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!
Weeks like this past one are why I can never envision myself having a 9-5 (sorry dad!) I made solid money doing super fun and interesting jobs with plenty of downtime and even 2 days off. Let’s dive in!
The Gigs
1. Fabletics Pop Up
The Event: Fabletics is an athleisure brand that partnered up with a big star for a new “edit.” (The new lingo for collaboration.) To celebrate the launch, a food truck set up shop in front of the store with free matcha, iced coffee, hot coffee, and three types of French toast bites.
Hours: On the clock 12:30pm-8:30pm. Hours worked ended up being 2pm-7:30pm.
My Job: Myself along with another brand ambassador helped manage the line while talking up the new edit and encouraging people to go into the store.
Thoughts and Feelings: A fantastic gig! I got a cute sage ensemble I got to keep. The manager on site trusted us to do our job and didn’t micromanage. It doesn’t take too much work to get people to line up for free things.
Lesson Learned: There are two types of people in the world. The ones who see a line and just hop in without knowing what it’s for. And the ones who see a line and hurry in the other direction.
2. UBS Campus Activation
The Event: UBS was hosting an information session about internship and job opportunities at Princeton. To drum up interest, we handed out free coffee and branded swag to students who scanned a QR code.
Hours: On the clock 6:15am-3:30pm. Activation hours were 10am-3pm.
My Job: I energetically drew students in, helped serve coffee, and asked “would you like a water bottle or backpack?”
Thoughts and Feelings: The Princeton campus is beautiful.
Gig Tip: The activation time was only 5 hours and it was all the way in Princeton. What made it worthwhile was that I helped load up a minivan at the storage unit in Manhattan at 6:15am. Meaning I was on the clock for the 70 minute commute there.
3. Slate X Untouchables Corporate Party
The Event: Slate is a club that has a lower level full of games, and main level boasting a few bars and a dance floor. It’s a popular events venue, and the entertainment company I work for puts on numerous mitzvahs there each season. To drum up excitement for the venue, they hosted a big party for people in the industry. There was food, an open bar, aerialists, and drag queens.
Hours: 4pm-9pm, party started at 5:30pm.
My Job: I was there representing the company as a dancer. I greeted people at the door, then danced with everyone once the band and DJ got going.
Thoughts and Feelings: It’s always shocking to me that I get paid to do things like this.
4. Three Bat Mitzvahs
Saturday, I worked a small, cozy Mama Mia themed mitzvah during the day, and huge, lavish mitzvah at the Ritz Carleton at night. Sunday, I hopped on the LIRR to a modern Orthodox synagogue near Cedarhurst for a late afternoon party. I stuck out like a sore thumb as I walked from the train station to the venue—blonde, wearing pants, clearly not Jewish.
5. Online Work
I clocked in a few hours of SEO work and I made 7 posts on an app platform that modestly pays me for each post. I made $470 in total online this week.
Total Pre-Tax Earnings:
$2,485
What I Spent:
Food Out: $76.44
Groceries: $0! I didn’t have to go grocery shopping this week because many of the gigs covered food.
Transport: $25.96 (My train ticket to Boston was $33, but I bought it before starting this challenge so I’m not including it)
Household Items: $10.32
Weekly Cost of Living (Rent, gym, subscriptions, etc): $365.44
Total Amount Spent:
$478.15
Total saved in week 2….
$2,007
Which means I’ve saved $2,978 so far!!!!
Which is good, because I’ll be on vacay (with a bit of work) for week 3…
Stay tuned for what comes next!
