According to Forbes Magazine, the best investment you could have made in 2013 was to invest in Bitcoin. The use of Bitcoin has seen tremendous growth in the past year and it can now be used to purchase a wide array of goods, and with a current exchange rate of one Bitcoin being roughly equal to $612 USD, it is easy to see that this new exchange isn’t going anywhere.

Now, with major retailers like Overstock and tigerdirect.com currently accepting Bitcoin as a form of payment, I wondered, “What are some of the more unusual items you can buy with this digital currency?”

Pizza

So you’re home on a Friday night, you’re too tired to cook and you forgot to stop at an ATM on your way home from work – and to top it all off, you’re starving. Well, if you’ve got some bitcoins saved up, you can order yourself some grub. Pizza for Coins offers the option of ordering goods from Domino’s, Papa John’s, or Pizza Hut on their website. You then pay for your meal using Bitcoin on the Pizza for Coins site, and they place the order to your choice of restaurant. All you have to do from there is just sit back, relax, and wait for your pizza to arrive in 30 minutes or less.

Sandwiches

If pizza just isn’t your thing, you can spend your BTC on your favorite “5 Dollar Foot Long” at a Subway restaurant located in Allentown, PA. According to the owner of the Allentown franchise, he averages that three customers spend bitcoins at his store daily, using the Coinbase app to complete transactions.

Cupcakes

Have a sweet tooth? Use your BTC to tame that beast. Starting in the California kitchen of the owner, Jennifer, in 2007, Cups and Cupcakes has delicious bite-sized treats available for pick-up or delivery to the San Francisco area – and the bakery accepts Bitcoin. The cupcakes are all made from scratch at the bakery with Jennifer’s own recipes.

Beer

Checking out a new bar this weekend?Why not use your bitcoins to pay off the tab? In April of 2013, New York City hot spot EVR became one of the first to accept Bitcoin. How does this work? Basically, you’d tell the server that you want to use BTC to pay the bill, and rather than hand you the check, the server brings over a tablet with BitPay, an app that allows businesses to accept Bitcoin as a form of payment. It’s an idea that’s beneficial to the bar as well, as the transaction happens in real-time,rather than the 2 week wait that credit card transactions can incur. EVR is not the only hot spot accepting the digital currency “Australia’s First Pub,” the Old Fitzoy began accepting BTC in September 2013 at their “Beer for Bitcoins” Event.

Cars

Maybe you’re looking for a new car, and since you don’t expect Xzibit and the MTV crew to come “pimp your ride” anytime soon, you’re looking for a way to purchase a car using some Bitcoin. In December of 2013, a man in Newport Beach, CA bought a $103,000 Tesla Model S using Bitcoin – a price that was, at the time equivalent to 91.4 Bitcoin.

The Newport dealership did not outright accept BTC as form of payment for the high-end electric car, but rather treated it with the same protocol that they do foreign currency. The dealership then used BitPay to complete the transaction and convert Bitcoin into good ole US Dollars.

Space Travel

If you’re looking to spend your BTC on a means of transportation that’s a little out of this world, then look into Virgin Galactic. In November 2013, Virgin’s founder, Richard Branson, announced that the company would accept the digital currency as payment for booking a flight into space, a fact that shouldn’t come as a surprise, as Branson himself has invested in Bitcoin. Branson said in an interview with Forbes, “Virgin Galactic is a company looking into the future, so is Bitcoin. So it makes sense we would offer Bitcoin as a way to pay for your journey to space.”

These once in a lifetime trips cost $250,000 USD, or roughly 390 Bitcoin as of today. According the Virgin Galactic website that hefty price tag includes training and medical check-ups to ensure a passenger is healthy enough for space travel. Celebrities like Lady Gaga and Lance Bass have already booked their trips, so start saving up that BTC!

Metals

If silver and gold are more your thing, look into investing your coin with Denver-based company Amagi Metals, who have been accepting Bitcoin since 2012. The company prides itself on selling precious metals directly to their customer, and operates under the philosophy that “Gold is money,” which begs the question, “Then why venture into the world of a digital currency?” Amagi is in the business of money, and it is their belief, “that individuals must learn financial responsibility to live in a world of freedom and prosperity.” This makes them a perfect fit for the ever-changing world of BTC.

Charities and Non-Profits

It was interesting to me that with the fluctuating rates of BTC to USD, charitable organizations would accept Bitcoin as a means of donation. But there are some out there that will, provided that apps like Coinbase or BitPay assist in the transactions and the payment is coming from a legitimate source.

One notable organization that is currently accepting Bitcoin is the World Aid for Homeless Children. Using Coinbase, those wishing to donate can choose to donate to the foundation or to specific causes listed on the site – like Disaster Relief in the Philippines.

Hemp Products

Another unusual item you can buy with your BTC: hemp-infused beauty products.Mother Hemp is a website dedicated to bath and body products made from hemp, created by founders Alex Smith and Koby Conrad. The pair sought out to spread awareness about the benefits of hemp on the body, something Smith discovered while growing up in California. I found this the most interesting because usually I think of hemp lotions and soaps to be something you’ll find on the boardwalk at the Jersey Shore, but these two are looking to make it a successful online venture – thus the acceptance of BTC.

Survival Gear

Calling all doomsday preppers: You can now pay for your rations, water filters, and survival education manuals with Bitcoin! This is probably the most fascinating find of what you can spend your BTC on, but who wouldn’t love a 72-hour emergency food kit? According to Survival Food’s website, it is the company’s belief that “the Bitcoin market ecosystem is one which promotes sustainability and independence. We are therefore happy to trade food for Bitcoin.”

Online Dating

If you’re not trying to survive in the wilderness, but rather in the dating world with bitcoin, then OKCupid is the place for you. The dating site began accepting BTC in early April of 2013, partnering with Coinbase to convert the digital currency into cold hard cash. You can still access the site for free, but all premium features come at an additional cost, and bitcoin can be just the currency to pay for it.

While Bitcoin isn’t quite the norm just yet, it’s clear to see that the digital currency isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. We accept it here on eZanga.com, so we want to know – what are some unusual finds you’ve been able to purchase with bitcoins? Let us know in the comment section below!