Adventures in Gig World: Week 3 Run Down

Welcome to the third weekly rundown of my “Adventure in Gig World” series. I’ll be taking you through what it’s like to be a freelancer in the NYC gig economy, explaining what I earn, what I spend, and what I do on my journey to save $4,500 by November 30th.

NOTE: For legal purposes I will not be disclosing exact salaries or the brands I work with unless given permission.

I always keep my schedule in a physical planner. The act of writing down my commitments and seeing them on paper cements them in my mind. It helps me stay organized, and there’s something satisfying about Xing out the things I accomplished.

There are two downsides to paper vs digital scheduling keeping.

1. My handwriting looks like a 5 year old got a hold of mommy’s pens.
2. Things get messy when plans change (because God forbid I use a  pencil.)

Freelancing comes with flexibly and freedom to accept/deny jobs according to your own priorities. But it also means that things can change from the employer’s side. Sometimes the changes are great, sometimes they are infuriating. To succeed as a gigger, you need to nimbly roll with the punches.

Here’s what I thought I’d  be doing vs what I actually ended up doing…

Monday: Everything went according to plan.

Tuesday: I thought I’d be working 10am-3pm as a health ambassador. I ended up working 7:30am-5pm as a greeter at a luxury office building.

Wednesday: I thought I’d have the day off. I ended up working as a health ambassador 10am-3pm.

Thursday: Everything went according to plan.

Friday: I thought I’d be working a street team activation. It was cancelled due to rain, meaning an unexpected day off. (Unless cancellation compensation is written into the contract, you’re just shit out of luck when things like this happen.)

Saturday: I thought I’d have the day celebrating my roommate’s bday with a mitzvah at night. I ended up booking a daytime Mitzvah immediately followed by the evening one.

Sunday: Everything went according to plan.

I even squeezed some fun in! I met an old friend for a Chinatown food crawl, and I went out for a burger and beer Friday night for my roommate’s birthday.

Let’s dive in to the gigs, what I made, and what I spent!

The Gigs:

1.Health Ambassador (4 days)

• My Job:  I enforce COVID indoor dining protocols at a famous New York food market. If someone sits at a table for indoor dining, it’s my job to check her vaccine card. I also provide wayfinding and general customer service. Click HERE for the full details
• Thoughts and Feelings: The busier the market is, the quicker time flies.

2.  Office Building Greeter (1 day)

• The Gig: Say hello and wave goodbye to building tenants of a high profile office building.
• Thoughts and Feelings: A day off my feet was much needed. 9-5s aren’t so bad when you only do it once a week.

3. Bar Mitzvah: (2 on Saturday)

• The Details: I worked both an afternoon and evening Mitzvah. The afternoon party was big and lavish, and the family and guests were fun and kind. There was a mobile COVID test site outside, and cocktail hour featured a remote control racing track that was outrageously fun. The evening party was smaller and more intimate. It was a kid-focused party, and the guest of honor loved trap/rap music.
• Thoughts and feelings: Back to back mitzvahs is just as tiring as it sounds. I woke up with ringing ears and throbbing feet; a feeling I oddly love. It makes me feel like a dancer again.

4. Online Work: Ongoing freelance writing and SEO work.

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What I spent:

• Groceries and Household Items: $131.43 (1/3 of that was on a huge container of protein powder.)
• Eating Out: $30
• Miscellaneous Items (website plugin, uber, supplies for an upcoming bachelorette party): $116.98
• Weekly Cost of Living (rent, health insurance, subway pass, gym, etc): $287.36

Grand Total:  $575.79

Where I saved:

• Meals at the mitzvahs.
• Getting up early to go to Trader Joe’s instead of the more expensive, more convenient store around the corner.
• Packed meals instead of eating out during meal breaks

Where I could have saved more:

• My Saturday night mitzvah was on the Upper East Side, and it’s surprisingly hard to get to Hamilton Heights via public transit from there. I took a train up to 125^th, then splurged on the $16 Uber home when I could have just endured the bus.
• I got both a burger and beer at my roommate’s bday celebration when I could have chosen just one or the other.

What I Earned:

(Note: This is post tax, assuming I estimated my taxes correctly… )

$ 1321 from in person gigs and $150 for online work

Grand Total: $1471

Total Hours Worked: 49 hours

Average Hourly Wage Post Taxes: $30.02/hr

Net savings: $895.215

The Goal: Save $4,500 by November 30th

What’s Left to Save: $1811.91

Thoughts and feelings on the week:

This week was a wild ride. 22 year old Katie would have broken down under the stress of all the changes. After 5 years in the gig economy, I’ve learned how to go with the flow. In fact, I’ve learned to enjoy tumultuous weeks such as these. New experiences and problem solving make me feel accomplished and satisfied.

I have some pretty cool things lined up for next week. Stay tuned… you won’t want to miss it!