'A set of veneers and white fillings cost me $38,000'

Me and my money: GISELE SCANLON,author

Are you a saver or a spender?There are two types of honesty: honest honesty and media honesty. Unfortunately, I tend to confuse the two. Would it surprise you if I said, a saver?

Do you shop around for better value? Yes. Recently I interviewed a gourmet chef in London and he told me he found the cheapest yet best organic extra virgin olive oil at Tesco. I shop in Sainsbury's in London but on weekends I'll shop in the markets for fruit, veg, flowers and cheese.

What has been your most extravagant purchase ever? In 2002, my doctor warned me that my bad teeth would, given time, weaken my heart (I have a tiny murmur). Next thing I knew, I was sitting in a deep leather chair in New York, watching a special on the Beltway sniper attacks on a floating TV screen, credit card swiped and a dentist advancing towards me wielding a giant syringe the size of a bicycle pump. One full set of veneers and white fillings cost me $38,000.

What purchase have you made that you consider the best value for money? My teeth in 2002 – break it down and that's $1,260 per year to have perfect dental health and a healthy heart. I raised the money by selling all of my things (clothes, shoes etc) on eBay. The full story is in my first book, The Goddess Guide.

Have you ever crossed the Border to shop? Once I went to Belfast to find a top in Zara but that was before I moved to London. Now I spend so much time in the UK, I mostly shop for value there.

Do you haggle over prices? Of course. Deep down I'm still an Irish farmer's daughter from outside Listowel.

Has the recession changed your spending habits? No. For many years I've shopped clever. Take my clothes for instance. Recently I wore a Marc Jacobs dress that I've had for six years to a wedding. I buy time-capsule pieces in good fabric, they don't really date.

Do you invest in shares? No. I invest in art. It also moves in peaks and troughs but it's safer than shares at the moment.

Cash or card?Card for booking flights and mostly cash for everything else.

What was the last thing you bought and was it good value for money? A giant Toblerone from Duty Free on my way back from a trip to Austria last Thursday. Apart from the Curly Wurly, is there any bar that gives more bite for your buck?

Have you ever saved up for a relatively big purchase?I pool my money with my boyfriend so we save for the big things together.

Have you ever lost money? Last year I received a royalty cheque from one of my books and I slipped the envelope into a book I was reading at the time. I collect books so I have walls of them in the house. I misplaced the book and when I went looking, I found I'd three of the same title in different parts of the house. I think I might be slowly turning into a senile squirrel.

Are you a gambler and if so have you ever had a big win? I had the winner of the Grand National for the past two years. It's the only thing I bet on. I won €480 (ish). Tip: on both occasions I backed the jockey not the horse.

Is money important to you?I don't need much to be happy; just my family/boyfriend, enough to eat, our cameras, a pen, paper and our cat.

How much money do you have on you now? Not a bean. I'm answering these questions tucked up in bed.

Gisèle Scanlon is the author of the Goddess Guides, thegoddessguide.com.

In conversation with Claire O’Mahony