It’s time for my monthly round-up where I dish on all things GMW – from my money story to cool things across the web. It’s crazy how fast a month flies by, I feel like I just wrote one of these!
Good news all around – work has been busy, my savings plan is working like a charm and there’s a great guy in my life.
Money:
This month I had some extra money come in from a side hustling gig and some ad revenue from the blog. I also made a nice chunk in commission from job placements at work (yay me!). Best of all, my credit card bills for the month of July were paid IN FULL!!! That’s right, I had ZERO debt left over for the month of July!
Cash: $5,871.15 (+$641.20)
Index Funds and Bonds: 667.05 (+94.94)
Roth IRA: $1,809.42 (+ $96.21)
ImpulseSave New York: 454.68 (+$121)
ImpulseSave #2: $65.00 (+65.00)
Debt: $0 for July!
Current Net Worth: $8867.30 (+1196.37)
Savings Goals:
Health and Fitness:
We’re now on 7 months of a regular yoga practice! I did fall off the wagon for a couple of weeks due to a couple of crazy weeks at work but I made sure to get back on the mat as soon as I could.
Sometimes life gets in the way and your exercise routine gets put on the back burner. I used to let this affect me to the point of not taking any action. Now I know that once I get back to it I’ll remember why I love my yoga routine so much. I guess in my case the key was to find something that I really enjoyed. My teachers are also totally amazing so that helps.
If you are ever in the Miami area make sure to stop by Prana Yoga. The teachers are fabulous, the space is beautiful and it truly is like a little sanctuary on the middle of a bustling city.
Life Coaching Certification:
My classes were slightly put on the back burner this month as I adapted to huge numbers of job interviews at work. However, I did finish 12 sessions with my life coach, Jilean Beharry who pretty much changed my life. In 12 weeks she managed to take a stressed out, anxious, future tripping relationship-phobe into a more calm, centered, connected girl who is actually in a wonderful romantic relationship for the first time in years. She is truly amazing and I highly recommend checking out her services.
I also came up with a topic for my research paper – or well I have an idea. I’ve spent nearly two years connecting with millenials through this blog, so what better topic for my paper than to see how Gen Y has been affected by global changes (recession, anyone?) and how the coaching process can help them overcome their quarter life crisis? To be honest I can’t believe I didn’t come up with this sooner!
I will be compiling a survey to get feedback on issues you are all facing as millenials so make sure to subscribe to the email list if you want to put in your two cents.
Side Hustle:
This month I’m proud to announce an awesome collaboration that has been in the works for a while – Grad Meets World & SALT! SALT is a free membership program that the American Student Assistance nonprofit and several schools put together to help people take care of their finances through college and beyond. I’m proud to be a contributing writer to their amazing blog which features several Gen Y bloggers dishing out about money and life as a millenial. Click here to check them out and make sure to take a peak at my contributions below:
4 Reasons Why I Quit My First Job After College – I quit my first post-grad job after six months. Find out why I would quit my job in the middle of a recession.
Meet Amanda Abella – Just an introductory piece that goes into my story.
Side Hustle Spot Light:
Last month I told you all about my friend who took my latest pictures for the blog. This month I’m doing a shout out to her very talented girlfriend Lori Garrote! Lori is the founder of local miami band The New and I had the pleasure of seeing her perform live at The Stage Miami a couple of weeks ago. Kudos to her for rocking the office during the day and then rocking it out on stage at night!
Make sure to check out Lori and The New and become a fan on Facebook! They’ve got some sick music that’s definitely worth listen (I personally enjoy Point of View) 
How I Plan on Getting My Savings Back After Spending $6000 – My guest post for Careful Cents where I carefully detail I’ve already saved up 3K in just a couple of months after spending a nice chunk of money to get my life coaching certification. Click here to read up on how you can save up some serious cash!
Best of GMW July 2012:
Q&A Monday: What advice do you have for a job interview? – I’ve seen some pretty crazy stuff while interviewing job candidates. Here are some tips from a person who conducts job interviews on a daily basis.
The 6 Best Happiness Lessons of 2012 - I’ve encountered some great changes in my life in 2012 – from making more money to finding a fabulous romantic partner – but above all realizing that happiness is a choice. Find out which lessons I cultivate on a daily basis to help me live a fulfilling life.
Q&A Monday: How do you manage a full time job and a side hustle? (VIDEO) – I share my tips for rocking the day job while running a blog and making extra money as a freelance writer.
How to Stay Grounded When Everything is Moving Fast – Everything seems on warp speed these days as we juggle work, family, friends, relationships, side hustles, personal finance, fitness and more. Find out how you can stay centered and grounded when life seems like a roller coaster.
Cool Picks Across the Web (July Edition):
8 Jobs to Never Accept in Gotham City - Come Recommended (Yeah, I saw Batman. lol)
Best advice to 20somethings: trust yourself - Penelope Trunk
When It’s Harder Than You Thought - The Boomerang Kid
Failing to Succeed – Life Without Pants
Is the Fear of Going Broke Keeping You From Living? – Frugal Beautiful
The Get Busy Living Manifesto – Get Busy Living
Hey Amanda, what website do you use for you “savings goals”? I just signed up for impulsesave but is there another one you use?
ING Direct allows you to set up savings goals through their online banking. Feel free to let me know if you need a referral