Working Out Can Be Expensive
Personal Finance
My wife and I have been going to Gold’s Gym for about 8 months now. Its important for us to exercise and stay active so the gym membership has been helping a lot. However every time I look at our monthly expenses that expense pops out as something that could be reduced.
Gold’s Gym has a lot of options over most of the other gyms in the area. There are free classes (yoga, exercise, spinning, etc), plenty of equipment so even at its busiest you don’t have to wait for a machine, a private tv in all the cardio equipment, and an immaculately clean facility that somehow does not reek of sweat. However it comes at a price, its about 20% more expensive than the YMCA which also has a basketball court which I would take advantage of, but has a waiting list for the cardio equipment and an older facility. And its about 3x as expensive as Planet Fitness which is smaller and has less bells and whistles.
You can’t really put a price on your health. I have a feeling if we had a membership to a gym that wasn’t as nice as Gold’s my wife wouldn’t be as inclined to go. For me, the price alone is a motivating factor - I’m paying that much a month so I better use it! We’ve been going pretty consistently since we got the membership so to me its money well spent.
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That’s good for you! I wish I can be more active. Right now, I am trying to ride my bike every Tuesday and Thursday. Gym membership is even more expensive if you don’t use it.
Here here. I am of the exact same mentality. A monthly gym membership isn’t an optional expense or a luxury - it’s an absolute necessity. People say run outside, but what happens in the winter (which is about half the year it seems in New England)? I also agree that it’s worth spending more if it means a gym that is more convenient or that you will use more.
Pinyo - I agree. I went through a month or 2 right before my wedding when I wasn’t really going. It got me motivated afterwards that basically I was throwing that money away every month.
Jon - Yes, running doesn’t work here in Upstate New York for 1/2 the year… not only the winter but also rain. Plus I mean you can only do so much running, I think to get a complete workout you need a combination of cardio and weight training.
I stopped going to gym recently because my membership ran out, and my office moved making it slightly less convenient. I’m pretty lucky I have a discounted rate through the office, but damn the gym can be expensive. I had a friend who was going to LA sport club for more than 150/month…