Adventures in Gig World: Week 1 Run Down

Welcome to the first 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’ve always been a person who cannonballs in as oppose to taking it one step at a time. I’d like to say it’s because I’m an enthusiastic go-getter with a zest for life. But in reality, it’s because I’m impatient and don’t want to pay the cost of time for a slow and easy transition.

I arrived to NYC on Tuesday, October, 26^th, and dived right into Gig World the very next day. It’s exhilarating being back. New York’s heart beat was depressingly quiet when I left in August 2020. Seeing the streets bustling, subways packed, and restaurants busy gives me hope that things will be okay after all.

While 73.4% of NYC residents are vaccinated, COVID is still present. People wear masks on the subways, which I love. (Lord knows what’s circulating in those cars.) If you’re vaccinated, you don’t need to wear a mask inside.  (Although many people, including myself, do.) You must show proof of vaccination to get into restaurants, gyms, and events.

Overall, life is moving forward. The pandemic induced-anxiety that has been weighing me down is lifting, and it feels great.

An alive city and pent up demand for doing things means plenty of jobs for giggers.

I wasted no time getting to work, and it’s time for my first “Adventures in Gig World” weekly run down. Here’s what I did, what I earned, what I spent, and my thoughts and feelings.

Let’s dive in!

The Gigs:

1.Luxe Pack:

• The Event: “The sought out BtoB (business to business) event for the largest U.S. luxury brands in cosmetics, skincare, fragrance, wine & spirits, fashion, and fine food to explore and source new packaging suppliers, materials, and products.”
• My Job:  I represented a company that manufactures custom skincare and fragrance bottles and caps. It was my job to give basic product details and collect business cards/contact information.
• Thoughts and Feelings: There were big time companies perusing the aisles along side cool new startups. Seeing the passion and drive was inspiring. A super fun and educational two days.

2. Street Team Promotion for a New App

• The Gig: A new app hired a crew of giggers to spread brand awareness.
• My Job: Step one was to distribute free chocolates and flyers. Step two was to encourage them to download the app in exchange for a free sparkling water or coffee from our decked out cart
• Thoughts and Feelings: No one says no to chocolate 🙂

3. New York City’s 48^th Annual  Village Halloween Parade

• The Event: A huge parade up 6^th avenue with floats, costumed characters, singers, dancers, organizations, brands handing out freebies, and everything in between.
• My Job: I represented a brand that was sponsoring a VIP section where people bought tickets in exchange for front row parade seats. My job was to hand out free snacks and drinks while promoting brand.
• Thoughts and Feelings: New York is back baby! Seeing thousands of people in awesome costumes having a great time made my heart smile.

4. Bar Mitzvah: (Ongoing weekend side hustle. Stay tuned for the details in a future post!)

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

What I spent:

• Groceries and Household Items: $111.39
• Eating Out: $26.32
• Miscellaneous Items (Screen protector, gloves, hat): $40.14
• Weekly Cost of Living (rent, health insurance, subway pass, gym, etc): $287.36

Grand Total:  $465.14

Where I saved:

• $20 off promo code for grocery delivery using Gorillas app
• 2 free lunches while working Luxe Pack
• 2 packed meals instead of eating out during meal breaks
• Got a free drink at Starbucks when someone didn’t pick up their order.

What I Earned:

(Note: These gig are W9, meaning taxes aren’t taken out. However, I’ve already paid my estimated taxes)

$1,138 from in person gigs and $150 for online work

Grand Total: $1,288

Total Hours Worked: 41 hours

Average Hourly Wage: $31.42/hr

Net Earnings: $822.87

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

What’s Left to Save: $3,677.14

Thoughts and feelings on the week:

It’s great to be back in New York and working with people again. The non-stop movement and hustle is refreshing after 14 months of working from my laptop. I feel motivated, inspired, and thrilled to be grinding it out once again.

My journey is Gig World is off to a solid start. Stay tuned to see what’s next 🙂