You probably saw the news that Travelodge is upgrading 60 of its hotels in its new ‘budget-luxe’ style, to meet the growing demand for… low-budget luxury. Apparently, with travellers being squeezed by financial pressures, budget luxury is set to be the next big trend, and it makes perfect sense. The rest of us have been practising budget luxury, or “binge and fast” as we like to call it, for a while now – and, to be honest, it’s what comes most naturally. Budget luxury in all areas of our lives is what we like best.

First of all, it chimes with our all or nothing mentality (by “our”, I mean, of course, anyone born after 1960, because much older than that, you think giving up drink for a few days midweek is weird, so don’t get them started on intermittent fasting). Secondly, it allows us to cherry-pick a few of the luxuries that the likes of the Beckhams and the Peltzes take for granted, without having to get involved with other rich-world habits, such as eating the same low-calorie dish every day and spending your holidays on superyachts. (How depressing do they look? All that smoked glass. All those uniformed staff in wraparound shades waiting to position you on your jet-ski? Ugh.)

We’ve worked out the few things we’d ideally prefer not to skimp on, and we know how to shop around for the rest. It’s a modern skill for which regular people pride themselves. If you didn’t get your sofa on eBay, your kitchen chairs from a skip, your wedding dress in the sale and your Champagne from Co-op, you are still living in the 20th century and, possibly, not reading the runes. Furthermore, you want an Ikea kitchen, rather than a bespoke cherrywood and marble kitchen experience, because an Ikea kitchen is great, and assuming the 100 times more expensive option must be more desirable is old-world thinking. The more you spend on fancy five-star stuff, the more out of touch you look.

Even people who are reasonably affluent have cottoned on to this (not so much the rich, it must be said) and are just as likely to drive a Prius as a top model Range Rover. (The Prius saves on petrol and gets a thumbs-up from the kids, who all work for non-profits.)

Here’s how to get up to speed with the basics of the budget luxury lifestyle.

1. Bedroom

Plenty of money spent on the mattress, quite a bit on the pillows (definitely goose down) and the sheets. Otherwise, everything in the bedroom is foraged and the drapes are from the Curtain Exchange (thecurtainexchange.co.uk).

2. Food

People who practise budget luxury are very particular about certain foodstuffs – for example, bread (cannot be sliced white), cheese (wax packet, minimum), apples (none of your Galas or Pink Ladies), ready-made dishes and sauces (never) – and don’t give a stuff about others. The Easter leg of lamb was almost certainly from the reduced (twice) section at Lidl.

3. Eating out

Budget Luxies will eat out every now and then, so long as the food is better than something they could prepare, but they will no longer pay good money for pizza and burgers, cinema snacks or lunches on holidays. On skiing holidays, they buy one large portion of chips to share among the family.

4. Hotels

If Travelodge wants to appeal to the Budget Luxe community, it would make sure the bed was quality, the shower jets (no bath necessary) strong enough, the windows open, the room temperature adjustable. That’s all the luxury that matters to a BL.

5. Clothes

Fifteen years ago, before Budget Luxies were properly established, they might have worn designer sunglasses or one of those coyote-trimmed parkas. Now, they wouldn’t go pricier than Zara and their only appearance-related luxuries are highlights, cashmere sweaters, Havaianas flip-flops and Fogal tights. (Once you’ve worn Fogal, you can’t go back.) Even if they had limitless cash, BLs are not in the market for Manolo Blahnik Birkenstocks or diamond watch chains. Different times.