Helen Lederer: How I cleaned up with TV ads for dishwasher tablets
Q What did your parents teach you about money? A NOT to waste it and not to show off about it. My father was a civil engineer and my mother was a stay-at-home mum. They worked hard and we weren’t poor. We had nice things but were brought up not to take them for granted.
Q What was the first paid work you ever did? A WORKING as an adventure play leader for ten-year-old children when I was 19. We were given an allowance of spending money and I lived in a squat in North London with the other play leaders.
I didn’t realise it was a ‘squat’ though, because I hadn’t worked out at that stage that people had to pay rent.
Q Have you ever struggled to make ends meet? A YES. The worst time was when I was living in the squat. I had to think twice about buying a Mars bar and put the cash instead towards buying some lentils.
Q Have you ever been paid silly money? A YES – when I did the Finish dishwashing advert in the 1980s. In those days, money was sloshed around. I was paid £70,000 for two days’ work, which I now find embarrassing. It would be the equivalent of getting paid around £250,000 today.
Q What was the best year of your financial life? A THE year I did the Finish advert. I had no idea what to do with the money afterwards. So I spent it. What an idiot. I should have done something sensible with it.
Q What is the most expensive thing you bought for fun? A IT was a Donna Karan coat for a few hundred pounds in the 1990s. I have had panels put in at the side so I can still wear it. Needs must.
Q What is your biggest money mistake? A CONTINUING to paint the sitting room in different colours
every once and a while. Not only is the painting expensive but you then have to get different cushions. I’ve painted the room red, blue, white. Now it’s pale chocolate brown with indigo blue on the bookshelves. Weird, but it works.
Q The best money decision you have made? A BUYING a small flat in Finsbury Park, North London, with the money my father left me when he died.
I wanted to honour him by making his money work hard.
Having my own place meant I did not have to rent during the 1980s when lots of people my age did. It gave me somewhere to live when I starting out doing stand-up comedy.
Q Do you save into a pension or invest in the stock A market?
I DO not invest in the stock market. Why would I when I do not understand it? I think I must have a small pension, but I do not really know.
Q Do you own any property? A YES, my home, but with a mortgage. I have lived here for 15 years with my second husband. We bought it because we wanted to start a new home together after we got married. I do not know if it has gone up in value. It is my home, not an investment.
Q What is the one little luxury you treat yourself to? A BATH oil and a Feu de Bois candle costing just under £30. But I also buy candles from pound shops. I like taking time out to reflect in the bath at the end of the day. Given I split my time between networking, going out, drinking and doing lots of bad things, I really appreciate those times when I get to stay in and watch Newsnight.
Q If you were Chancellor what would you do first? A RESIGN. If that was not an option, I would make sure they sort out Universal Credit once and for all. I think they should be doing a lot
more research before launching new schemes and policies. They should check that the people who need to benefit are not punished. It is the same with the NHS. So much could be done better. In the meantime, the people who have the least are suffering.
Q Do you donate money to charity? A YES I do. I also act as ambassador for charity The Eve Appeal – a gynaecological research charity that aims to raise awareness and fund research into womb, ovarian, cervical, vulval and vaginal cancer. I support them because they work hard, have good evidence about the impact they are having, and they do research that is saving lives. We have all been touched by death and cancer. If one is invited to help, it’s a no-brainer to say yes.
Q What is your number one financial priority? A NOT to be wasteful while at the same time enjoying the money I have earned.