Not sure what my first punt is going to be, I just know it's quite a while away yet. Like many others, I've been impacted in a big way financially having lost all my self-employed income, and not qualifying for any of the government schemes. I am luckier than many in that I have a reasonable public service pension so not exactly on the breadline as yet.
What I have done is find myself a new job during the lockdown. I am due to start soon and will actually end up with around £1000 a month more disposable income than I had when working for myself. This means more chance to create a slush fund away from the prying eyes of the OH. On the downside, there'll be less travel, so fewer opportunities.
I reckon I'm more inclined to do less frequent punting, but go more expensive when I do it. I know from painful experience that more expensive does not necessarily mean better, but paying that bit extra can sometimes be worth it. Being guided by the reviews on this site definitely make the biggest difference.
Without getting too philosophical, this whole thing has made me think things differently. I'm going to be a lot more cautious before dipping my toe in the punting water again - and definitely before dipping anything else! I miss it all, but not as much as I thought I would. However I want my first go back to be a good one.
