Adventures in Gig World: The Final Rundown…

Welcome to the fifth and final weekly rundown of my “Adventure in Gig World” series. I have been 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. Click HERE if you missed last week’s rundown.

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

For the past 35 days, I’ve been hustling my way through the NYC gig economy with one goal in mind: save $4,500 by November 30^th.

Why $4,500?

It was a challenging, yet realistic goal. $2,400 would finance 2 1/2 months of travel through Mexico with Jeremy, $1,500 would go into investments, and the remaining $600 would go into my savings account.

This challenge started as a way to motivate myself through the grind, and I was admittedly hesitant to publicly share it. What if I fail? Do I really want to put myself out there? Will employers blacklist me if they see this?

I put the apprehensions aside because I wanted to show that the gig economy isn’t limited to food delivery and Uber. You can work all types of jobs on your own time and make just as much money, if not more, than you would at a 9-5. I also wanted to show that if you put your mind to it, you can save up meaningful coinage. $4,500 can break the cycle of living paycheck to paycheck, it can help you start a business, it can pay off credit card debt, it can finance a trip. Just 35 days of work can help you take the first steps towards accomplishing your dreams.

Which brings me to the theme of my final 10 days in this savings challenge:

Perseverance.

Previous stints in Gig World have been a marathon. I’ve paced myself, holding out for fun gigs and cool events such as driving a pedicab through Central Park, escorting big name VIPs at a car race, and operating a photo booth at a famous pop star’s party. This stint has been a full out sprint. If work was offered to me, I took it (as long as it paid more than $22/hr pre-tax.)

COVID-19 sparked a revolution in the workforce. If your job isn’t fulfilling, quit. Life is far too short to waste 40+ hours a week doing something you don’t like. There’s a time and place for taking control of your future, saying no, and putting your mental wellbeing first. There’s also a time and place for buckling down and making sacrifices now for something amazing down the line.

Gigs this week were slim pickings due to Thanksgiving. While I worked a fun meet and greet with a big time WWE star and was a paid extra on a popular talk show, 7 of the past 10 days were spent in khakis and a polo at my health ambassador job.

I would have preferred to get paid to drink champagne, work behind the scenes at a big product launch, or party with 13 year olds at a mitzvah. But those types of events weren’t happening. With $895.88 left to save, I put short term wants aside and powered through.

Let’s dive in to the gigs, what I made, and what I spent for my final rundown.

The Gigs:

1.WWE Meet and Greet

• The Gig: The WWE has a partnership with a popular phone provider and has been hosting meet and greets across the country.
• My Job: Everyone who entered the store had to fill out waiver. It was my job to pass around the ipad to ensure the fans signed it properly.
• Thoughts and Feelings: I got the call time wrong and showed up 30 minutes early (whoops.) Lo and behold, a line 150 people deep was already stretching down the block. The type of people were more likely to attend a Comicon or Anime festival than a football or hockey game. They were friendly, a bit nerdy, and very enthusiastic. The event flew by and was super fun, and the WWE star was humble and anything but a diva.

2. Health Ambassador (7 days)

• My Job: I enforce COVID protocols at a famous New York food market. Click HERE for the full details
• Thoughts and Feelings: Doing anything for 7 days in a row is tough on my psyche. However, I needed the money. I also wanted to pick up shifts so that fellow coworkers could spend Thanksgiving with their families.

3.  TV Talk Show Extra

• The Gig: Have you ever wondered who gets to be in the audience of TV shows? For some shows, entry comes with a ticket. For others, they hire paid talent to fill up the seats.
• My Job:  Cheer, laugh, oooo, ahhhhhh and put that Theatre 103 class to use. I’ve done work like this in the past, but this experience was the best yet. There was a DJ, a hype man, and interesting guests. The experience was so fun I can’t believe I got paid for it.

4. Online Work: Ongoing freelance writing and SEO

• I got an exciting brand partnership deal. I dialed back the SEO work and writing and focused on making some fun visual content instead.

What I spent:

• Groceries and Household Items: $44.36
• Eating Out: $36.15
• Miscellaneous Items (vitamins, fanny pack, airpods, clothes): $184.15
• Weekly Cost of Living (rent, health insurance, subway pass, gym, etc): $287.36

Grand Total:  $552.04

Where I saved:

• My parents sent me $50 for Thanksgiving because I didn’t go home. I used the money for a fun dinner out with a friend.

Where I could have saved more:

• I hit the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales to pounce on things I’ve been wanting. Namely new Airpods (which I scored for $100.)

What I Earned:

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

$ 1170 from in person gigs and $267 for online work

Grand Total: $1437

Total Hours Worked: 61 hours (remember, this is over 9 days)

Average Hourly Wage Post Taxes: $21.77/hr

Net savings: : $884.965

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

What’s Left to Save: $10.91

Here’s the thing…

I estimated taxes, and there’s a margin of error. My calculations didn’t include deductions and I likely messed up something somewhere along the way. Accounting 103 was my worst grade  in college, if that says anything. It’s very likely I’m off +/- $200.

It’s also important to note that my total does not include expenses for my best friend’s upcoming bachelorette party. I have exactly 10 days until I fly to Cabo. The money I save from now until then will be going towards my “Bachelorette Funds.”

I may have missed my goal, but I’m calling this challenge a success.

I earned approximately $1,400 a week while saving around $900 without missing out on things I value and enjoy.

I worked my ass off, but I also went out to dinners and saw friends. I was able to afford airpods, new sneakers, and some new clothes. There was time to go to the gym 4 times a week, write this here blog series, and hang out on the couch with my roommates.

I saved money, had fun, made progress on personal projects, and even had time for myself. I did it, and you can too.