‘Having grown up in a working-class home, I appreciate how hard you have to work for what you have’
Me & My Money: Ciara Mageean, middle-distance runner
Middle-distance runner Ciara Mageean is a three-time European Athletics Championship medalist in the 1,500m event and winner of silver at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Ciara recently helped to launch a partnership between LIA and Sport Ireland Institute. The partnership will see LIA, the centre of excellence for the education and development of finance professionals, deliver Smart Money Habits, a financial wellbeing programme to Olympic and Paralympic athletes at all stages of their sporting careers.
Are you a saver or a spender?
A bit of both. My granny always said “you can’t take it with you”, so I don’t mind spending a bit of my money but I don’t live a very extravagant life. I feel I have a healthy approach to money as, having grown up in a working-class home, I appreciate how hard you have to work for what you have.
Do you shop around for better value?
Not for everything, but for the pricier items I do. When I moved into my rental house in Manchester, I used Which Best Buy magazine to find the best value for household appliances like a washing machine. I also do my weekly shopping at Lidl, which helps keep the grocery costs down.
What has been your most extravagant purchase and how much did it cost?
I have two. I treated myself to a shark vacuum cleaner after the summer of racing – does that mean I’m getting old? I also recently purchased a Game Ready, a multi-modality recovery system. As a professional athlete going into my 30s, I hope this is a good investment.
What purchase have you made that you consider the best value for money?
When I was in uni, I saved up and purchased a Normatec, a recovery device that has been used by me and my team-mates for years. It’s flown all around the world with me and I’ve certainly got my money’s worth out of it.