Gold is a versatile reward that gives heroes the freedom to choose their own rewards. While some gold will be spent on necessities like lodging, its primary appeal is to purchase exciting upgrades: better weapons, armor, potions, wands, or magical items.
Currency is made up of Silver (sp) and Gold pieces (gp). 10 silver = 1 gold. 1 sp is roughly the cost of a humble meal; 1 gp, a sumptuous feast. Most small towns will have equipment and items worth 50 gp or less. You’ll need to adventure to larger towns or cities or find a traveling merchant to purchase more valuable pieces of equipment.