I know I said shop for quality, and I do really believe that, but I don’t believe in throwing your money away on expensive stuff that could be bought just as cheaply from another source. For instance, a dear friend was recently buying a very expensive car, a wonderful car. I was most jealous. I was so jealous I broke all my own rules and asked him what he was paying for it. I couldn’t believe my ears. ‘You’re paying what for it?!’

He said he could afford it – as indeed he most certainly can. But it was the principle of the thing. ‘You can get it a lot cheaper here, here or here,’ I suggested. ‘Yes,’ he replied, ‘but then I would have to get up off my arse and do something instead of just reaching for the phone.’

I offered to buy it for him at the cheaper location and then sell it on to him and split the difference. But he was having none of it. He explained he had earned his money so he could stay on the sofa and lift a phone and have the world brought to him, delivered with the minimum of effort. That was what he thought great wealth was all about.

Now, unlike my friend, the sensible rich don’t just throw money away because they can. Instead they:

• always get at least three quotes for work being done and don’t just accept the first quote they get
• shop around to make sure they aren’t wasting their money
• are cautious about spending if they have had to work hard for their money. They aren’t miserly, just cautious and selective and discriminating.

There is an old Russian saying that spending is quick but earning long. That’s true. We can offload the work of years in a few moments. We have to be prudent when it comes to spending. Not to deny ourselves anything – God forbid I should recommend that. But instead just be a bit cautious and don’t go throwing money away needlessly.

I think wise spending is something we should be teaching our kids from a very early age. They are all too often persuaded by advertising that if something is brightly coloured, noisy, messy or in some way repugnant to parents, it must be a good thing. And they rush home and strip off all those wrappings and disappointment sets in so very quickly. Teach ’em young.

As for you, time to discover for yourself the joy of getting value for money in everything you buy (if you haven’t already). The internet makes it all terribly easy to compare prices and shop around and make sure you aren’t paying more than you have to for anything. Use it.