Remember when I said we used to do money all wrong? No? Well trust me, I said it because we did. I can’t even begin to tell you how many gym memberships I have gone through in my life. It started as soon as I graduated high school. I had an older brother who really enjoyed pumping iron and spending time at the gym. He took me with him one night and I was instantly hooked. I was really impressed with all the equipment and the energy in the place. I signed up that first night, and the rest, as they say, is history – including my hard-earned money.
I estimate that throughout my adulthood,I have been a member of at least 5gyms. They all started out the same way. I would go for a trial. Then, I would get engulfed in the energy and ambiance (if you can say that about a gym) of the place. And before I knew it, I was agreeing to be a financial contributor to the said establishment for the next 12 months, MINIMUM. For the purposes of this post, let’s focus only on the last gym membership I had, and will ever have!
The last time this happened was in 2012. I had been a part of the online dating scene for quite some time at that point, and I also decided it was a good time to getback to my fightin’ weight. So, I joined a VERY popular chain gym during a special promotion they were running at the beginning of the year. Think: New Year’s Resolution.
In any case, it actually was a really good deal. After the sign-up fee, the monthly cost was only $19, and that included childcare and unlimited tanning. Woot!
The gym was also right next to my daughter’s preschoolcenter. At the time, I had visions of picking her up from preschool and shooting right over to the gym to get in a workout. As if. In the 5 years I held that membership – that NEVER happened. Ever. Why? Because I underestimated how tired I would be after a long day at work combined withthe anticipated guilt I wouldhave felt had I taken her directly from preschool (i.e. daycare) to yet another daycare.
Over the course of those 5 years, I went religiously for the first few months. I would venture out with my daughter after dinner in the evenings to embark on the 15-minutes drive to the gym. Rain, sleet, or snow, it didn’t matter – we went. My little girl somewhat enjoyed playing in the playroom with the other kids. And I enjoyed getting back into shape. I usually ran on the treadmill for 30 minutes and then used free weights to build up my strength. Things were going along swimmingly. Or so I thought.
Then something odd happened; my 3-year old daughter started getting an opinion. And her opinion was that she didn’t want to go to the gym in the evenings. Instead, she wanted to stay at home and play with mommy. Gasp! I realized she was right. I was sacrificing time with my little girl to spend time at the gym. In 2012, I was also a single parent. That meant, after work, dinner, and the household chores, there really wasn’t much quality time leftover before she was crawling into bed for the night.
My 3-year old voicing her concern about our new evening routine was the last straw. I decided to scale back our trips to the gym to give my daughter and I the time wedeserved in the evenings.
I am embarrassed to admit that it took me 5 long years to consider cancelingmy gym membership. Even though I scaled back my trips to increase my heart rate and pump iron, I wasn’t ready to cancel my membership. Besides, I still wanted to stay in shape. I figured having the membership gave me the option to actually use itwhen I had free time. And I did. But those trips becameless and less prominent over the years.
One Saturday in 2016 I decided that I needed to give up the gym membership for good. After all, I had married in 2015 and we started charting a course of frugality in a quest for financial independence. As you can imagine, a barely used gym membership just doesn’t fit into that mold. I ultimately marched up to that counter that Saturday and told the teenager behind the desk that I wanted to cancel my membership. It felt great! I felt like it was another step towards our goal! Because it was. He stared back at me like I had a monkey on my headand stated that the manager wasn’t there and that I needed to fill out some form and mail it somewhere in order to cancel. Unfortunately, he had no idea where to find this mysterious form. Obviously, canceling memberships doesn’t happen too often at this gym.
I left dejected and determined to return within a few days to finally Cancel My Membership. I didn’t. A few days turned into a few months, and then another few months. Before I realized what had happened, we had already toasted champagne at the stroke of midnight on 2017. The automatic credit card paymentwas still popping up on my statement each month. This needed to stop. NOW.
So again,Mr. MMM and I stopped at the gym during our errands one weekend – FYI, we combine our trips because it makes frugal sense 🙂 This time, the person behind the desk handed me The Form! I walked out with my cancellation formfirmly planted in my hand. Funny thing, I felt a little sad. That gym, even though I had greatly scaled back my appearances, had somehow become part of my identity over the course of those 5 years.
Before I had too much time to think about losing this small piece of myself, I filled out The Form and dropped it in the mail. DONE.
Did I mention I had a treadmill at home? Yep. I bought myself a pro treadmill around 2007 that was still in excellent condition. So there I was, running on a treadmill at the gym when I had one in my own home! #sillygirl
Not only did I have a treadmill at home, I also had free weights, a door leading outside, an Internet connection, and functioning arms and legs. Okay, I’m being a little dramatic – but you gotta admit it’s fun in a post like this! Let’s explore each of these points in more detail!
It’s true. I have my very own treadmill and I have for quite some time now. Even before I signed on the dotted line for that gym membership, I had my treadmill. It sat downstairs in my home just waiting to be used. And I did use it quite often throughout the years – I’m just not so sure why it wasn’t good enough to be used in 2012.
Like, why the heck was I driving myself and my daughter in the snow, sleet, and rain 15-minutes to the gym when all I had to do was walk downstairs and hop on my treadmill? Instead, I was putting my daughter in the playroom and hopping on the gym’s treadmill. In retrospect, it’s quite an enormous waste of resources all around.
Guess what else I had at my frugal disposal! Yep, you got it! I had (and still have) a door in my home that leads outside! Now granted, being a single parent I couldn’t possibly just throw on some jogging gear and hit the pavement. Maybe that’s why I felt the gym was a better option.
But guess what!If you’re not a single parent and you also happen to not have a treadmill, a gym membership is not your only option for getting into shape. You have options. Not only do you have options, but you have frugal options!
In such a familial case, you can actually use that door in your home that leads to the great outdoors. You actually can put on some jogging gearand hit the pavement. And just think of all that time, money, and energy you’ll save just by not having to drive to and from a cold, sterile establishment. This is truly a win-win!
I’m willing to bet that you, like me, have functioning limbs! If so, there are a plethoraof activities, both indoor and outdoor, you can partake in at no cost at all! You can open that door and run out! You can run down your street, and then run down your neighbors street, and so on and so forth. You could also do sit-ups, push-ups, jumping jacks, or any other physical activity you can dream up!
Before I evencanceled the gym membership, I started doing mommy and me yoga at home with my little girl. Not only was this a great exercise, but it also strengthened our bond and was a ton of fun. Don’t believe me? Try doing the downward-facing dog with a 5-year old! Check out the post I wrote about it here!
One of the best exercise tools you have at your disposal is likely your Internet connection. You read that right! I couldn’t believe the amount of information and free exercise videos that are available online. How do you think Mini and I do our little yoga routines? Thank you, Internet!
Side Note: I recently discovered there are high-intensity programs available on YouTube for FREE. I’m in the middle of a 30-day workout right now. I must say, I am amazed at how my body has transformed since starting it. And with that, I give you my closing argument – if you have an Internet connection, a home, and a dash of determination, you, too, can have the body you desire without even leaving your house!
Do you still have a gym membership you’re not using? If so, what’s stopping you from canceling it and trying some of these frugal alternatives?
