• http://www.wiprowess.blogspot.com craig kinley

    Opening day bleachers for chicago cubs @ wrigley. Will be there 4/1. Rain, snow or shine! Go Cubs..

  • http://facebook.com/outback Dan Holm

    Great question. I took an Etiquette class (don’t laugh). It was for an hour and a half, at a nice restaurant, with a private Etiquette coach. The whole session cost $100 and it was by far the best $100 I ever spent. Every single time I sit down for a business meeting at lunch and pick up my knife and fork I think “Thank God, for that etiquette class”

  • W

    Dodds, you dodged your own question! What’s the best Benjamin you ever spent?

    I attended a photography seminar given by Ian Curcio (www.iancurcio.com) and it was by far the best [multiples of] $100 I’ve ever spent. I’ve had great meals and bought expensive tsotchkes but the best return always comes from training and education.

  • j

    Taking a 10-hour bus to see my dad, when I didn’t have the budget for a flight.

    He was diagnosed with cancer that week– and I was able to be there with him when he found out.

  • http://brainsonfire.com Eric Dodds

    - Craig:

    Can’t go wrong with opening day bleachers. Soak in the game!

    - Dan:

    I’m not laughing at all – my parents invested in cotillion for me throughout my youth. Though I’ve forgotten many things (like how to fox trot), it gave me a solid foundation for interacting on a professional level when necessary. Thanks for sharing a great story!

    - W:

    No shame: it was a stall tactic :) One of the best $100 I’ve ever spent started with a midnight after-movie meal in a nearby town that I rarely visit. Me and my close friend were enjoying waffles (with heated syrup), bacon, and coffee. We are both somewhat avid photographers, and we were tinkering with our cameras, taking pictures of our meal, and showing each other pictures from the day. Our waitress noticed us, and started to ask us a few questions about our cameras. “I would love to have a camera that had adjustments,” she said. “My point and shoot barely works anymore, but I would love to be able to make pretty pictures and learn more about photography. I’m working and paying for school, though, so it will be a long time. One day.” I noted her name, and the next day I started scouring Craigslist for an older camera that had manual adjustments for an affordable price. I eventually found one for right at $100. Me and my friend made a few trips back to that Waffle House, but always missed her shift. Eventually, we ended up packaging it in a really unique way and leaving it with her manager with a note. I haven’t been to that Waffle House or heard from the waitress, but I hope and dream that our she is making beautiful pictures.

  • Dawn

    For our first trip to Disney World, we paid $100 for a special “family tour” of the Magic Kingdom. It starts off normally, but soon gets interrupted with the news that someone has stolen Capt. Hook’s hook and now the tour group has to go find it. You’re led on a fun scavenger hunt around the park, interacting with characters, doing silly dances and songs and solving puzzles. Our tour ended with Peter Pan escorting us through a back door and into front row seats of a special movie. My girls were 6 & 9 at the time, and totally dove into the experience – leading songs and marches, fighting off pirates, and even finding the elusive hook. 5 years later, that is still one of the biggest highlights of the trip for our girls, and a very fond memory for us grown-ups.

  • W

    Dodds, what a selfless and incredible way to invest in a complete stranger!

  • http://www.wordsandminds.com Jeff

    About 13 years ago, I was hanging out in a friends garage drinking some beers. We talked about what we wanted to do professionally and both decided to take a computer course (software installation, hardware repair, et al). That one act of wanting to do better for myself ($99 for the course) led me from computer repair to a successful career in marketing and business development (worked on the agency and client side, and now I am launching my own company) and I met my beautiful wife of 8 years while I was hustling on my new path.

    It’s amazing the impact that one decision can have on your life.

  • http://www.nyneconsulting.com Cynthia Zanzig

    $100 for cleaning and laundry help… left me free to hang with my loved ones on the weekend instead of trying to catch up on the laundry and messes from the work week.

  • http://www.bradentalbot.com Braden Talbot

    I could come up with $100 worth of books I’ve bought and that would be a pretty good answer.

  • Morgan Lyons

    It’s interesting that the stories all focus on experiences and feelings. The dollar amount seems meaningless.

    Mine is taking my son on his first ocean scuba dive. He was, I think, 13. We’re not 5 feet underwater at the start of the dive before he saw his first shark. I’d been diving for years before and had never seen one. That was 10+ years ago and I still remember the expression on his face; complete delight and wonder. My face too.

  • http://www.brandlikearockstar.com Steve Jones

    The best $100 I ever spent was right after the Haiti earthquake. We donated an extra $100 to the child we had been sponsoring for a few years through an overseas outreach program. It was pretty much forgotten by us until a few months later, when we received a picture in the mail of the young boy with the things be bought with our $100. He purchased several changes of clothes, food… and two goats for his family.

    @Morgan Lyons – your scuba story is wonderful. I have a similar story that would probably be my 2nd best $100.