Trades changed a lot in that time. I posted in another thread about the trade.

The biggest problems really are the same as at home, mainly increasing utility bills. I've met with 2 new suppliers this week and they are itching for the trade and have loads of deals which to some degree offsets the increases. I manage a free house for the owner and we are just getting by largely due to us having a good trade of oap's.
I wouldn't recommend coming back into the trade unless you can really help it especially in a tenancy or managed house. Round here even the wetherspoons places are quiet so if people arent drinking in them they aren't drinking in many other places.
On a positive note though we do see(in peeks and troughs) more people coming in drinking from the village rather than paying for taxi's and going to town.
Little things are drying up too like POS and samples. Over christmas i needed dripmats and a new ice bucket nobody had them not even the 3 reps i saw, i got sick of phoning around for stuff in the end.
All i'd really say to sum it up is it's certainly not easy to make good money if any even with experience.
I really enjoy the job but if i could earn the same money i'd leave the trade in an instant.

HTH