Gym Membership Is It Worth It?

This is a question that has come up between my girlfriend and I in the past, she usually has good advice and steers me in the right direction.

So I am doing my best to get fit and get in shape, I need the gym. I believe cardio isn’t going to answer all of my problems. I spend 32.09/month for membership at 24 Hour Fitness, a large chain gym with alot of very nice ammenities. I also am able to go to almost any other 24 hour fitness gym in the United States. I chose the option of being able to use the the swimming pool in other locations for $3 extra/month.

What I get at my gym:

· Weights-dumbells, ez curl bars, weight machines, basically everything you can think of

· Cardio-treadmill, eliptical, stair stepper, about 75% have personal tv’s on the machines, once again basically everything you need

· Ab area- weighted ab machine, excercise ball, etc, everything you can think of minus some of the stuff you see on tv

· Group classes-yoga, boot camp, ab craziness

· Basketball court- My personal favorite I won’t join a gym unless they at least have a basketball court

So if you go to the gym 3 times a week that comes out to $2.47 every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. $7.41/week and $385.08 for the entire year. Now some personal finance people would say with my debt that I need to cut everything. That 32.09 would save me 3 months worth of payments on my credit card. A couple things they don’t factor in are Does it make you happy? Do you need the gym? By getting in shape will this cause you to eat less and healthier which saves you money? I can answer yes to all of these questions. I need the gym and I want to be there. If 6 months from now I am 25 pounds lighter and have real muscles, $192.54 will be like the Visa commercials priceless. Me wearing a speedo and comfortable with it, priceless(ok maybe too far)

The Other Side of the Coin

My girlfriend is a small little 120 pound size idk 0,2,4 whatever she’s small. She works for an accounting firm(nerd, not that that’s a bad thing). The last time she went to the gym was at least 3 months ago and that is being generous. Does she need the gym, of course. Sitting in a chair all day and eating out all the time at work it could only help. But to spend $100 per visit is probably the dumbest thing you can do with a gym membership and she stopped it, finally, but she did it and is saving $30/month. Now hopefully I can talk her into putting that money towards her debt every month. She has to listen to me I’m correct, she will listen right?