Eve McInerney, cofounder of Creative Bumblebee, a Galway-based company that offers user-generated content services that connect clients with content creators to produce organic and user-driven content for marketing and branding purposes. It was a recent winner at the European Paid Media Awards for its Galway Summer Vibes campaign.
Are you a saver or a spender?
I love spending money.
I always believe I will have all the money I need, so I never worry about spending it. I only start feeling guilty when I watch an episode of Eoin McGee’s show on RTÉ!
What was the first job you received money for, and how much were you paid?
I remember hanging around my father’s supermarket when I was in primary school, and one of the Lyons’ Tea reps paid me £5 (€5.69) to stack the shelves for him. I felt very rich and excited at the time.
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Do you shop around for better value?
I am the queen of showrooming. Possibly because I’m immersed in the digital world, I’ll always check how much something is online and will nearly always find it cheaper, especially for bigger purchases.
However, I like to support smaller local stores regardless of the price. I’ve stopped buying books on Amazon, for instance.
What has been your most extravagant purchase, and how much did it cost?
Art is my big weakness. I purchased a beautiful painting by Pauline Bewick years ago, a close-up of a girl holding her hand out with a butterfly on it.
It was about £3,000 at the time. It’s possibly worth three times that now, but I’ll never sell it.
What purchase have you made that you consider the best value for money?
It has to be the laser hair removal I had done on my legs in my 20s. I have surely saved thousands on razors and waxing.
It cost about £1,500 at the time and was extremely painful, but it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
Is there anything you regret spending money on?
I regret blowing my SEAI savings on braces that I didn’t need. Even the orthodontist said I didn’t need them. After getting them removed a year later, my teeth were exactly the same!
Do you haggle over prices?
I love to haggle over prices, especially on bigger purchases. If I’m buying multiples of something, I’ll always ask if that’s the best price. If you don’t ask, you don’t receive, right?
I was once chased on to a bus in Tangier, Morocco, by a guy with who I had entered into a haggling battle for a rug, so I now choose my purchases wisely.
Do you invest in shares and/or cryptocurrency?
No, but I plan on investing in shares this month, actually. I’ve always wanted to buy shares but, being a spender, I haven’t yet committed to it. I have been told that they can be like a runaway train so I’ll only invest what I can afford to lose.
Do you have a retirement or pension plan?
Yes, I have a pension plan. My only regret is that I didn’t start it sooner. I used to say, “I’ll be so wealthy that I won’t need one”, but I’m eating those words now. I’ve only started one in the past five years and would have loved to have been paying into one during my 30s.
What was the last thing you bought, and was it good value for money?
I recently bought a gorgeous Superdry fleece in Limerick. It wasn’t expensive, so certainly good value as I’ve been wearing it often since.
Have you ever successfully saved up for a relatively big purchase?
Not particularly. I’m not really a saver and I don’t have a credit card, so I generally make bigger purchases when I have the money.
I might have things on my radar that I want, and then when the opportunity arises, I’ll purchase.
Have you ever lost money?
Yes. Many years ago, I stupidly brought some rent money out with me one night in Galway and left my bag lying around on the floor as I danced the night away. When I got home, I discovered the money was gone.
Are you a gambler and, if so, have you ever had a big win?
In my 20s, I played a lot of Texas Hold’em poker. I absolutely loved it. I would go to amateur live games weekly with €100 buy-in. I eventually played online, but other than maybe €1,000, I never won anything big.
Once, I even went to the World Poker Tour in Monte Carlo, but chickened out from playing as I was so overwhelmed by all the celebrities and famous players. That’s one of my biggest regrets!
What is your best habit when it comes to money? And your worst?
I don’t think I have a best habit. I do my grocery shopping online and I think that stops you from buying unnecessary things you don’t need, but that habit is more by default rather than by intention.
My worst, possibly, is that I never worry about spending money. I don’t save regularly either and I don’t look too far into the future.
I also have a penchant for five-star hotels and luxury staycations, but as my mother said, life is for living.
How much money do you have on you now?
I actually have €1,000! It was given to a friend for work they did for me and they secretly returned it to me. I now need to stop myself from spending it, so I have decided to plant it into shares.
In conversation with Tony Clayton-Lea
