The thrill of THE DEAL

Michèle can't resist a goody bag - even when it costs her more than she bargained

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Before I dive into this story, I want you to know I'm actually quite good with money. When I was a very small child, our school gave us savings books with a vivid image of a squirrel on the cover and weekly deposits of five cents or so were made by everyone in the class.

Ever since, the concept of squirrelling away nuts for winter has been hardwired into my psyche and there has mostly been a savings account with something in it.

Which is a jolly good thing since as a self-employed freelancer, my income's predictably unpredictable. There's a vague season to it - May to December, you can almost count on enough work, January to April, you can count on there being almost none.

So I stash nuts away when I get them and try not to freak out about nibbling on that stash when I don't. After 30 years, I'm almost relaxed about the ebb and flow.