I have a confession to make.
And when you hear it, you might want me to turn in my personal-finance-blogger card. And my kind-of-frugal card.
Like, immediately.
I joined a gym.
You might be thinking,
Des, that’s not so bad! It’s not like you bought a yacht!
It gets worse.
I joined the fancy gym.
Now, this is only A Thing because I blog so often about increasing my savings rate, and being frugal in general, and cutting down on my monthly recurring expenses. And, of course, because as many other personal finance bloggers can attest, you can get a great workout at home without a gym membership, fancy or not.
I’ve even been that person! I own weights! I have done the Home Workout Thing!
But I still bought a gym membership.
Here’s why, in a hopefully-helpful format if you’re considering a similar purchase while maintaining a shred of your personal-finance street cred. (No? I’m the only one who cares about that? Cool.)
Is health and fitness important to you?
Ok, this seems like a gimme question – I don’t know anyone in the world who would be like “Nah I really don’t care about health OR fitness, they’re not my things.” It’s your health. You probably care at least a little bit.
Or you care that you can continue to fit into your clothes.
Or something along those lines.
For me, this answer was a big part of my decision, because yes: I care about my health and fitness, but I wasn’t doing anything that would actually prove that I care as much as I do.
Beyond walking the dog, I wasn’t prioritizing any kind of regular physical activity in my day to day life, and I was starting to feel the effects of it.
So something had to change. Maybe it was a gym membership, maybe it wasn’t, but something had to happen. To figure out what it was, I asked myself the following.
What systems work best to get you to change your habits?
I thought back to times when I had effectively built new habits and made fitness a regular, important part of my life.
Honestly, the one example that stood out beyond all others was the time I started going to a yoga studio that had a reservation system in place for classes.
If you wanted to attend a class, you had to reserve your spot online ahead of time. Well, I mean, you didn’t have to if you wanted to risk not getting a spot, but the classes were pretty popular and they filled up fast, so a reservation was an easy way to make sure you got a spot.
But if you made a reservation and didn’t show up? One strike.
Three strikes, and you couldn’t reserve spots in classes anymore.
That kind of accountability worked really well for me, so if I’m looking for ways to add fitness habits back into my life, accountability had to be part of it.
What types of workouts do you like?
The other thing that really stands out for me when I look back at my time attending yoga frequently is that I really, really like yoga. I loved the classes, I loved the style of workout, I loved the instructors and I loved that I saw the same people over and over again at my regular classes. The studio was lovely, and it felt like a community.
Which is in pretty stark contrast to my time joining a mid-range gym chain in my area a few years later. I was so convinced that it was going to be a good fit for me, but just going to work out in the crowded main room or taking classes that I didn’t love there was a struggle.
So much so that I was the perfect picture of Person Who Joins Gym, Goes For Two Months and Then Pays For a Year Anyways.
If I’m being honest, it all really did come down to the experience. I always felt like I was serving my time while I was there, and I never really connected with any of the classes, the people or the experience overall.
So when I went through this round of “Des needs to get fit and regularly do an activity,” I knew that the experience and how much I liked the type of workout mattered – a lot.
Like, wasting-ten-months-of-gym-membership-payments a lot.
How much does it cost?
And here’s where I took all of those feelings and looked at the numbers.
Specifically, the numbers around the options available to me that would…
- help me prioritize health and fitness
- give me ways to stay accountable, and
- have the types of workouts I like available (yoga, fitness classes, non-intimidating weight room situation.)
Option One: Yoga Studio
Cost: ~$100 a month for unlimited classes, ~$15 per class with a 10-class pass
Well, if yoga studios had worked for me before, they could work again, right?
I seriously considered this, but was wary of the high cost – even if I was attending multiple classes a week, the monthly unlimited plan is not cheap. (And yes, I looked at volunteering in exchange for classes, but the standard set-up at most studios I like is 4 hours a week, at the same time every week. I’ll be honest, with the blog and work and trying to add in workouts, those four hours would eat up most of my workout time.)
Option Two: At-Home Workouts
Cost: ~$40 for heavier weights, ~$20 for a yoga DVD
I’ve actually had some recent success completing at-home workout challenges, but I really missed the feeling of being in a class with people – and after a 3-week at home workout challenge, I’ve done just about all of the self-motivating I can do. Every time I finish one, I fall off the fitness bandwagon for a looooong time.
That said, it was an option. I looked at what I would need to do to switch up my regular at home workouts, and it was limited to the cost of heavier weights (trust me when I say that’s relatively heavier, not actually heavy) and maybe a yoga DVD to add into the mix.
Option Three: Work-Discounted Gym
Cost: ~$40 a month
My workplace has a deal set up with the exact same mid-range gym that I had tried before, which is actually a killer deal when you look at their regular monthly prices. For just about $40 a month, I could have an unlimited pass to all of their facilities – and there are four in my neighbourhood, with different styles of class at each one.
But I’ve learned my lesson on this one. When I think about what I want – yoga, ideally in multiple styles, a good environment and a sense of community – I haven’t found it at these gyms before. I’m not saying it’s not there either, because I know a lot of people who absolutely love it.
It’s just not what I’m looking for.
And $40 a month is still expensive for something I’m not going to use.
Option Four: The Fancy Gym
Cost: ~$60 a month
I mean, total spoiler alert, I already told you I chose this one.
But here’s why.
I had never even really considered this gym as an option, but when I realized that being in shape wasn’t just something that was going to magically happen to me (I know. Trust me, I know.) I looked into it a bit more.
And holy cow. There’s a reason I can call it the fancy gym.
- It has unlimited yoga classes as part of your membership.
- It has unlimited hot yoga classes, in a separate studio, as part of your membership.
- It has two pools, as part of your membership.
- It has a women’s only weight room, as part of your membership.
- It has like a billion* fitness classes in a ton of different rooms, as part of your membership.
*a billion is probably the accurate number. I know numbers, guys. Trust me.
So it easily checks the boxes on the types of workouts I like (mostly yoga, but also barre fitness classes and a non-intimidating weight room option) and aligns with how much I care about health and fitness.
All that’s really missing is a solid accountability system, so that’s why I did this.
Yes, I am a kid who wants to earn stickers on a chart on the fridge for good behaviour, but hey – if it works, it works.
And I know myself, and this will work.
My goal is to go at a minimum, twice a week, which brings my cost per visit down to about $7.50 a class. That’s cheaper than any other yoga class I can get, especially because at two classes a week, the unlimited yoga deals at studios would run me about $12.50 a class.
But if we’re being really, really honest with each other?
My goal is to go four times a week. Two is just the number that I have to hit to make sure I’m consistently using the membership.
And that’s what this all really boils down to: whether or not I’m using the membership.
If I am, this is a totally worthwhile and, dare I say it, cheap purchase when you look at what I’m getting – not only the unlimited yoga side of things, but the health side of things too.
If I’m not… then you can take away my personal finance card.
So I’m going to add “cost per gym visit” to my monthly spending updates, to keep myself even more accountable than my totally high-tech piece of paper on the fridge.
What do you guys think – are gym memberships worth it? How do you balance fitness and your budget and your time? I would love to hear how other people went about figuring out this conundrum!
Your fancy gym is SUPER cheap for all of the amenities! I think that’s a win for frugality. Work pays for my gym membership, which is great since I gain access to weights for my Bodybuilding.com fitness plan. 🙂
Right?! That’s what I thought too, especially since I’ve seen high-end gyms that charge well over $100 a month for membership! (Also, I am going to go check out bodybuilding.com because I need so much guidance on how to do weights effectively. I pretty much just choose free weights and then flail for 20 minutes and call it a day.)
Wow! I’m shocked that your gym is only $60/month for all of those amenities. That sounds like a great deal.
I pay $10/month for a basic gym membership, and I (currently) go 5 days a week so I think this is a great investment for me. I know that I wouldn’t work out consistently at home by myself so I’m willing to pay the $10 to stay healthy.
I also go to yoga classes with my mom. The studio we go to charges $130 for 10 classes (which never expire). We try to attend at least one class a week, but sometime we miss a week. So I’d say on average we attend 3 classes per month which is $39 worth of yoga.
Combining my yoga and gym expenses, I’m spending $49/month on fitness. I might be able to find a gym that offers yoga classes for less than $49/month, but my mom likes the yoga studio we go to. And I’m willing to spend a bit extra for some quality time with her!
Thanks Michelle! Your fitness routine sounds amazing – talk about getting the most out of your gym membership, that’s such an impressive workout schedule!
And omg yoga with moms is the best thing! I do the same with my mom on a less frequent basis, so when we do go we just pay for drop in classes, but I couldn’t agree more – the time with her makes it totally worth it!
I use GoodLife and I was ok with joining (despite living on the park with pathways, owning a bike and when my boyfriend went out and bought a weight bench) but that’s because CLASSES. And Calgary has like 1 million (hyperbole) GoodLife locations and you can go to any of them. I think I pass 4 on my commute home from work and there are others just off the beaten path. It also allows me to workout dog free which is nice to do a plank without a 70lb dog trying to get under you because he thinks this is a really fun game you’re playing.
If it works it works and if it ends up saving you money (because the last time I did a 7.50$ yoga class was never) and you’re using it, then it makes sense!
I kid you not, I snorted laughing reading this at work today because OH MY GOD DOGS DURING WORKOUTS. Jacob thinks that I might be dying anytime I lie down to do ab work, and comes over to obsessively lick my face to make sure I’m ok. The laughter does amp up the ab work, but like… dude. Sit down. I am clearly still alive, just like I was five minutes ago when we went through this exact same process in the last rep.
A gym membership is an expense I will never be willing to cut. After sitting at a computer in an office for ~10 hours a day, I need the exercise. I also live in Manhattan, so it’s not like I can build a weight room in my basement or garage… because I don’t have one. To me, lifting is up there with personal finance so I make it a priority. One tip – gym membership fees are always negotiable. Due to the possibility of me moving I only wanted a 6 month membership on my last renewal, and I got them down from $299 to $200! Not bad if I do say so myself. So as long as you’ll use it – GO FOR IT!
That’s a brilliant idea! I’m also thinking of doing the “make an unreasonable request” thing and asking to put the membership on hold for a month this summer since I know I’ll be travelling too much to make good use of it – you’ve given me hope that even though it’s not an official policy I might have a leg to stand on (especially since it’s right around my renewal date!)
And yeah, when it really comes down to it, I know my health is as important as my money, if not more so, and I think paying for it (and being publicly accountable for using it) is a good way to me to make workouts a more regular part of my schedule. It turns out muscles don’t just happen by themselves, lol.
Your gym sounds like a great deal actually. Toronto gyms are way more for way less included. Plus, it sounds like you really enjoys classes and yoga. if you really enjoyed travelling you wouldnt never travel because it costs money. If you loved running you wouldnt never run because your running shoes broke. Hobbies are what bring life some joy and very few of them are free!
Exactly! Even this blog, as much as I love it, is decidedly not free, lol. When it comes time to renew my hosting for another year I’ll probably do a post about it – but now I’m getting off topic! Yes, hobbies are worth spending money on, I totally agree 🙂 plus when I look at the times that I was really into running, I definitely sank a lot into my gear and my running shoes. Totally worth it for the pride of being a half marathon finisher, haha.
Investing in your health is as important, if not more, than investing in your retirement savings… If you aren’t healthy enough to enjoy your retirement, what’s the point? Or at least that’s my take on it…
That being said, I’ve opted for no gym membership, but pay upwards of $800 a year for all my various sports teams. They bring the fitness and camaraderie that it sounds like you get from your yoga classes. I supplement that with my morning runs with my running buddy (free!) and have tried a few fitness challenges over the past year too. My self-motivation waxes and wanes, but I find the key is to just keep coming back to it… even if it is a struggle after a couple weeks off…
Oh that’s awesome! It sounds like you have a great system figured out, and can I just say, team sports are like the most impressive thing to me. Even at the rec level, I am so desperately uncoordinated that I’ve never really taken up sports of any kind (to the great dismay of my volleyball-playing friends, since I’m 5’10”.) I think it’s an awesome option, but I just feel too guilty for consistently missing the pass / hit / goal / etc.
And I am so right there with you on staying healthy to enjoy your life and eventual retirement! I kind of feel like I’m at a bit of an inflection point, where if I didn’t do anything soon to make fitness a more regular part of my life, then it might be much harder to do later on. So that added a fun sense of urgency to the decision process, lol!
For the record, I totally care about personal finance street cred. ????????
Lmao Jillian, we understand each other. Thank you.
Loved this post! I totally hear you on this one. I joined a mid-level gym in November 2015. And I don’t think of myself as a gym person, never have. In fact I had never. been. to a gym. before. Srsly. My mom is a personal trainer! Ahhh! And it’s been interesting and successful! I go about twice a week, up to 4 on a good week. It’s 21$ bi-weekly with my work’s corporate discount. It’s kind of perfect for me for a couple of reasons. Number one for me? Location. It’s close and on my way home, so I can either hit the gym right after work, or go home and easily change before going. That would otherwise be a huge barrier for me, in part because driving during rush hour and dealing with parking are big anxiety triggers, so if it was further away I’d be harming my health instead of helping it. It’s also got the kind of yoga class I don’t do at home: power/flows. I do Yin and Hatha at home easily and regularly, and I also have a class card with my favourite yoga studio loaded with birthday gift certificates for in-between cravings for the real yoga studio feel. I liked how you broke down this post a lot, to each their own 🙂
That’s awesome Katheryne – and why am I not surprised you have a regular at-home yoga practice? 😉 That was actually something I was considering, but to be perfectly honest every time I try to do a self-directed at home practice, I speed through things and realize that, oh, wait a minute, I’ve only been at it for ten minutes… but I’m “done”… So instructor-led classes are pretty crucial if I want to get a real workout in!
I think it’s awesome that your gym option is working for you, too – and I totally, totally understand about driving and parking in rush hours! HUGE anxiety triggers for me too. I still maintain that if someone asked me to commute by car in real rush hour, on the highway, I would probably find a new job, lol.
Totally agree you’ve got to prioritise your health. I used to love the gym for the classes and the ‘experience’ too. But after I had kids, I just couldn’t fit it in without taking them to the crèche and I felt guilty about that. So i weened myself off it by replacing it with the things I used the most at the gym: Cross trainer and Pump class. I’ve set up a small area in my garage where I can do these things (I mix it up with the pump classes with different classes on YouTube) because I can do this when the kids are at home. I actually run more than any other type of exercise now (have to go early in the morning before hubby goes to work) and have spent more than $250 this year already in entering 2 x 10k fun runs and a half marathon. Whatever works for you, whatever gets you active, do it 🙂
That’s awesome! I love that you found a way to adjust slowly to make your fitness suit your life – especially to make it fit with your family! Every time there’s a big change for me – moving, adding a dog to the family, etc. – I worry that the change is going to knock me out of my routine, and it’s hugely inspiring to hear how you were able to shift your routine to adjust to the changes, not the other way around!
Prioritizing your health and fitness is important, and if you’re actually going to use those amenities, it sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me. My wife and I were each paying about $15/month for a basic gym which met our needs for a year and a half…right up until we received the letter saying they were closing in 48 hours! Now we’re trying to do some home exercise until the gym around the corner has some sort of special to bring it down to the price we want. Why not just stick with the home exercise? Well our home doesn’t really have the space for indoor exercise, and outside has weather, and we just find we both do better with a gym and its equipment.
Hahaha outside definitely does have weather – I remember training for a half marathon over the winter and it was BRUTAL! I’m sorry your gym closed, but I hope the new one you’re looking at has a great deal on soon for you guys!
I agree, your $60/month for what you’re getting is great.
For us, we make sure we budget for gym memberships every month – we consider it a necessity (we’d much rather cut out entertainment or dining out expenses to make it work). And it’s just the type of people we are. For me, I enjoy my time at the gym. I love that I don’t have to buy any of the equipment and it takes up room at home. I like that there’s a variety of equipments to use and heavier weights when I get there. I also like that my gym has a ton of locations around the city (one within walking distance of my place) and it’s open 24/7 so I can pump out a gym session at 2am (when I’m stuck on night shift mode). I’m also motivated in a different way when I step into the gym rather than working out at home (I find I just don’t push myself as much). It works great for our lifestyle and we’re getting results we like. My partner is just a gym buff and we would be broke if we had to buy all the equipment and weights he uses for his workouts to keep at home.
So I guess for us, our gym memberships are investments. It keeps us healthy and accountable, there’s some time for socializing and meeting new friends and it’s a great challenge for us.
Now that I’ve been at it for a few weeks, I COULDN’T AGREE MORE someone will have to pry this membership from my cold dead budgeting hands, haha. I actually dragged my boyfriend with me one day to show me how to use the machines and now that I’m not super intimidated by them I am absolutely loving the variety – plus I never realized that I actually liked doing weights before this! I think this was by far one of the best money decisions I’ve made in a while, especially since my silly fridge accountability chart has worked like a charm, haha. I’m actually making it three times a week most of the time and definitely feel a difference!
That’s it, Desirae: turn in your personal finance blogger card IMMEDIATELY!
Ok, but for reals, how does the fancy gym only cost $60/month? The fancy gym in Boston (that I am probably not going to join after all) costs $100/month, not counting random ridiculous annual fees and sign-up fees, etc. I say $60/month is an amazing deal and you were wise to snap it up. End of story.
Awwww Sarah this is the sweetest, and I am so sorry it took me forever to get around to replying! After writing this I ended up reading a few other posts about “is a gym worth it” and apparently some gyms upsell people like CRAZY on things! Like, sure, it’ll be $100 a month, but then you need to pay extra for certain classes, or the pool, etc. That is just nuts to me (although I have to say, I’m a total fancy gym convert and I’m so never leaving.)
AH I love that chart! I think I need to make one. I too was very motivated by stickers growing up! 🙂
I think more people should spend money on their health. If we are going to splurge on anything, splurge on that. Also, you got a great deal. $60 for all of that is amazing! I used to have a kettlebell and some dumbells I would use in my garage so I didn’t need a gym membership although I just moved into a new place so I’ll have to figure out what I want to do. Luckily my gym membership is subsidized through work.
Oh man, the best part is that my boyfriend got little ladybug sparkle stickers and surprised me by adding an actual sticker to every week I made it to the gym at least twice! I’ve only missed one week since this post, and it was due to being in Vegas for a week of business travel (and the ensuing recovery weekend, haha.) The chart is such a good reminder to keep the gym dream alive, lol.
Now that it’s been a few (okay, more than a few) months, I’d be interested to hear how your gym membership has panned out. Do you still think it was worth it?
Right now I only pay $6/mo. to be a “dependent” on my parents’ membership at a bougie gym, but that will end in a couple of months with my next birthday. To stay a member I’d be going to $60/mo. It comes with a lot of benefits, but I’m just not sure if I can justify the increase in price!