuperFreakonomics have sold more than 7 million copies. He made it, and it all started with those ten bucks.
4. A WHOLE NEW LOOK
Sara Blakely, a stand-up comedian, was enraged by the white pants in her closet. In her words: ‘Every time I went to put them on, I had issues.’ She resolved this issue by taking scissors ($1.99) to pantyhose ($2.49), and she cut off the feet. She later put the slacks over the hose. And that’s how you got Spanx. This is the story of how it was invented.
5. HOLIDAY CARDS
Byron Reese made a fortune by selling Christmas cards. How? Well, when he was a kid his parents gave him letters from Santa, each year he received a letter. He grew up and realized how it could pay off. In 2002 he started writing his own letters (saying that he was Santa). He sold them for $1.99 each. Parents would only give him their children’s names and age, and he would write them a letter. It is the year 2017, and he is now a millionaire.
6. A CAREER IN FINANCES
Everyone played the famous board game ‘Monopoly’ once. We are all familiar with it. Robert Kiyosaki really liked playing Monopoly when he was a kid. He first purchased his own Monopoly game for 50 cents at a flea market, and in the sixth grade, he founded a ‘Monopoly Club’ where he gave his friends money tips. He sat down and wrote a book about his experience called ‘Rich Dad Poor Dad‘ which has sold over 26 million copies.
7. A MOONSHOT BET
We are all familiar with betting, you put some cash and bet on a team and if they win you get more money as a prize. In 1964, David Threlfall wrote a letter to the British betting company called William Hill where he presented his proposal: He wanted to know what odds would they give him on a bet that a human will walk on the moon in the next decade? They gave him 1000:1. He paid 10 British pounds. He got richer for 10,000 pounds and made history.
8. A LEMONADE BRAND
Seun Abolaji (Brooklyn born and raised) paid a visit to his brother in Nigeria where they felt thirsty. In order to quench the thirst, he picked up some citrus. He decided to put them in a plastic juicer worth ten bucks so as to make themselves a drink. A guy approached them and inquired about the drink. They sold him a cup of that liquid. And that was the first cup of lemonade. Nowadays you can buy bottled lemonade in six states across Nigeria.
9. EDGAR ALLAN POE
Once upon a time, a young writer nicknamed ‘Quarles’ tried to sell a poem. His poem was bought by a ‘A Whig Journal of Politics, Literature, Art and Science. He was paid $9. Well, ‘Quarles’ was indeed Edgar Allan Poe and the poem he sold was ‘The Raven.’
10. A SURPRISE
There is a thing called ‘Something Store’ where they will send you something worth at least 10 bucks. Customers receive neckties, Kindles or heated ice scraper. The package sent to them is always at least $10. If you decide to leave everything to fate, you ought to try this one. You may be pleasantly surprised.
