New York woman earns hundreds of dollars a day just from sitting in people's cars
Published on Aug 09, 2025 at 2:22 AM (UTC+4)
by Molly Davidson
Last updated on Aug 06, 2025 at 8:39 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
Meet the ultimate girl boss of New York City car-sitting – talk about a niche side hustle
Sydney Charlet has turned one of the city’s biggest headaches into a full-blown money spinner.
Instead of fighting for spots or racking up fines, she’s making hundreds a day handling the chore everyone hates.
And TikTok can’t get enough of her brilliantly simple car-sitting hustle.
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The car-sitting side hustle that turns stress into cash
Charlet moved from Seattle to Manhattan earlier this year after losing her marketing job.
Facing the reality of Upper West Side rent, she invented her own gig: professional car-sitting.
If you’ve ever driven in NYC, you know alternate side parking is brutal. Miss the street-sweeping window and it’s a $65 ticket – or worse, a tow.
Charlet’s solution is genius. For $50 a session, she sits in your car for 90 minutes, moves it if needed, and saves you the headache.
She kicked off the side hustle in June with nothing but a few flyers and a TikTok explaining her idea. That video blew up, now with over 620,000 views, 900 comments, and gained her about 20 loyal clients.
The best part? She’s covering half her rent just by parking herself in other people’s cars.
And this isn’t casual freelancing – it’s organized.
Clients sign a one-off agreement, pay a deposit, and get a pre-session video of their car for peace of mind. Then she waits out the parking chaos like a one-woman anti-ticket shield.
Viral fame and major girl boss energy
The internet has crowned her a ‘side hustling queen,’ with TikTok comments ranging from ‘so insanely genius’ to ‘Seinfeld coded.’
And yes, the comparison checks out: a 1991 Seinfeld episode had Jerry hiring a car-sitter to dodge tickets – Sydney just brought it to life in 2025.
Charlet’s success is peak New York energy: creative, scrappy, and profitable.
She’s not just sitting in cars – she’s sitting on a business model that turns city chaos into cash.
And in a city where everything costs a fortune, that’s the kind of girl boss move we can all cheer for.
See Sydney Charlet‘s TikTok video below:
@sydneycharlet THE CAR SITTER. Unemployment has me side hustling. Text me: 917-382-3787
♬ original sound – sydneycharlet
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With roles at TEXT Journal, Bowen Street Press, Onya Magazine, and Swine Magazine on her CV, Molly joined Supercar Blondie in June 2025 as a Junior Content Writer. Having experience across copyediting, proofreading, reference checking, and production, she brings accuracy, clarity, and audience focus to her stories spanning automotive, tech, and lifestyle news.
