What Michael Jackson taught me!

As a kid growing up I loved Michael Jackson and still do and while lots of his music reminds me of a time and place there is one life lesson that was taught to me by the King of Pop and my grandmother!

As far back as I can remember my granny always used to take me into Belfast shopping, she didn't have much money so it was to buy books at the second hand book shop or purchase new tights "simple shopping" but more importantly to take some time off from her duties as a housewife.

On one of those Saturdays I truly discovered what it was like to become a consumer and the power of money. As she was browsing in the bookstore come music shop I wondered off to have a look around. I discovered a Michael Jackson mirror, I fell in love with it immediately and asked her could I buy it and I'd pay her back the money weekly. She couldn't afford to do this so she asked the shop keeper could we leave it over and I would pay it off with my pocket money. My pocket money was 50p per week and it must have taken me 16 weeks to pay it off (I reckon it may have been a little less as i could have gotten some extra help from my mummy and granny) but it felt more like a year before I could take the mirror home.

I still have that mirror some 22 years later and the lessons that it taught me.

• you can't always get what you want immediately
• saving does pay off.

Just wish I could be more strict with the saving!