We asked Moneywise editors about the priciest impulse purchases they don’t regret — here are the money moves they stand by

So when I turned 50, I decided it was high time to splash out on a big party for my friends.

Conveniently, two of them had just launched an event planning business. I told them my budget. Other than that, all I said was that I wanted it to be magical. Oh, and one other request: “I want it to be by the water,” I said, assuming they’d pick a nice lakeside restaurant for the event.

A few days later, they told me to meet them by the waterfront. I arrived to find them standing in front of a massive tall ship. I assumed we were going to walk from there to possible venues. I was wrong; the sailboat was the venue.

My heart started beating faster as I climbed aboard.

“This is it!” I said. And I knew it was. We signed the contract right there, within 15 minutes.

Not long after, I celebrated my birthday with about 20 of my best friends on a sunset cruise. It was as magical and as memorable as I hoped — apart from the floating lanterns, many of which flamed out, causing the crew alarm. That was more memorable than magical, but the crew, the boat and my friends survived.

My tip to anyone turning 50: Skip the midlife crisis and throw a big party.

— Laura Boast, senior staff reporter

2. A beat-up 1991 Mazda E2000 campervan

In January 2020, I moved to Australia, where I had plans to live in a tent in Byron Bay for three months, surfing, soul-searching and sitting in parks where musicians I’d followed around the world regularly busked. I was just two weeks into camping — while the country was quite literally on fire and the occasional hail storm was piercing holes in my home — relaxing in my hammock when Argentinians approached me about buying their campervan. They were leaving the country and needed to find a buyer, fast.

After agreeing to “just take a look,” I found myself handing over $2,000 AUD in cash for a van with right-side steering in a country with left-side road rules. It was a great price, but the van had rusted-broken brakes, an overheating engine, a persistent coolant leak, a snapped AC belt and tires that probably hadn’t been changed in more than 30 years. But it also had Western Australia plates, and that’s the only corner of the country that doesn’t require a “road-worthy” certificate. That makes vehicles registered in Western Australia ridiculously easy to buy and sell — but questionable, at best.

What I didn’t know at the time, however, is that the van would become my home for an entire year. When COVID hit, the country closed its borders and I got stranded inside.

“Daisy” became my incredibly unsafe safe haven. Despite breaking down daily, she somehow kept kicking in a time when I’d lost my remote job, was earning no money and had nowhere to stay even if I wanted to pay for hotels. They’d all shut down. While everyone was ordered to “shelter in place” at home, my home was on wheels. I was relegated to Queensland after the country closed state borders, but I got to explore the most stunning stretches of its coastline and hinterlands without tourists — for far longer than my three-month tourist visa would have otherwise allowed — in a home that was wherever I decided to park it.

While I spent probably another grand on building out Daisy in parking lots (thanks to YouTube and the help of concerned strangers), the van ultimately saved me thousands in rent and transportation over the course of a year, and I broke even at resale. Plus, she provided me with memories — both good and bad — that’ll last a lifetime.

— AnnaMarie Houlis, weekend editor

3. Business class seats to Amsterdam

Being flexible with travel dates and even destinations has allowed me to find some unbelievable flight deals over the years — including for business class seats, which I think are worth splurging on once in your lifetime. But only for the right amount.

While round-trip tickets often run well over $10,000 for premium cabin space, if you vigilantly search through what’s available from various airlines, in various timeframes and between various destinations, you may eventually come across gold.