'Never again will I invest in shares'

ME AND MY MONEY:CLAUDIA CARROLL, WRITER and ACTOR

Are you a saver or a spender?The very worst kind of spender – one that can convince themselves that really they're saving in the long run. I'll shell out for something I think is a bargain, then congratulate myself on saving so much. An eejit, in other words.

Do you shop around for better value?All the time. I'm an economic migrant and would happily travel through a war zone if I thought I could save a fiver on toilet rolls.

What has been your most extravagant purchase ever?Getting my house renovated during the boom when you were lucky if a builder graced you with his presence because he was off doing five other jobs at the same time. It probably cost double what I'd pay now, but I did learn a valuable lesson. When you're young, you think love can break your heart, when you get older you realise, it's builders.

What purchase have you made that you consider the best value for money?My laptop. I'm never off it and it's never once let me down. It's so old and battered now, it should probably be in a museum of ancient, outdated technology, but I've written all my books on it, and so far, thank God it's been lucky for me, so I'll never change it. Not until steam starts coming out of it and it explodes.

Have you ever crossed the Border to shop?Are you kidding? All the time. See 'economic migrant' answer above.

Do you haggle over prices?I'm so useless at haggling that I actually haggle upwards. "You mean it's only €10? Wow, I'd have paid €15." They must see me coming.

Has the recession changed your spending habits?Not really, because I was always an Olympian bargain hunter anyway.

Do you invest in shares?Like a gobshite, I went out and queued – queued! – to buy Eircom shares because Mary O'Rourke told us it was a no-brainer. And still I lost money. Never again will I invest in shares.

Cash or card?Try to stick to cash, but the card is just so tempting.

What was the last thing you bought and was it good value for money?My last big buy was three baggy, comfy tracksuits from TK Maxx. About €65 for the lot, which was a bit steep admittedly, but my reasoning is, this is what I wear all day, every day when I'm writing. So they're really my uniform, if you think about it.

Have you ever successfully saved up for a relatively big purchase?I saved for about two years to buy my first car, a battered 1984 Fiat Punto. Thank God there was no such thing as the NCT back then. I wouldn't have stood a chance.

Have you ever lost money?No, but I've spent unwisely. See shelling out hard-earned cash to a useless builder answer above.

Is money important to you?Show me someone who says money isn't important to them and I'll show you a dirty big liar.

How much money do you have on you now?I just emptied my purse and found the following, in the following order: 22 cents, an Opal Fruit wrapper and a button from a coat I thought I'd lost and am delighted to find.

In conversation with CONOR POPE