Are you a saver or a spender? First and foremost I'm a saver. I do splash out, too, but I wouldn't enjoy the extravagances if I didn't feel I had secure financial foundations.
Do you shop around for better value? Better value doesn't necessarily mean cheaper. I would love to have more time rather than more money, and therefore I greatly value convenience and no hassle. Often this means paying more, but I'll happily pay a premium for great service, both personally and in business.
What has been your most extravagant purchase and how much did it cost? Shortly before starting Fenero I took a three-month trip around southeast Asia with my now husband. Although we were backpacking we made the decision to do it in style. We enjoyed amazing experiences, such as renting villas on secluded beaches in Vietnam and hiring a jeep to self-drive across Laos. It was most certainly one of my greatest extravagances but was a priceless, wonderful experience and memory to have.
What purchase have you made that you consider the best value for money? My laptop. It was fairly expensive, as I wanted a very powerful machine but ultra lightweight and portable. It comes everywhere with me. My productivity has increased, as I'm essentially carrying my office with me wherever I go and can pick up where I left off no matter where I am.
How do you prefer to shop – online or local? Life has been hectic in recent years with starting a business and a family closely together. Convenience is my friend. I shop online mainly for the time savings. However, online and local aren't mutually exclusive. I get staple household groceries delivered and also use a local business for home deliveries of market fresh fruit and vegetables.
Do you haggle over prices? I'm not a natural haggler. I had to get over this when starting Fenero, however, as it's important to always watch costs in business. That said, I don't haggle for the sake of it, especially if I know something is already a fair price. Building great long- term relationships with suppliers is very important to me and I think putting pressure on people for a reduction on a fair price can damage the relationship and end up being costly in other ways.
Has the recession changed your spending habits? The recession didn't really affect me in that respect. The main impact on my spending habits at that time was the decision to start Fenero, which happened to be shortly after the start of the economic downturn. I lived on a nominal salary and reinvested all profits to grow the business. We have experienced significant year-on- year growth since and enjoyed a good deal of success during the recessionary period.
Do you invest in shares? Yes, although mainly through ETFs and unit-linked funds rather than individual stocks.
Cash or card? Definitely card. I'm terrible for rarely having cash on me. Card is just so much more convenient. I'm looking forward to mobile phone payment technology developing further and becoming significantly more widespread.
What was the last thing you bought and was it good value for money? My last purchase was a week in a fabulous beachside house in Cork. Quality time with my two girls and husband in a beautiful part of Ireland – priceless.
Have you ever successfully saved up for a relatively big purchase? I've always been quite financially prudent and have rarely borrowed money. When it comes to personal spending, I'm far more comfortable knowing I have the excess money first. In recent times I successfully saved for my car, a BMW 5 series.
Have you ever lost money? I tried day trading for a couple of days once. I was up €500 in the first hour. Of course, I lost it all again later that day and was then annoyed with myself for not locking in the gain. It all felt too much like gambling to me and just not my thing. I hate to lose money!
Are you a gambler and, if so, have you ever had a big win? I've never been a gambler. I don't mind spending a few euro on a night out at the dogs or day at the races, but I far more enjoy the thrill of investing money in my business and employees and seeing this pay off.
Is money important to you? Money is definitely important to me, but far less important than my family and my health. I work hard and am ambitious, but this is driven mainly by a genuine love and fascination with business. I believe business has a tremendous power for good and I'm very motivated by that.
How much money do you have on you now? My three-year-old has raided my purse again for coins for her toy supermarket, so I have even less cash than the usual meagre amount I normally carry. I have a grand total of a €10 note.
