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 the pandemic?
Hopefully, I will learn better work habits that don’t exhaust me to the point of relying on quickly purchased snacks and coffees and to go food. Also – largely relying on my skills as a bartender and budding sommelier to make selections for having more casual drinks at home.
4.What are your tips on how to cut costs?
Find cost effective activities! Walking & running and home workouts became way more important for me. Free online courses and books that stacked up in the past finally were tapped into. Set schedules and to do lists to keep yourself on target!
5.Do you feel that there is uncertainty about how your work will look after the pandemic ends? If so, what are you doing to cope with this uncertainty?
For me and my work, I have largely become focused on a job in hospitality – but have always been someone who has diversified means of income. Currently, I have returned to work bartending and the income is not quite the same as an average busy season, so I am compensating by working more hours. I do feel uncertain about my industry currently because we need to adapt and grow, but due to the rush to reopen amidst the pandemic in this phase of restrictions, there are an insufficient amount of business doing the work to disable our antiquated systems of income.
Currently, I am coping with my uncertainty by seeking out leadership opportunities that may allow me to have a platform to be seen as a leader and bolster the work of other leaders and individuals who see and have more comprehensive strategies for a future in hospitality.
Emily Nixon
Rags to Reasonable Community Outreach Coordinator
Emily Nixon is an actor/writer/director/filmmaking Swiss Army Knife. She is also a big money nerd and Community Outreach Coordinator for Rags to Reasonable.
She came to this work after becoming completely fed up with living paycheque-to-paycheque and being too afraid to look in her chequing account. She is passionate about empowering other artists and variable income earners to keep doing what they love and feel confident about their finances.
Email Emily at emily@ragstoreasonable.com
