7. Let the Internet do your bargain hunting
Thrifty online shoppers know that you can often get great deals without the hassle of crowded malls and pushy salespeople—if you know when and where to look. Sign up at ShopItToMe.com/running and they’ll email you when workout clothes or shoes in your size go on sale at various sites all over the Web.
8. Consolidate your goals
The social networking site 5k5k.org is a free online program designed to get people in shape to run a 5K while saving or paying off $5,000. The site’s members (about 100 as of this week) share stories and help to motivate each other toward these long-term goals, while its founder—a fourth-grade teacher and former U.S. marine—checks in often with helpful tips and blog posts.
9. Know when to splurge and when to save
A good pair of walking or running shoes, an easy-to-use heart-rate monitor, or a portable MP3 player will be a valuable investment if you know that you’ll use them often, but a lot of fitness products are pricey just because of the name brand, or contain high-tech features that will only get in your way. Don’t be afraid to check retail stores like Target and Wal-Mart for basic lightweight, breathable workout apparel, or secondhand sports stores for fitness equipment. Do your research ahead of time, talk to experienced salespeople, and know exactly what you need—and beware of anyone trying to sell you something with more expensive bells and whistles. Here’s a great primer on what’s worth spending and what’s worth saving.
So far this year, I’ve signed up for a triathlon that would have cost more than $300 for registration, for just a $75 Team in Training initiation fee and a pledge that I’ll raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. My boyfriend discontinued his out-of-the way and seldom-used gym membership after he tested out the GoFit Gravity bar and some cold-weather running gear I got him for Christmas. We’ve cooked up some delicious healthy meals for less than $10. And I’ve even found that working out in the morning keeps me more awake in the afternoon—and less likely to rely on the caffeine-and-calorie-packed $4 drinks that I otherwise crave from Starbucks. I have a feeling that staying fit is going to help save me money all year—and whenever it does, I’ll keep you posted.
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Comments (25)
Wow, I think you might be onto something.
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Great tips. Over the years I have gone from being a “gym rat” to just another gym member. Competing priorities seem to get in the way of regular gym use, so I too have tried to find ways to be active without the inconvenience of “hitting the gym”.
Don’t get me wrong, I still love the gym, but sometimes is just difficult to get in.
Instead, I find myself walking more places when I can, spending more time outdoor with my family and dog, carrying things in the store rather than using a cart, doing more around the house than letting my “honeydo” list pile up, and then get into the gym when I can between obligations.
One thing I find helpful is to integrate fitness in the day rather than make it a lofty goal. I have started tracking my activity/fitness and using the site below to help keep me motivated.
If interested, check out: http://www.LiveDay1.com
I totally agree. It seems like it was much easier to manage regular frequent gym visits when I was a carefree university student. It can be a little harder to juggle the gym now with full time work and family commitments.
Incidental exercise is a great solution and biking to work is a great way to stay fit and also help the environment. I also agree that it’s worth the time to shop around on the internet for the best fitness deals.
With obesity constantly on the rise and the work week becoming longer and longer, we need to find new ways to be innovative about our health and fitness.
I’m interested in hearing your comments :)
http://www.fitnesscentralonline.com
Good tips, Amanda.
I have to admit that I have a consideration about Team in Training and other such programs. When I first started planning to run marathons, I seriously considered joining, but was stopped by this:
It sounds to me like they’re asking me to raise money for their cause, then kicking back some of the money to me to cover entry fees, travel expenses, etc. Now, I realize that they’re better off than they would be with nothing, which is what they would have otherwise. But I can’t bring myself to ask my friends and family for a donation, when I (and probably they) know that a good chunk of their money is effectively going to support my hobby.
Any thoughts?
Hi Greg, thanks for your thoughts! I haven’t started seriously soliciting funds yet (my event is in July), but I was impressed at the Team in Training organizational meeting when they told us that approximately 75% of all the money I raise will go directly to patients in need. They apparently figure out how much it will cost to pay for the entry feeds and travel for the entire group, and then multiply that number by four to come up with the minimum required amount. And if I happen to raise more than that required minimum, any addition funds go 100% to the cause. I plan to highlight this fact in my fundraising letter and when I ask friends and family for their support … Hopefully this will help people feel more comfortable about donating! Best of luck with your marathons, and thanks for reading.
More ways to save money, eat at home instead of resteraunts whenever possible
Don’t go grocery shopping when your hungry your bound to buy stuff you don’t really need or want.
Use free services like Hulu and FreeTube ( http://www.freetube.us.tc ) in place of costly cable services. It will save you money that you can spend elsewhere.
If you still live near where you graduated from college, try joining the student gym as an alumni. Rates are often much lower than commercial gyms.
Our High school has open swim and water aerobics for the community for a very small fee – $1.50 per time. Times are limited but the price is right.
….or you can train at home with online personal fitness trainer via your pc
Have you seen this website yet?
http://www.OnlinePersonalFitnessTrainers.com
Obviously they don’t have kids!
I have been trying to stay as fit as possible and still save money. My gym went up on rates and needless to say i was not at all pleased. I take more walks and bought a bike. BTW I found some great tips here on saving money:
http://news.primerica.com/public/news/primerica-presents-tips-healthy-financial.html
The link to the bike commuting reimbursement is wrong. It should be:
http://www.bikeleague.org/news/100708faq.php
Thanks.
Also if you find the right diets you can save money as well. Hint: don’t by organic, it doesn’t make a difference in your health, it just cost more. You can also save money and get a work out by redoing your furniture.
http://www.squidoo.com/recyclewithstyle
There is a new website that motivates to get outside and exercise. plus3network.com. For every mile walked, run, biked, swum, etc., a sponsor kicks in money to a cause (i.e. breast cancer) on your behalf. It pays best if using gps, but hand-entered statistics work as well.
Wii, wii, wii! It has totally changed my activity level. With the Wii Fit I can squeeze in 30 min of fun yoga, stretching, strength exercises, when I have time. If I wake up early, I go and do a little wii. I might THINK about going to the gym, but with the wii I do it much more regularly. Not a paid sponsorship! http://lipstickdaily.com
can anyone share the invitation to join the 5k5k.org website? I tried clicking on it and it says you need a special invitation via email…sounds like a good idea!
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Nice post
Everyone can save money in small and seemingly insignificant areas if you know how and where to do it.
These are all great ideas
Great tips! I’ll be coming back to learn more about saving money!
Why does one need an MP3 player to maintain a regular exercise habit? It’s as if the denizens of gym rats can’t stand the idea of being left alone with their thoughts–or lack thereof–while working out.
Make it a point to walk instead of drive; demand that your town’s streets be lined with safe sidewalks and public spaces built on human scale. One can attain health and a nice-lookin’ bod by opting OUT of the sedentary lifestyle that is the typical American lifestyle.
It doesn’t cost you more to eat healthier if you know what you’re doing. Don’t buy prepackaged garbage and eat out less. Stick to the outside aisles and you’re set.
http://moneysaver101.blogspot.com
You city-dwellers never cease to amaze me! I keep hearing about how cramming a bunch of people together is supposed to be more green, but, living out in the country, all I do is walk out the door and start exercising for free. In fact, instead of paying lots of money to exercise, I’m actually MAKING money by building my own home, (out of dismantled old buildings that would have been bulldozed), working on the land, etc., and getting the best kind of exercise at the same time.
For example, I’m putting in flagstone pathways and steps all around the place. If I were foolish enough to pay someone to do this work, I’d be spending tens of thousands of dollars. Instead, I’m “harvesting” the flagstone right from my own hillside, hauling it over by hand to the worksite (none of that trucking of materials hundreds of miles!), and laying it all in place. What better overall exercise can one get than all that walking up and down hillsides, weight training (by lifting and placing stones), combined with all the bending, standing, squatting, and other movements needed for this kind of work?
The key to green is to cut back on wastage, and what could be more wasteful than setting aside valuable time that could be used, not only for productive activity, but also as an opportunity to be out in nature, enjoying the fresh air, sun and wildlife? This alone is enough to rejuvenate oneself, even without the added bonus of exercise! Not to mention the satisfaction of seeing one’s own handiwork come to fruition. And no need to build huge, totally “un-green” gyms, loaded with air-conditioning, millions of watts of lighting, etc., and then, for most folks, driving back and forth to that facility!
You can keep your smog-producing, crowded, rude and crime-ridden cities, I’ll stay right here in the country, enjoying the good life, and living so much closer to nature, which is the greenest (and cheapest!) choice of all!
Lovely tips…..
I found a really great site that broadcasts free workouts, most of which don’t even require equipment. I’d much rather get a good workout at home than travel to the gym, anyway: http://exercisetv.tv
Im no expert, but part of staying fit, its also to limit the intake of things like beer, and going out to eat. I wrote something in those lines. Hope you find it beneficial.
http://youngandemployed.com/2009/07/21/dunking-donuts-killed-my-childrens-education/
Know how to be health and what foods we have to eat visit : http://www.worldfitnesstips.blogspot.com