{"id":301431,"date":"2026-02-16T21:09:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T21:09:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/301431\/"},"modified":"2026-02-16T21:09:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T21:09:13","slug":"the-biggest-lesson-ive-learned-over-time-is-not-to-invest-what-you-cant-afford-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/301431\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018The biggest lesson I\u2019ve learned over time is not to invest what you can\u2019t afford\u2019 \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Amber O\u2019Grady has worked extensively in the racing industry with companies such as Tattersalls Ireland, the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders\u2019 Association<\/a>, Sandown Park and Fairyhouse Racecourse. She is manager of the ownership department at Horse Racing Ireland<\/a>. <\/p>\n

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

I\u2019m 100 per cent a spender. I\u2019d love to be a good saver, but it\u2019s just not in my DNA. I\u2019ve always gone for the \u2018you only live once\u2019 option. <\/p>\n

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

I rode out racehorses when I was probably about 11. I got \u00a32.50 a horse. I didn\u2019t last very long because they used to run away with me. I was safer mucking out with my two feet firmly on the ground. <\/p>\n

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

It all depends on the purchase, but if it\u2019s only a few euro, I\u2019ll go for convenience over value. <\/p>\n

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

For myself, it was a share in an all-woman racing syndicate. It cost \u20ac6,500 for two years, and it is enormous fun. I don\u2019t spend on fancy labels: my disposable income goes on experiences and creating memories. <\/p>\n

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

Probably the all-woman racing syndicate. I have met the most wonderful women through the racing syndicate and had the most amazing experiences. We\u2019ve been everywhere from Sligo to Leopardstown to Royal Ascot. I used to think I\u2019d have to win the Lotto to have days out like that, but sharing the costs has made it possible. <\/p>\n

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

Oh, yes … I have a number of items in the wardrobe with the labels still on. Also, there is a trampoline sitting in the garden, hardly used. It is such an eyesore.<\/p>\n

\"AmberAmber O’Grady: ‘I\u2019d love to be a good saver, but it\u2019s just not in my DNA’ Do you haggle over prices?<\/p>\n

Only on holiday. I get too embarrassed, otherwise. My grandmother used to always ask shopkeepers if they had a \u2018discount for cash\u2019, and my eldest son is a 14-year-old Del Boy. Perhaps it\u2019s time I took a leaf out of their books.<\/p>\n

Do you invest in shares and\/or cryptocurrency?<\/p>\n

No. I was an Anglo investor back in the day, so once bitten, twice shy. <\/p>\n

[\u00a0Fiachna \u00d3 Braon\u00e1in: \u2018My income has always been somewhat of a rollercoaster ride\u2019Opens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

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

Luckily, I have a pension from work, otherwise I would be in serious trouble. That said, I think it\u2019s fairly obvious I don\u2019t see retirement happening any time soon.<\/p>\n

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

My most recent purchase for myself was a new coat for racing over Christmas. The cost per wear will be very little. For someone else, it was a compressor. I\u2019m not sure when the Christmas list moved from Smyths Toys to Screwfix!<\/p>\n

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

I took my kids on an adventure to New Zealand<\/a> two years ago. It was over a year in the planning and saving, and they haven\u2019t been further than Kerry since, but it was a trip of a lifetime, visiting family. <\/p>\n

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

Yes, I have. I\u2019ve made a few bad decisions over the years, but I learned from my mistakes. I think the biggest lesson I\u2019ve learned over time is not to invest what you can\u2019t afford. You win some, you lose some \u2013 but in my book, health is wealth, so you have to take the rough with the smooth. <\/p>\n

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

Strangely, as someone who is into racing, I don\u2019t gamble in the purist sense; I like to think of it as calculated risks. One of the racing syndicates I was in a few years ago had a very good horse. We sold her to the US for a lot of money. It paid for my racing passion for a couple of years. <\/p>\n

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

I\u2019m not sure I have very good habits, but I don\u2019t like owing money. I try to keep my borrowing to a minimum. My worst habit is saving, or a lack of. <\/p>\n

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

A \u00a35 note, a \u20ac10 note, and a few coins for the supermarket trolley.<\/p>\n

In conversation with Tony Clayton-Lea<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Amber O\u2019Grady has worked extensively in the racing industry with companies such as Tattersalls Ireland, the Irish Thoroughbred…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":301432,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[72,142606,61,60,27998,1261],"class_list":["post-301431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-business","tag-horse-racing-ireland-hri","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-me-my-money","tag-new-zealand"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/301431","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=301431"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/301431\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/301432"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=301431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=301431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=301431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}