Getting ready for a huge spending splurge.

(From Irish Independent)

The payout of the bulk of the special savings accounts (SSIAs) in the first few months of 2007 will be an event that is probably unparalleled in modern economic history.

Some [euro]15bn will become available to the holders of almost 1.2m accounts. To put that enormous sum in perspective, it will be around 15pc of total annual personal consumption in those years.

It is hard to think of anything else which could give such a jolt to an economy over such a short time, in this country or anywhere else.

Naturally, there has been great interest in what people will actually do with the money.

On average, there …