I’m on a mission to save $10,000 in 10 week as a freelancer in the New York City gig economy. Get the scoop on the challenge HERE and be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss a thing!

September 7th marks the end of week 1 of 10 in my 10 weeks to 10K challenge. It was a well balanced week with a solid mix of good gigs and time off.

Let’s jump right into what I did and what I spent!

The Gigs:

1. Dancing at a 40th Cochella Themed Birthday Party In Long Island

Dance has taken me across the world, but it’s also taken me to wildly unexpected places right here in New York. Saturday, I found myself in the home gym of a beautiful Long Island mansion dawning groovy 60s gear for a 40th birthday party. There was a DJ, epic decorations, delicious catered food, and an open bar. Us dancers just grooved and moved around, setting the atmosphere from 7pm-9:30pm.

2. Handing Out Newspapers at the US Open

Sunday (10:30-3:30) and Monday (10:30-6:30) I handed out promo newspapers to advertise a tennis magazine outside of the US Open. This type of work is quite character building…. but I’m on a savings mission so I gotta do what I gotta do!

PSA: If you see people handing things out, don’t be mean.

3. Dancing at a Bar Mitzvah

Sunday evening I headed to Great Neck after the US open gig to Joshua’s Bar Miztvah. Long story short– I’m a hype girl. I dance with the kids and make sure the party is memorable. You’ll see a lot of these over the next 9 weeks. It’s my bread and butter, and my favorite type of gig!

4. Cheetos 75th Birthday Party

Cheetos turned 75 years old, and I was event staff for the big birthday party! They had all types of Cheetos snacks and drinks, a fashion show, and even a DJ. I was the greeter, meaning I welcomed all the guests to the party. The orange and cheetah print ensembles were quite impressive. It was a short and sweet 4-7:30pm shift, and I even got to keep the jacket as well as a slice of the Cheetos cake.

5. Online Work

I scored an online SEO job back in 2020, and I still do a bit here and there. I also do online content creation for The Frugal Foodies, and am currently on a modestly paid contract for a new app where I post content daily.

Other Key Info:

• Total Hours of In Person Work: 23 hours
• 2 Full Days Off
• 1 Day of no in person work, but online work.

Total Pre-Tax Earnings:

$1,716

What I Spent:

Food Out: $177.59 (This number is quite high, but it all came back to me via content creation)

Groceries: $76.24

Transport: $83.25

Household Items/Misc: $42.20

Weekly Cost of Living (rent, health insurance, gym, storage, spotify): $365.44

Total Spend for the Week:

$745.21

Total Saved:

$971

I missed my target by $29…. which I feel pretty good about!

HOWEVER.

I do have a week vacation coming up as well as a couple bigger expenses, meaning I need to earn just a bit more and spend just a bit less.

Stay tuned to see how the journey unfolds!