{"id":204759,"date":"2025-12-22T07:51:07","date_gmt":"2025-12-22T07:51:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/204759\/"},"modified":"2025-12-22T07:51:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-22T07:51:07","slug":"im-definitely-not-a-gambler-i-have-a-family-and-responsibilities-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/204759\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I\u2019m definitely not a gambler. I have a family and responsibilities\u2019 \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Memo Paris Fragrances<\/a> was launched in 2007 by John Molloy and his wife, Clara. <\/p>\n

Are you a saver or a spender?<\/p>\n

I\u2019d like to say I\u2019m a spender, but life has made me a saver. We often associate spenders with open, generous, sunny personalities. In truth, being a saver allows you to truly rely on yourself and for others to be able to rely on you, too. In the end, that\u2019s where real generosity lies.<\/p>\n

What was the first job you received money for, and how much were you paid?<\/p>\n

At the age of 10 I emptied my Post Office savings account to buy lambs from my father. By the age of 12 I had invested in mixed livestock, which was a great learning. During my student years I worked at Brown Thomas, a fabulous experience. That\u2019s where my love for fashion began, along with my taste for human contact and retail.<\/p>\n

Do you shop around for better value?<\/p>\n

I have a weakness for belts. Whenever I travel, I bring one back. It\u2019s a distinctive piece of craftsmanship that fascinates me. I must have a bit of a cowboy side to me.<\/p>\n

What has been your most extravagant purchase, and how much did it cost?<\/p>\n

When we met, we got engaged very quickly, within four months, in Venice. It was love at first sight, and that love took the form of an ornate engagement ring from a famous Italian jeweller. It\u2019s priceless now because it has become a memory. Every time I see it on my wife\u2019s hand, it never fails to make me smile.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0\u2018I stepped away from a lucrative career to start writing. It was my biggest gamble\u2019Opens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

What purchase have you made that you consider the best value for money?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s always family or couple trips that bring the best value. They give us the chance to share time together in a little bubble, away from the everyday. We travelled to Myanmar when our daughter wasn\u2019t yet two, and later to India and Tanzania. I also invested in an excellent Swiss Jura coffee machine that makes cappuccinos and a thousand other variations, and that\u2019s made everyone in the house happy.<\/p>\n

Is there anything you regret spending money on?<\/p>\n

Parking fines! And I no longer buy fast-fashion items; my taste now leans toward quality. In general I don\u2019t really have regrets about spending or anything else. I prefer to move forward, which probably means I don\u2019t even remember them.<\/p>\n

Do you haggle over prices?<\/p>\n

I\u2019m afraid I can\u2019t resist haggling. I am a farmer\/horse breeder\u2019s son and, at the age of four, my dad taught me the importance of a \u201cluck penny\u201d and a handshake, which I know can be annoying sometimes. It used to be a kind of sport for me, when I really needed a discount because I couldn\u2019t afford something I wanted. I\u2019m not saying I can afford everything now, but my needs and means are better aligned. Still … I haggle.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0\u2018I\u2019m a bit careless with money at times. It\u2019s important not to let it rule your life\u2019Opens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

Do you have a retirement or pension plan?<\/p>\n

Yes, of course, but I don\u2019t see myself retiring. I\u2019ll simply keep working at the pace that life allows: peacefully.<\/p>\n

What was the last thing you bought, and was it good value for money?<\/p>\n

I just bought the Hypoxico Summit 2 generator, and when I train with it, it brings back memories of my climbing days around the world. After a training session, you feel incredible. I also bought flowers for my wife; it always puts her in the best mood, as if I\u2019d never done it before, and it completely surprises her every time. All in all, two excellent purchases, and both great value for money.<\/p>\n

Have you ever successfully saved up for a relatively big purchase?<\/p>\n

Yes, my first motorbike. A symbol of youth, risk and the rush of adrenaline I craved at that time in my life.<\/p>\n

Have you ever lost money?<\/p>\n

In a vending machine, trying to buy fizzy water.<\/p>\n

Are you a gambler and, if so, have you ever had a big win?<\/p>\n

I\u2019m definitely not a gambler. I have a family and responsibilities. That might sound overly sensible to some, but that\u2019s usually because they\u2019ve never seen the damage caused by real gambling addiction. It\u2019s a genuine illness.<\/p>\n

What is your best habit when it comes to money? And your worst?<\/p>\n

The best is knowing exactly where I stand. The worst? Nothing comes to mind. Money is only what you make of it. There shouldn\u2019t be any drama about it.<\/p>\n

How much money do you have on you now?<\/p>\n

Enough not to have to think about it and enough to jump on a plane, if needed.<\/p>\n

In conversation with Tony Clayton-Lea<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Memo Paris Fragrances was launched in 2007 by John Molloy and his wife, Clara. Are you a saver…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":204760,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,27998,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-204759","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-me-my-money","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204759","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=204759"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204759\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/204760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=204759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=204759"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=204759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}