They claim - if I recall correctly - that if you break a mirror then you are in line for seven years' bad luck.

Well, I haven't exactly broken a mirror . . . but I was in chum John Nolan's box watching the Moseley v Northampton game on Saturday when a penalty kick hit one of the windows. Didn't actually smash it - the glass held - but splintered in all directions.

That put Moseley 3-0 ahead and the lads were ultimately unlucky to get nothing from the game after holding the former Premiership side to 18-27, a creditable result.

But am I in line for seven years of bad luck?

It could possibly explain a few things! And it just happened to coincide with a survey released by the Financial Services Authority which claimed some people's personal finances were in such bad shape they were too scared to open their post-Christmas bills.

The FSA found that 48 per cent of people are more likely to go on a diet or book a holiday than try to sort out their monetary problems in January - 13 per cent. Just under a quarter - 24 per cent - of 16 to 44-year-olds are worried or scared about their bills arriving in the coming days.

The survey also found that 58 per cent of people either didn't know what Christmas was going to cost them, or if they did know, they overspent anyway.

Almost a quarter - 23 per cent - used loans or credit cards to finance the festivities.

Now, you always have to take these post Christmas surveys with a large pinch of salt - I fear these days folk will tell interviewers any old tripe.

Nevertheless, I am sure the FSA is right to an extent - those who seem to live constantly on the edge might just fall over it this time.

Though this does not seem to have deterred the bargain hunters as sales season continues under way.

I was chatting to one of the barmaids at Moseley as I bought the troops a round and casually asked if she had hit the sales yet. She told me she was there hammering on the doors on Boxing Day.

I couldn't do that - no way.

I did brace myself and spent a couple of hours round the shops on Friday.

Normally my burly - shall we be kind - size and shape preclude me from picking up deals. So many shops seem only to cater for Mr Average.

But I went looking for a cheap suit anyway.

First stop was Marks & Spencer where the 'scrum' was impossible. I couldn't work out what jacket was supposedly going with what trousers or which suit was reduced and which wasn't.

So I gave that up as a bad job.

Next stop was British Home Stores and lo and behold they did have a jacket and trousers which fitted me. I could barely believe it.

Surely there had to be something wrong, except there didn't appear to be.

So for £49 I am now the proud possessor of a new 50 per cent wool mix suit and for another £20 I got an extra pair of trousers.

Hurrah!

I restricted myself to one £11 shirt at House of Fraser and called it a day. I am pretty confident I will get to payday on January 25 still in credit.

How many others won't?