ME MY MONEY:Charlie Connelly, author
Are you a saver or a spender?I convince myself I'm a saver – until I look at my bank statements. I am now trying to convince myself to stop looking at my bank statements.
Do you shop around for better value?Since moving here from the UK, I've found value for money pretty hard to come by in price terms.
What has been your most extravagant purchase ever and how much did it cost?There was a series of them a few years ago when one of my books became an unexpected bestseller: £150 on an old Charlton Athletic football programme, £400 on a first edition of Margaret Rutherford's autobiography and £600 on a script for Four Candles, signed by the Two Ronnies. The tax and VAT bills that started arriving soon afterwards were enough to see that gravy train shunted into the sidings. Heh, I was a bit like a one-man allegory for Ireland.
What purchase have you made that you consider the best value for money?Being a softie, I'd have to say the flight from London to Dublin that led to me first meeting my fiancée.
Have you ever crossed the Border to shop?No. I appear to be the only man in Ireland who doesn't have a car, so the costs would probably negate any savings.
Do you haggle over prices?I'm a renowned sucker, so no. If anything, I'd probably haggle upwards: "Are you sure that's enough?"
Has the recession changed your spending habits?My fiancée was made redundant this year and is now working part-time. Having neither mortgage nor children we've not been hit as hard as many, but much of the spontaneity that money permits is gone.
Do you invest in shares?I inherited some shares in Charlton Athletic from my late uncle, but a few weeks ago the plc was "solvently dissolved", rendering them entirely worthless, but they were only of sentimental value.
Cash or card?I have only ever had one credit card in my life and I've not used it in three years. I only got it because someone told me I probably had no credit rating at all.
What was the last thing you bought and was it good value for money?A framed print featuring Joyce and Yeats by Sligo cartoonist Annie West. If it inspires me to previously unscaled literary heights, then yes.
Have you ever successfully saved up for a relatively big purchase?I don't tend to make big purchases as there's nothing "big" I want. When I was 10 I told my parents I was going on hunger strike until they bought Kings Of The Wild Frontierby Adam and the Ants. I lasted about four hours, so I saved instead. There's a lesson there, although I'm not sure what.
Have you ever lost money?Not in an investment sense, but I'm waiting to hear from a nice lawyer in Lagos who asked for my bank details so he could transfer a large sum. By coincidence, my ATM card stopped working.
Are you a gambler and if so have you ever had a big win?I'll occasionally pop down to the dogs at Shelbourne Park and stick on the odd fiver, but awareness of my status as an Olympic-standard sucker keeps me from anything more substantial.
Is money important to you?If you discount the fact it's essential, no. I interviewed a very rich man once whose wife was in a coma from which she'd never emerge. He spent most days at her side and told me: "Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy time." It made me realise the money I earn from doing something I love buys me time to keep doing something I love.
How much money do you have on you now? €57.41.I'm saving the €50 note to light a cigar with when that promised fortune comes through from Lagos.
Charlie Connelly’s
Our Man in Hibernia
(Hachette) is out now
