“It’s hard to imagine paying into a pension when you’re young, but it adds up”

Niamh Ní Chróinín is a new presenter of TG4’s revamped children’s brand Cula4. She has previously worked as a DJ at Today FM, 98FM, Raidió RíRá and RnaG. She was also a judge on TG4’s Junior Eurovision series last year.

What’s the most important lesson about money you’ve taught in your career?

Try to save from every paycheck that comes in.

What has the Corona crisis taught you about money?

This money disappears very quickly if you are allowed to venture outside your 5km.

The most expensive place you have ever visited?

When you visit tourist areas in any city, they can all seem expensive. New York is expensive. I once paid $15 for a prepackaged (and questionable) sandwich at JFK airport.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received about money?

To contribute to a pension when first starting full-time employment. It’s hard to imagine paying into a pension at a young age, but it all adds up. I am now grateful that I have paid into my pension for the past few years.

Aside from real estate, what’s the most expensive thing you’ve ever bought?

I took a career break in 2019 and went traveling for half a year. I loved every second of it, but it really shows when you spend money every day and nothing comes in. But the single most expensive item I’ve ever bought was my car.

Do you still carry cash?

Never or very very rarely. I pay for almost everything with my cell phone. I would rarely carry a wallet or bank card with me anymore.

What was your worst job?

I wouldn’t call it a bad job, but it was really tough: I worked in an apple packing factory in New Zealand for a while. The hours were long and the apples were freezing in the morning. We were not allowed to work with headphones and were only allowed to speak to the person standing right next to us. There was no stop button on the conveyor belts. So if you weren’t fast enough, apples would run over the edge. But I met a lot of nice people there.

What was your biggest financial mistake?

I haven’t checked recently how much import duty I would have to pay before ordering clothes online. I woke up one morning to an email saying my package had cleared customs but I had to pay an invoice of €111 before it could be delivered. It was my own fault for not checking, but I almost fell off the bed.

What was your best financial murder?

I’ve managed in the past to get cheap flights to places that would normally be quite expensive to fly to.

IIf you won the EuroMillions what would you do with the money?

With the first flight, jump to a sunny spot. After that, I’d probably be very sensible with it – help family and friends, buy a place, invest some, and save the rest until I figure out what to do with it. I would hate for everyone to know that I’ve won EuroMillions, so I’d have to avoid anything too flashy. EuroMillions is a lot of money for one person so I would definitely look for charities to work with or maybe even start my own.

If you could design your own euro bill, what image would you put on it?

Irish Instruments or Quotations from Irish Poets.

Are you a donor or a saver?

Both. I’m definitely trying to save as much as possible, but I could probably do better.

Would you buy Irish property now?

I’d love to, but unfortunately I’m not able to at the moment. If I’ve won EuroMillions, then definitely.