Sally McKenna, publisher
Are you a saver or a spender?John, my husband, tells me I have an unerring ability to find the most expensive thing in any shop I ever go in to. So, a spender.
Do you shop around for better value?Never. I don't believe there is such a thing as a bargain. There's always a catch.
What has been your most extravagant purchase ever and how much did it cost?I'm a spender, but I wouldn't consider myself extravagant. I'm a bit of a lad when it comes to tech, so I feel the urgent need to have the latest model when it comes to anything to do with a computer or a phone. I would be clear on things that I consider value.
Some people would say that buying a boat was extravagant (I bought one about three years ago) because we only get to use it about five days a year, but I wouldn’t consider that extravagant. It’s something for all the family.
What purchase have you made that you consider the best value for money?A Celestron telescope. It cost about €1,600 and from it I can clearly see the Andromeda galaxy from my back garden – 2.6 million light years away.
Have you ever crossed the Border to shop?I have family over the Border, but I make a big effort not to shop there. We are passionate about buying local. West Cork, where we live, offers us everything, certainly a lot more than the giant hypermarkets a couple of miles away from my mother and mother-in-law's house in Co Down.
Do you haggle over prices?Yes – I usually offer to pay more.
Has the recession changed your spending habits? It makes me worry a little more, but nothing else has really changed.
Do you invest in shares?Wouldn't even know how to begin to do that.
Cash or card?Card all the way. But we try to pay it off each month.
What was the last thing you bought and was it good value for money?While I try to buy food and clothes locally, I do use the web quite a lot (which is probably as bad as going over the Border now that I think of it). My last purchase on Amazon was the spice grains of paradise, and some books on making your own cosmetics from seaweed. I also bought an expensive little black dress in Brown Thomas last time I was in Dublin, which I consider one of the greatest purchases I've ever made.
Have you ever successfully saved up for a relatively big purchase?No, I'm not a saver. If I buy anything big it's only because I've got some sort of a windfall. We are thinking of going kayaking in Mexico later this year and that will require some saving, because it means five air fares. I think it's the only thing I've ever . . . saved for.
Have you ever lost money?I've never had that much to lose. Because we write books about the best restaurants and places to stay and we live in a valley in west Cork, you might imagine we have money. We actually live quite simply, however.
Are you a gambler and if so have you ever had a big win?Neither John nor I have ever had a guaranteed income. John once had a contract from RTÉ to do five radio shows, and that's as close as we've ever come to security. So, you could say that financially our whole life is a gamble. My 12 year-old-son, who had just won on the New Year's Day Durrus road race, asked me: "Mum, is there any other way to get money other than winning on horses or Christmas presents?" He'd just won €5 and that sums up our gambling experience.
Is money important to you?I see money as a force of energy that makes things either happen or not. As an entity in itself, I would say it is less important to me than anything in my life. We've had times when we've been financially comfortable and times when we've been absolutely skint. But our lives haven't changed one iota in either situation.
How much money do you have on you now?My wallet is beside me, ready to take me to Bantry market, so I have more money than I usually do – €59.63.
Sally McKenna is @BridgestoneEd (on Twitter) and blogger on lifeskills.ie. See also bestofbridgestone.com/
