Fortunately, I never made more than 50 quid here or there from playing music, so that aspect doesn't fiqure for me.
Fairly lucky (though luck doesn't ultimately come into it). My salaried job as European Legacy Equipment manager for a large petrochemical company is unaffected, although the private consultancy work stopped dead. Once my most recent project was completed and the cheque banked that was that, not a whiff of business.
Mrs Bassfinger has a well paid job in a school and also gets her police pension. We've loads salted away ready for my pending retirement, so weve rejigged our plans to allow me to finish 2 years earlier than envisaged, and ive alreary handed in my notice. I was going to wind up my own business as I was the only regular employee, and I in turn hired in what i needed, but ive had an offer on that. They aren't getting a lot other than the name, goodwill, contacts and portfolio of existing work, but thats another 55k in my pocket so I won't knock it. Come February I'll become to be a house husband, although I may still prostitute myself offtimes as a contractor to the chap thats buying the firm.
We're fortunate that our hard work and sacrifice has paid off, just in the nick of time, and we're pretty comfortable. My thoughts are with those who aren't doing so well.
Oldest daughter owns a hair salon, was previously making a mint but is suffering at the moment. She'll weather the storm, but her staff are in dire straits. Instead of having paid staff its normal for salons to hire out a chair to a stylist so they're self employed and will be in real pain right now.
Daughter #2 is a lazy donkey dole mole.
Daughter #3 is a newly qualified accountant and tells me that business is booming, processing all the furlough claims and stuff. Shes been doing 12 and 14 hour days at home, 6 days a week, but she reckons she'll take 70k this year, which is isn't bad for a newly qualified accountant at 23. I was opposed to her not going to Uni, but if she had she'd have just left and be earning pittance, if she even had a job at all, so she proved me wrong.
So bookeeping and accountancy is where its currently at if you want to buck the trend. Hang up the bass and buy a calculator.