There was great cause for celebration this week as two of the girls have got job offers at last. Great job offers. One has been miserably unemployed for almost six months, while the other was trapped in a part-time job earning less then a week’s payment on the dole.

She received the good news while torturing herself in a Top Shop changing room, browsing the day away. Not surprising then, that she whipped out her credit card and blew a €1,000 in a frenzied celebration of her success. Some might begrudgingly shake their heads at her impulsive spree but it was well-deserved -- with the added bonus of helping to keep our sinking retail industry afloat.

I've been indulging in some overspending myself. After several weeks of living on dwindling savings and dangerously treading the limit of my overdraft, it was nice to be receiving a pay cheque once more. Now settled into my new job, I am no longer relying on the copper droppings from my piggy bank and have a deliciously crisp payslip to look forward to on a weekly basis. Sure, the economy is a long way from recovery and who’s to say whether our current jobs are safe from the grips of this destructive recession, but why not live in the moment and enjoy what cash we have? I have spent months of cutting back already, berating myself when I resisted temptation and squandered my money on an ‘unnecessary item’.

Why feel guilty for spending some of what we earn? I am conscientiously building a savings account for the future but surely not every penny needs to go into it? Are we supposed to all sit at home with the lights off and our wallets locked away while the economy plunges further into debt? Believe me, there was no one happier then my friend in Top Shop in last week, her joy bordering on hysteria. It was a long time since she had splurged on any shopping and she deserved every ecstatic minute of it. I joined her celebrations later that evening, with an overpriced take away and several bottles of good wine. Mid-week bliss! But rather than irresponsibly wasting our money, we were simply savouring the euphoria of shopping and spending, relishing our current employed status. Deep down we know how quickly we could be back in the dole queue and far from financial contentment. The thought is really never far from our impulsive minds…