A lot of people are paying off student loans, and then they're saving up to buy a house, which requires a down payment, and then they're paying a mortgage, and then they're paying for day care on top of it. $200 for a backpack is a luxury, when it's easy to find perfectly decent backpacks for $30-50.
And it's not just about a single $200 backpack. Many times people feel the need to either be the kind of person who responsibly saves money, or you just buy whatever you want all the time, and it can be hard to be in-between. If you're dropping $200 on a backpack without thinking about it, you're probably spending $1,000+/mo. on things you don't really need... and there goes a big chunk of money.
Personally, spending $200 on a backpack sounds like insanity to me. But I've also had the similar experience where someone got me a $200 something as a gift and it turned out to be amazing, and I would have bought it if I had known, but often you don't even know whether something is worth it until you've tried out owning it for a month or two. Nine times out of ten, the $200 item isn't worth it compared to the $50 version. So getting it as a gift and discovering you love it is just really, really nice.
I think software engineers can afford luxury, sooner or later. But I get that saving is more important for some people.
I can only speak for myself, but I've looked for months to find something I really like so it's not an impulse buy and I'm not dropping 1k/mo on random things.
You have amazing people around you, it's great when people show you the good stuff :)
As crazygringo guessed, I have a mortgage...and a few kids, and my wife is a SAHM. I live in a HCOL area. Google compensated me well and I could have spent $200 on a backpack if I specifically wanted it, but I don't spend $200 just on a whim.
And it's not just about a single $200 backpack. Many times people feel the need to either be the kind of person who responsibly saves money, or you just buy whatever you want all the time, and it can be hard to be in-between. If you're dropping $200 on a backpack without thinking about it, you're probably spending $1,000+/mo. on things you don't really need... and there goes a big chunk of money.
Personally, spending $200 on a backpack sounds like insanity to me. But I've also had the similar experience where someone got me a $200 something as a gift and it turned out to be amazing, and I would have bought it if I had known, but often you don't even know whether something is worth it until you've tried out owning it for a month or two. Nine times out of ten, the $200 item isn't worth it compared to the $50 version. So getting it as a gift and discovering you love it is just really, really nice.