Our local library was burned down by an alleged recalled car which ignited causing massive damage to our local Shopping Centre. The conflagration was helped by mobile phone users making videos instead of tackling the increasing blaze with nearby fire extinguishers. I heard that these same people may have impeded the Fire Service entering the multi-storey car park in a rush to get their own vehicles to safety and increasing the risk to our Fire Department personnel. The consequence of this is that I’m spending much more mornings with Mrs Lep.
I can nearly hear the moderators saying “Where is this going?” The forum is called Ask About Money so that’s where this is heading. I take to shopping like a guy unravelling the previous year’s 2000 Christmas tree lights and anybody who knows me knows my patience gene is not all that great and I tend to swear like when the AIB Home Loan Rate reached 19.75%. I can only read so much and listen to so much radio (Marty on Lyric FM being my favourite and he had a deserved break over the holiday period).
In my day, I tried investing to make a few furtive bob. Back in the day I was a member of an Investment Club at work with each member contributing £100.00 per week. Sounds a risk but it was the same £100.00 each week. We had a Davey account and one of our members was pretty good and we made up to 5% in our weekly investments. Sometimes we lost and did not get back the full £100.00, but to make a long story short, we had made some profit over the year. There was some Sports Trading in that club too which was included in the investment which yielded better profit. I had a share account with AIB and you know what way their shares went. I put a good few bob into Eircom Shares. Was I a recipe for disaster? Well, we were informed to buy enough of them by Mary O’Rourke and others, which I did. Mrs Lep advised against the Eircom shares saying that the Investing Market Place was for men and not boys. But, I was greedy. I did a bit of property investing too, but the least said about that, the better. In a nutshell, I never was the greatest one for investing.
If there’s anything that will get Mrs Lep out of bed early it’s the ads screaming “70% Off and When they’re Gone, they’re Gone.” She was going to hit the shops with her sister and informed me that she would like me to spend some quality time with her. My idea of quality time is not traipsing down the aisles of a supermarket but off I went as Sherpa elect and taxi service combined.
First Stop:- Dunnes Stores. Suddenly, I’m out of my comfort zone, but at least it’s not Sunday. I can’t for the life of me understand how anybody can spend time in supermarkets on Sundays. Please don’t get offended; it’s just me and if things go pear shape and you need mouth-to-mouth on a Sunday in a shopping centre, I won’t be around and you’re not missing much.
Mrs Lep buys 6 bottles of Shiraz. When I ask why so much she says look at the sign “25% off Immediately.” I don’t argue being a lover of Tanora (if you haven’t tried this soft drink, you’re missing out). She buys some groceries and the total bill is €50.04 with the 25% wine discount. She pays €40.04 with a €10.00 voucher from her last visit. And she receives another €10.00 voucher towards her next visit. I’m trying to work out the pros and cons and I even get more confused when she points out the shop brand porridge was €1.00 and tastes no different to the leading brand. There were a few more purchases like that and all I wanted to do was to get home to read the Examiner.
Dunnes Stores:- Into the adjoining drapery dept. we go, only to see as Mrs Lep says what’s in. She picks up a tracksuit bottom for me @ €7.00. I don’t know what part of China, Korea, or some other godforsakin’ place it was manufactured but €7.00 ain’t bad and we do a lot of greenway cycling (my real idea of quality time). And that piece of tracksuit does the job.
Dealz:- We didn’t go home, so in we went, me muttering under my breath like I do when Cork go out of the Munster Championship. She buys a big box of washing powder for a tenner (I’m informed she saved a couple of euro, but so what, let’s get it done and get out of here fast!). Then I notice the razors for which I pay a good few euro elsewhere are for normal sale @ €1.50 and we buy. I buy bits for the electric drill for €1.50 which would cost considerably more in Woodies. I pick up a few spare blades for the Stanley Knife @ €1.50. I decide to keep my cake-hole shut as Mrs Lep is on a roll and buys other stuff she assures me is more expensive elsewhere.
Easons:- Mrs Lep knows I can’t pass a bookshop without entering so decides to remain silent and enters with me as if I were the driving force of this shopping trip, but we don’t go to the book section. This is a week after Christmas and she heads to the Christmas Cards section. She already knew from previous years that boxes of Charity Christmas Cards are now retailing @ €4.50 instead of €8.99. She buys some Christmas Cards for next Christmas. My eyes now rolling upwards she advises “shut up” and she’s saved nearly 50% albeit in real terms it’s an 11 month investment.
We return home, but only for a few minutes. We collect her sister (this is where I have difficulty with democracy; it’s two against one and we’re out for the whole day at least). Thoughts of the German Army’s failing chances at Stalingrad come to mind.
Smiths (and some other toy shops):- This is where the going gets tough and my resilience is wavering fast. But, there’s 25% off this and 50% off that. She buys using my Visa Card (more swearing and thoughts of AIB Home Loan reaching 19.75% pa). I decide not to panic – with some effort, but it is Mrs Lep and she’s buying for this year’s birthdays and presents for next Christmas for our grandchildren.
More Discount Shops:- We buy more toys (note I’m using “we” now, my panic waning). I point out that reams of Christmas Paper are reduced to €1.50 from €3.00 and she advises it’ll be €1.00 or less in a couple of days. So again I keep my cake-hole closed. Who am I, a former AIB shares account holder and one who bought shares in Eircom like throwing away confetti?
If I ring a professional to invest a few bob from my lump sum or savings I’ll be charged through the nose and even if the investments don’t perform I still get charged. Even if I make a few bob through the professional it’ll be so small that it’s hardly worth taking the risk – my opinion. So for a change I am going to advise our (AAM) Professional Investors:- Take some advice from Mrs Lep; she makes a profit of at least 25% (and probably much more) from her spend. You can contact her through a PM to me – professional investors only and there’s no commission.
I can nearly hear the moderators saying “Where is this going?” The forum is called Ask About Money so that’s where this is heading. I take to shopping like a guy unravelling the previous year’s 2000 Christmas tree lights and anybody who knows me knows my patience gene is not all that great and I tend to swear like when the AIB Home Loan Rate reached 19.75%. I can only read so much and listen to so much radio (Marty on Lyric FM being my favourite and he had a deserved break over the holiday period).
In my day, I tried investing to make a few furtive bob. Back in the day I was a member of an Investment Club at work with each member contributing £100.00 per week. Sounds a risk but it was the same £100.00 each week. We had a Davey account and one of our members was pretty good and we made up to 5% in our weekly investments. Sometimes we lost and did not get back the full £100.00, but to make a long story short, we had made some profit over the year. There was some Sports Trading in that club too which was included in the investment which yielded better profit. I had a share account with AIB and you know what way their shares went. I put a good few bob into Eircom Shares. Was I a recipe for disaster? Well, we were informed to buy enough of them by Mary O’Rourke and others, which I did. Mrs Lep advised against the Eircom shares saying that the Investing Market Place was for men and not boys. But, I was greedy. I did a bit of property investing too, but the least said about that, the better. In a nutshell, I never was the greatest one for investing.
If there’s anything that will get Mrs Lep out of bed early it’s the ads screaming “70% Off and When they’re Gone, they’re Gone.” She was going to hit the shops with her sister and informed me that she would like me to spend some quality time with her. My idea of quality time is not traipsing down the aisles of a supermarket but off I went as Sherpa elect and taxi service combined.
First Stop:- Dunnes Stores. Suddenly, I’m out of my comfort zone, but at least it’s not Sunday. I can’t for the life of me understand how anybody can spend time in supermarkets on Sundays. Please don’t get offended; it’s just me and if things go pear shape and you need mouth-to-mouth on a Sunday in a shopping centre, I won’t be around and you’re not missing much.
Mrs Lep buys 6 bottles of Shiraz. When I ask why so much she says look at the sign “25% off Immediately.” I don’t argue being a lover of Tanora (if you haven’t tried this soft drink, you’re missing out). She buys some groceries and the total bill is €50.04 with the 25% wine discount. She pays €40.04 with a €10.00 voucher from her last visit. And she receives another €10.00 voucher towards her next visit. I’m trying to work out the pros and cons and I even get more confused when she points out the shop brand porridge was €1.00 and tastes no different to the leading brand. There were a few more purchases like that and all I wanted to do was to get home to read the Examiner.
Dunnes Stores:- Into the adjoining drapery dept. we go, only to see as Mrs Lep says what’s in. She picks up a tracksuit bottom for me @ €7.00. I don’t know what part of China, Korea, or some other godforsakin’ place it was manufactured but €7.00 ain’t bad and we do a lot of greenway cycling (my real idea of quality time). And that piece of tracksuit does the job.
Dealz:- We didn’t go home, so in we went, me muttering under my breath like I do when Cork go out of the Munster Championship. She buys a big box of washing powder for a tenner (I’m informed she saved a couple of euro, but so what, let’s get it done and get out of here fast!). Then I notice the razors for which I pay a good few euro elsewhere are for normal sale @ €1.50 and we buy. I buy bits for the electric drill for €1.50 which would cost considerably more in Woodies. I pick up a few spare blades for the Stanley Knife @ €1.50. I decide to keep my cake-hole shut as Mrs Lep is on a roll and buys other stuff she assures me is more expensive elsewhere.
Easons:- Mrs Lep knows I can’t pass a bookshop without entering so decides to remain silent and enters with me as if I were the driving force of this shopping trip, but we don’t go to the book section. This is a week after Christmas and she heads to the Christmas Cards section. She already knew from previous years that boxes of Charity Christmas Cards are now retailing @ €4.50 instead of €8.99. She buys some Christmas Cards for next Christmas. My eyes now rolling upwards she advises “shut up” and she’s saved nearly 50% albeit in real terms it’s an 11 month investment.
We return home, but only for a few minutes. We collect her sister (this is where I have difficulty with democracy; it’s two against one and we’re out for the whole day at least). Thoughts of the German Army’s failing chances at Stalingrad come to mind.
Smiths (and some other toy shops):- This is where the going gets tough and my resilience is wavering fast. But, there’s 25% off this and 50% off that. She buys using my Visa Card (more swearing and thoughts of AIB Home Loan reaching 19.75% pa). I decide not to panic – with some effort, but it is Mrs Lep and she’s buying for this year’s birthdays and presents for next Christmas for our grandchildren.
More Discount Shops:- We buy more toys (note I’m using “we” now, my panic waning). I point out that reams of Christmas Paper are reduced to €1.50 from €3.00 and she advises it’ll be €1.00 or less in a couple of days. So again I keep my cake-hole closed. Who am I, a former AIB shares account holder and one who bought shares in Eircom like throwing away confetti?
If I ring a professional to invest a few bob from my lump sum or savings I’ll be charged through the nose and even if the investments don’t perform I still get charged. Even if I make a few bob through the professional it’ll be so small that it’s hardly worth taking the risk – my opinion. So for a change I am going to advise our (AAM) Professional Investors:- Take some advice from Mrs Lep; she makes a profit of at least 25% (and probably much more) from her spend. You can contact her through a PM to me – professional investors only and there’s no commission.
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