This year, during Black Friday month, which sounds more ridiculous the more you say it, I needed a new backpack. So I made use of the invasive and gimmicky discount to buy a “Transporter Deluxe” from Spiral, while resisting the urge to finally upgrade my PS4 paperweight. 

Instead of £50, I paid £30. After around a month of using it, I realise that even at full-price, this would have been a bargain. 

It’s stylish, comfortable and as waterproof as advertised. The rollable lid and multiple compartments make it suitable for carrying varied loads. There is zero risk of my gym kit touching my laptop or my lunch.

This purchase offers some powerful lessons in both everyday economics and boy maths. It’s a reminder not to baulk at something’s cost without first considering its broader value. A £50 backpack is worth buying if you know your £2,000 laptop is never going to frazzle through water damage. 

And while a backpack is a relatively boring purchase, compared with, say, a watch, a games console or several beers, picking a good one that won’t need replacing anytime soon, is a way of ensuring that future purchases of watches, games consoles or beers won’t be compromised.

I’m of the opinion that money should be spent but not wasted. While I’m certainly not anti-saving – not everything you want will always be immediately affordable – I think it can sometimes be beneficial to reframe indulgences as investments.

It’s also better to get the thing you want, rather than an approximation. Telling yourself that something “will do” is usually the prelude for later resentment.

I also think how a purchase makes you feel, as much as its functionality, should factor into how it’s reflected upon. Men, in particular, seem to struggle with the concept of treating ourselves. Because we’re so conditioned to want to provide for the others around us, we can feel guilty about spending money on anything which could detract from that cause. 

But if paying that bit extra to get a backpack you know won’t break or a shirt that fits flatteringly makes you feel relaxed or more confident, then why wouldn’t you do it? If you’re not stressed about having to fix or replace something, or if you’re enjoying the purchase you made, you’re more likely to be in a better mood and headspace to deal with whatever else you’ve got going on.

None of this, of course, is to advocate living beyond your means. Nor is the aim of this column to demonise doing things on the cheap. Different people will all derive satisfaction from different things. If scrimping on a backpack leads to better food in your belly, I’d certainly understand that order of priorities. 

Too often, though, people make spending decisions based on small pictures. And they tell themselves they could “never spend that”, when in reality they could and they could be a lot happier if they did.