John Scott, Artistic director of John Scott Dance

Are you a saver or a spender?

Definitely a spender. I never had pocket money as a child, so I’m trying to make up for it now.

Do you shop around for better value?

Yes – I love browsing and price checking. I learned it from my mother, who dragged my brother and I from shop to shop as children.

What has been your most extravagant purchase ever and how much did it cost?

I spent €650 on my reading glasses, with a titanium frame. They are beautiful and were the only glasses in my optician’s that didn’t make me look like Dame Edna Everage.

What purchase have you made that you consider the best value for money?

A pair of fake leopard skin trousers, reduced to $10 in a closing down sale of the Canal Jeans Company in New York just after 9/11. I love wearing them to dance openings.

Have you ever crossed the Border to shop?

I never cross the Border to shop, and also try to buy Irish when possible. If I’m already abroad, I will shop but don’t go out of my way to do so. And I buy Kerrygold when in the UK.

Do you haggle over prices?

Yes. I love haggling and had a great time in a market in Morocco, writing the prices on my arm until the decreasing sums went up to my shoulder. I also argue with managers in Irish shops, so I suppose I must be a bit of a crank.

Has the recession changed your spending habits?

Yes. Can’t eat out in restaurants very often, Can’t buy clothes, except in sales.

Do you invest in shares?

I had a SSIA linked to shares, which went down after 2008.

Cash or card?

Card – it feels more like free money and asking for cashback feels like I’ve won something.

What was the last thing you bought and was it good value for money?

A German sausage at the Oktoberfest in the IFSC recently. It cost €6 – a rip-off, but it was delicious.

Have you ever successfully saved up for a relatively big purchase?

I bought an Armani suit at FX Kelly clothes shop in Grafton Street 10 years ago.

Have you ever lost money?

When I was a student, I was backpacking. On my final day in London my last £10 slipped out of my pocket. I had no money for food and had a very difficult day. It seemed like a small amount, but as a starving student away from home, it was lunch, dinner, breakfast and food on the mailboat home.

Are you a gambler and, if so, have you ever had a big win?

I occasionally buy a lotto ticket but always put them somewhere safe and never check the numbers, so if I have had a major win, I wouldn’t have noticed. I won a giant teddy bear on the wheel of fortune at a garden fete in St Joseph’s Orphanage, Dun Laoghaire, when I was a child.

Is money important to you?

Money is important for what it can do for me and for my dance company – I can employ dancers with it and make bigger productions.

How much money do you have on you now?

€10.19.

John Scott Dance tours its hit dance show Body Duet to nine venues nationwide until November 16th. For further information, see irishmoderndancetheatre.com