Me & My Money

Are you a saver or a spender? A spender, unfortunately. I am not so bad on big things, but if I have cash in my wallet I feel obliged to get rid of it, quickly.

Do you shop around for better value? In the business, yes, we have to. Personally, not half as much as I should. I tend to be rushing and leave purchases until last minute.

What has been your most extravagant purchase and how much did it cost? A few years ago, I bought a second hand convertible Saab from a "friend". It cost €12,000, but far more in the torrent of middle-aged hairdresser jokes and the subsequent abuse I received from my father – who was never a fan – when the roof got stuck down in the middle of a hail storm.

What purchase have you made that you consider the best value for money? I bought a 1959 Hillman Minx at a wedding for €500. We put it up on Facebook with a prize for who could come up with the best design. It is now pink and called "The Chocolate Rocket". We have used it at most shows and marketing events since and we are wheeling it back out again this year at Bloom.

What ways do you prefer to shop – online or local? Local, especially for food. I support Irish suppliers and the Love Irish Food campaign, and I like to see what's new out there because I know how hard it is to get people to try new things.

Do you haggle over prices? For big items yes; on smaller things I would only do so if I thought the price was wrong. So for significant purchases like machinery, contracts or professional services, definitely yes. Regarding day-to-day stuff, I would only haggle if someone tried to charge me €10 for a chocolate brownie.

Has the recession changed your spending habits? Yes, in the business we have had to look at everything, in particular the big ticket items like utilities and insurance.

On a personal level, they wouldn't let me put the Crunchy Gooey Caviar & Champagne Rocky Road into production.

Do you invest in shares? No, any spare money is always put back into the business. We have had to keep everything as lean as possible to survive.

Anything spare is used to support our business development strategy such as helping us to develop our export markets, which hold the greatest potential for our brand in the long term.

Cash or card? Card (see above issues with cash!).

Seriously, though, our ongoing investment in the business means that we operate to tight budgets so there’s never a lot of cash sloshing around.

What was the last thing you bought and was it good value for money? I just bought the Insomnia muffin and coffee deal – great value.

Have you ever successfully saved up for a relatively big purchase? Yes, renovating my house. Although I should say that I successfully saved for the budgeted cost.

Have you ever lost money? Yes, for years; building a business and a brand sucks in every penny, and a lot of the value being created is intangible in the short term.

Are you a gambler and if so, have you ever had a big win? I'm not a gambler but I should say my big win was meeting my wife.

Is money important to you? Probably not as much as it should be; creating a business and brand with a long-term future is what we have been focused on. We frequently sacrifice short-term gain for the bigger picture.

How much money do you have on you now? €65 and £30 – but not for long.

In conversation with Tony Clayton-Lea