1.What were you doing for work before the pandemic? I was working at a gym, and personal training. I could no longer work at the gym and no longer see my clients therefore no income.  It was very challenging to promote my business online, and have people want to pay me for something they felt they could find for free. 2.What do you miss spending money on these days? To be honest I'm not a big spender.. the only thing I could say i 'miss' but don't miss is paying for my gym membership.  Because I badly want to go ...

1.What were you doing for work before the pandemic? I worked for a small, nonprofit touring theatre for young audiences. I also tended bar at a prominent theatre downtown Chicago. With the outbreak, the TYA company had to cancel shows, lay off 3/4 of its staff, and may be done in for good. The other theatre may not open til December or January (in my mind, later as numbers in the US are high). 2.What do you miss spending money on these days? I miss going out with friends most of all. 3.How do you think your spending will change ...

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1.What were you doing for work before the pandemic? Freelance journalism and content creation for brands. Some of the journalistic work has dried up as freelance budgets have tightened but I've been busier on brand content creation, surprisingly so. 2.What do you miss spending money on these days? Theatre. Movies. Going to Jays and Raps games. Some clothes.  3.How do you think your spending will change after the pandemic? Going to less bars and restaurants out of an abundance for caution. Will continue to use some delivery services such as beer delivery and virtual farmers market, which I never did ...

1.What were you doing for work before the pandemic? Pre-pandemic, I was working as a Contracting Chef or Freelance, anywhere from small contracts of in house dining. To helping large catering companies doing weddings and events. Work has been completely eliminated with no gatherings and or money coming in from these sources. 2.What do you miss spending money on these days? I’ve always been pretty good at not spending a lot of money on things. However coming from a career of no social life due to work...having all the free time and still no social life has been a real ...

1.What were you doing for work before the pandemic? Before the pandemic I was working at two cocktail bars, and working independent booked events as a bartender, seeking out contracts as a fight director, teaching in high school settings, occasional work in film.  2.What do you miss spending money on these days? As someone devoted to supporting the service industry - I spent a lot more money at Restaurants before. I still have done a fair bit of takeout, but it’s been the thing that I’ve managed to spend less on. 3.How do you think your spending will change after ...

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1.What were you doing for work before the pandemic? Before I was working freelance work in the film industry while self employed. Film has been non-essential work for the last couple of months, so no work was permitted. 2.What do you miss spending money on these days? I have been unable to afford scuba diving, while it's fine to go diving now I don't have much left to spend on it. I also miss going out a socializing with friends. 3.How do you think your spending will change after the pandemic? I will probably continue with not spending money on ...

1.What were you doing for work before the pandemic? My main income before the pandemic was as an arts educator. I taught extracurricular programs to children in Toronto schools.at lunchtime and after school, plus classes for adults in the evenings - but the adult evening classes were hosted in a TDSB school ("renting" the classroom under a community-use permit). I also earned some income performing and producing live performance events (e.g., a storytelling series). All of this work has been cancelled by the pandemic and might not be returning, even when phase 3 opens. (I anticipate that in-person teaching of ...

1.What were you doing for work before the pandemic? At the moment the pandemic hit I was rehearsing a play. We had to cancel the production mid-rehearsal. I was in Ottawa and had planned to be there another month. That is what I was doing in the immediate sense. In the broader sense, being an actor and writer, the entire year became uncertain. It actually unfolded over the course of the next few months that this closure was not going to last just a few weeks as I originally thought, but would be indefinite. At the moment the play closed, ...

1.What were you doing for work before the pandemic? In March 2020, I was employed at the Stratford Festival, the largest repertory theatre company in Canada. My contract was cancelled in the middle of March and I was laid off. The season, which was scheduled to run until November, has been cancelled. As of this writing (July 2020), there is no determined date for it to start back up again. 2.What do you miss spending money on these days? I show love through purchasing gifts for my partner and loved ones, and I have not been able to afford ...

The "Don't Keep Your Day Job" podcast hosted by Cathy Heller I really enjoy this podcast. The host, Cathy Heller, interviews artists, entrepreneurs, crafters, inventors, all kinds of people.  She has a TON of episodes, so here are three I really enjoyed: 1. "How to Get Rich" with Ramit Sethi
I really dig what I have encountered of Ramit Sethi’s work. He has given me one of my favourite strategies for cutting costs: “Spend lavishly on the things you love, and cut costs mercilessly on the things you don’t.” This advice makes him one of the few financial literacy people alive ...

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