I’ve challenged myself to save $10,000 in 10 weeks, and October 19th marks the end of week 7. For last week’s rundown, click HERE.
Week 6 was dominated by stress and anxiety over not having enough work. Week 7 was quite different. I hurled myself in a 52 hour work week… and it was great! I enjoyed the gig and made some solid coinage to make up for last week’s shortcomings.
“An idle mind is a devil’s playground….” and I thrive when I don’t have to expend time and energy warding off those pesky demons.
Let’s dive into what I did, spent and made.
The Gigs
1. New York City Wine and Food Festival
The Event: The New York Food and Wine Festival is an annual event dedicated to all things edible and drinkable. There are delectable bites, all type of drinks, and various cooking demonstrations and celebrity chef appearances. It’s a ticketed event, and endless bites and sips are included in said ticket.
Hours: Friday- Sunday, 11am-5:30pm
My Job: I was the team lead for the Babybel tent. We gave out tote bags and samples of the vegan cheese, and assisted with taking photos to create a positive experience for visitors.
Thoughts and Feelings: This is one of my favorite events to work. I love bopping around on my break to try the various bites, and everyone is usually in good spirits.
Pro Tip: On the final day, vendors are eager to get rid of everything so they don’t have to ship anything afterwards. Bring a tote bag to load up!
2. AdWeek
The Event: AdWeek is an annual convention in New York City dedicated to all things advertising. There are numerous rooms holding all types of sessions covering a wide range of industry topics ranging from technology in advertising to leading women in the field. People come from across the world each year for it.
Hours: Monday-Thursday, 7:30am-5pm.
My Job: I worked for the Yahoo booth. Each day we gave away a different treat, and it was my job to scan people’s badges and explain what we were giving out. Monday was cupcakes. Tuesday was candy. Wednesday was gourmet popcorn. And Friday were snacks by GLAAD for Spirit Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness about bullying of LGBTQ+ youth.
Thoughts and Feelings: AdWeek is one of those huge events that most fellow freelancers work. It was fun seeing so many people I knew everywhere, and a nice realization that I’ve managed to build up a community despite the chaotic lifestyle.
3. Bar Mitzvah
I worked a Saturday night bar mitzvah after the NYWFF that was epic! The kid was so kind, the team was great, and everyone walked away feeling good.
4. Online Work
It was busy week, but I did a few SEO projects.
Total Pre-Tax Earnings:
$2315.50
How Much I Spent:
Food Out: $15
Transport: $48.5
Groceries: $17.99
Other/MISC: $42.49
Cost of Living: $365.69
Total Spent: $489.67
Total Saved: $1825.83
Which means I have saved a total of $7918.30 putting me in quite a nice position to hit my 10K goal!
