Me & My Money

Are you a saver or a spender? I'm a reformed spender. I've been a saver since 2006 – around the time I went to work for accounting firm BDO International. They obviously had a good influence on me but, in truth, I think it was mostly the sage advice of my mother.

Do you shop around for better value? Most of the time. When it comes to anything involving switching providers, I used to be lazy about having to fill out forms, but now there's no excuse for overpaying for things.

What has been your most extravagant purchase and how much did it cost? I can't tell you that as my mother will read this and be horrified! Seriously though, I will confess to my watch. I self-gifted it in 2007, but on a cost-per-wear basis – I wear it every day – it was less than a euro a day.

What purchase have you made that you consider the best value for money? I recently bought a beautiful chair for my living room in Red Earth in Mullingar. There was a chip on the arm of it so it was reduced by 75 per cent. My friend Andru is a master woodwork carpentry genius, so he's fixing it for me, making it a great bargain.

How do you prefer to shop – online or local? Both. I moved back to the midlands last year and almost all of my house purchases have been local – everything from the floors to the kitchen sink.

I shop online for stuff such as clothes, but like Carrie Bradshaw I’ve been cheating on fashion with furniture in the past year, so I haven’t bought anything like that in ages.

Do you haggle over prices? I am utterly shameless. Even in the good old bad days of the Celtic Tiger I haggled. My sisters are mortified when they see me in action, but I kind of enjoy it.

Has the recession changed your spending habits? I shop less and I shop around more. It's a good thing. Before the recession, and even now, I have always tried try to buy good quality things because they last. I've no regrets on the things I bought before the recession as I still have them, but I think I bought more than I needed back then, just because I could. These days I am less impulsive.

Do you invest in shares? No.

Cash or card? Both. Cash is best when I'm on a budget. Did you know that people perceive things to be 15 per cent cheaper when paying by card and up to 20 per cent cheaper when paying contactless? Cash focuses the mind, but card is safe and handy.

What was the last thing you bought and was it good value for money? Other than groceries, the last thing I bought was paint for my garden wall. I painted the wall (all 15 metres of it) myself, so that was good value. I bought good quality masonry paint, but the 10 litre buckets are the best value.

Have you ever successfully saved up for a relatively big purchase? I saved for my house, and whenever I've needed to change my car.

Have you ever lost money? I know that I dropped €2 in the gap between the driver's seat and the handbrake, but I can't reach it to get it out.

Are you a gambler and if so have you ever had a big win? I'm not a gambler at all. But I did win a car in my local credit union car draw back in 2002. It was great timing as I'd just bought my first apartment, and all my savings were gone on my deposit and basics for the house. It could not have come at a better time.

Is money important to you? Money is a good thing, but it's not everything. It can give you security and a degree of freedom, but the most important thing to me is my family and my friends. No amount of money can buy back a person's life and the value they bring to yours.

How much money do you have on you now? €36.81 – and that €2 in the driver's seat if I ever get it!

In conversation with Tony Clayton-Lea