Adventures in Gig World: Week 4 Run Down

Welcome to the fourth 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. 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.

Slogging through a job that doesn’t bring you fulfillment, happiness, and a fair paycheck is no way to live life, and people are doing something  about it.  A record 4.4 million Americans quit their jobs in September  2021 alone as the pandemic-induced “Great Resignation” continues.

Power to the people who are putting their mental health and happiness first! The question is, what comes next? Rent won’t pay itself, after all.

The gig economy is the perfect way to earn an income in transitional phases. It’s also an ideal way to get a taste of other jobs and industries while maybe even getting your foot in the door of a new career path.

For week 4 in the NYC gig economy, the theme was variety.

I worked 6 different jobs and got a taste of what it’s like to work in tech, finance, hospitality, security, and event planning. Each morning kicked off a totally new day, which I love. If the gig for the day is fun, awesome! If the gig is a drag, there’s the comfort of knowing I’ll never need to do it again.

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

The Gigs:

1.Health Ambassador (1 day)

• My Job:  I enforce COVID protocols at a famous New York food market. Click HERE for the full details
• Thoughts and Feelings: My shift this week was outside. No need to check proof of vaccine for outdoor dining, meaning the shift was easy breezy with no drama. Although I desperately need thermal socks.

2.  Office Building Greeter (2 days)

• The Gig: Say hello and wave goodbye to building tenants of a high profile office building.
• Thoughts and Feelings: Two days a week of a sit-down 9-5 is doable. But it was a friendly reminder that I’m not cut out for a desk job.

3. Tech Forum

• The Gig: An event for tech business founders and owners with a business valued at 50 million… minimum. It was a day of forums, panels, and plenty of networking.
• My Job: Registration, wayfinding, manning the doors and ushering.
• Thoughts and Feelings: The event was awesome and the people were beyond nice. Click HERE for my full rundown.

4. Street Team Promo

• The Gig: I took on Wall Street with 5 other giggers to promote a new app.
• My Job: People who downloaded the app would get a free coffee. It was my job to convinced them to do so.
• Thoughts and Feelings: The scent of the NYSE wafted down the block. I prepared for the worst, but was surprised by how engaged people were. Our team knocked it out of the park and got tons of downloads.

5. Bat Mitzvah:

• The Details: A sensible Thursday night mitzvah broke up the week nicely.
• Thoughts and feelings: This was one on of the most extravagant mitzvahs I have ever seen. The kid’s cocktail hour included a VR station, carnival games, big TVs for playing Fort Nite, and one hell of a sushi station. The party included a silent disco, a huge drum line performance, and 15 other costumed atmospheric Carinvale dancers. The attendees were dressed for the Met Gala in stunning designer dresses and tuxedos, and us 8 dancers had 3 costume changes.

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

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What I spent:

• Groceries and Household Items: $53.15
• Eating Out: $60.63
• Miscellaneous Items (new back sneakers): $48
• Weekly Cost of Living (rent, health insurance, subway pass, gym, etc): $287.36

Grand Total:  $449.75

Where I saved:

• I avoided tempting treats at Trader Joe’s to keep my grocery bills down.

Where I could have saved more:

• It  was an indulgent week in the eating out department. My TikTok content has been performing well, but collecting said content isn’t always free. (I NEVER accept a free meal in exchange for content if I don’t love the product.) My roommate and I also embarked on a French fry crawl for a Saturday funday, which wasn’t cheap.

What I Earned:

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

$ 1228 from in person gigs and $182 for online work

Grand Total: $1432

Total Hours Worked: 51 hours

Average Hourly Wage Post Taxes: $28.092/hr

Net savings: : $982.026

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

What’s Left to Save: $895.88

Thoughts and feelings on the week:

This week was anything but boring. Six days of work, 1 day of play, and 4 strength training sessions was exhausting. But my eye is on the prize: saving travel funds for my next adventure(s).

Will I reach my target savings goal of $4,500 by November 30th?

Stay tuned for my final check-in to find out.