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wabmester · 10-05-2006, 10:45 AM

Oy! I'm looking down the barrel at $52/month for me or $85/month for the wifey and me for a membership at the local gym.

Last time I did something like this, it was about $20/month for a couple (10+ years ago).

We recently downsized the house, so no more home gym. And summer is over, so my outdoor training will soon be interrupted by rain. Woe is me!

How much do you guys pay to inflict pain on yourselves?

cube_rat · 10-05-2006, 10:46 AM

$25 per month. No fluff. No swimming pool, fancy bathrooms, saunas tennis courts, etc.

peggy · 10-05-2006, 10:53 AM

$15 per month for access to the "sport" level clubs of 24 Hour Fitness. The sport clubs have a pool and a basketball court, neither of which I ever use. If the closest club to my work weren't sport level, I'd drop back to basic club membership.

Sarah in SC · 10-05-2006, 10:56 AM

Our trainer (2x a week for 30 minutes or so) costs $480 a month, and I pay half of that for DH's portion, since my boss pays for mine. Exorbitant! But, unfortunately, the only way (for us) we can be sure we get the exercise and do it correctly. We don't have to pay a membership to the gym where we go for the training sessions.
Sarah

wabmester · 10-05-2006, 11:03 AM

Thanks for the data. As I suspected, we're being ripped. We live on an island with only two gym choices, so they have a lot of pricing power.

Ugh. Well, they gave me a free one-week pass, so I'm off for my test drive....

dumpster56 · 10-05-2006, 11:10 AM

Buy some free weights a good book and jog and walk. Forget the gym membership.

bow-tie · 10-05-2006, 11:15 AM

I have around 400 bones invested in the bench and misc freeweights... I can't justify a gym membership costs. I figured since I've stuck with my lifting, the weightset and associated costs have paid for themselves multiple times.

sailor · 10-05-2006, 11:28 AM

$0.
What's wrong with the rain?

TromboneAl · 10-05-2006, 11:32 AM

Zero, plus I get to sleep with the personal trainer.

Outtahere · 10-05-2006, 11:33 AM

I took the money I would have spent on gym memberships and bought a good folding treadmill and a Bowflex... I'm way ahead in my calculations.

uncledrz · 10-05-2006, 11:54 AM

Our membership is $480 a year (for two). Good gym with free weights, full set of machines, cardio machines, women's gym, aerobics, yoga, pilates, etc.

No pool, no tennis, no basketball.

Sam · 10-05-2006, 12:03 PM

If you take a shower everyday at the gym and never shower at home, how much do you save? $0.50 x 365 is $182.50/person/year. Not bad, right?

While you're there, might as well take care of other businesses. More saving!!!

azanon · 10-05-2006, 12:06 PM

My totalgym cost me $250 at sears 4 years ago, and 2 tae bo cd's cost me $30 dollars.

That total gym might have one more year left in it before i need a new one.

I prefer working out at home, and saving the time, gas, and money.

Nords · 10-05-2006, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wab

We recently downsized the house, so no more home gym. And summer is over, so my outdoor training will soon be interrupted by rain. Woe is me!
How much do you guys pay to inflict pain on yourselves?

Bill "Body For Life" Phillips sets up his home gym with a weight bench and a few free weights. You can probably score that on Craigslist for under $75. How much room would it take up? How far did you guys downsize?!?

If you're gonna drive to the gym, then you might as well explore the concept of mallwalking. Or move over here...

But there's a lot to be said for shared misery. If the thought of all the hardbodies gym-rat comaradarie is what keeps you exercising then the price of the club membership more than paid back by the cost avoidance of lifestyle medications & creeping debilitation.

FinanceDude · 10-05-2006, 01:10 PM

The YMCA is screwing me.........

When I joined two years ago, it was $68 a month. They have an indoor pool, racquetball, basketball, water park, etc. Bottom line, it's a nice place, and convenient.

My kids take swimming lesson there. If you are a member, it's $55 per session, and $140 if you're a non-member. Plus, as a member you get to register for the lessons a week before the non-members, so the chances of getting the class you want are much better.

Last year, when my membership was renewed, they went to a sliding scale based on income. I'm sure it helped some members, but if you have a household income of over $70,000 a year, you paid $92 a month. So I started paying $92 a month.
They now do an on-line registration for swimming lessons, but the system has crashed the last two sessions, and I can only get one child in. I have bitched to no avail.

Last month, our renewal notice was received. They have increased to $95 a month, and the swimming lessons are now $75 per kid per session for members................

I had a meeting with the membership director, and asked why the costs were rising so fast. She had no real answer for me. Bottom line, I decided to pay the $300 a session so my 2 kids can learn to swim. I have checked out private companies like Swimtastics and it's $600 for 2 kids for one session.........

Any other ideas?? I asked if I could join as a single person, and use my membership to get my kids in swimming, but that was no dice. Too bad, I could be at $63 a month.......

It's not a deal killer, and I can afford it, but belonging to a YMCA for $100 a month sounds a little high, when there are nicer private clubs for $60 or so..........

3 swimming sessions a year per kid, plus the membership, would be $1590 a year.............I think that's a lot............for us LBYM folks...........

donheff · 10-05-2006, 01:18 PM

I pay $60/mth. I think it is substantially more for new members. This is a big place that fills an entire former public school. It has a basketball court, raquetball, sauna and whirlpool, machines out the yin yang, classes out the kazoo, a health food bar (yuck). I know I could save money with a little bit of gear in a home gym but I recognize that I don't have the self discipline to do it at home (that is why I sympathize with people who can't loose weight)

justin · 10-05-2006, 01:20 PM

Dunno, but our city parks and rec program teaches swimming. I think it is $40 per session which includes pool access fees. Each "session" meets twice a week for 30 minutes and lasts a month.

Maybe your municipality has a similar program?

FinanceDude · 10-05-2006, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by justin

Dunno, but our city parks and rec program teaches swimming. I think it is $40 per session which includes pool access fees. Each "session" meets twice a week for 30 minutes and lasts a month.

Maybe your municipality has a similar program?

HAD a program is more like it. It was $25 per kid per session. But the pool was 35 years old, needed extensive fixing, was losing 1000 gallons a day, etc, and the village had no money to fix it, so they closed the pool and concreted it over...........

youbet · 10-05-2006, 02:55 PM

$480/yr. I bear the full load, no employer subsidy. Beautiful facility located a convenient 0.5 mile from home, a nice warm up or cool down walking distance. Olympic pool with running track above. Gym which accomodates a full size BB court. Sauna, steam room, fancy locker room, great selection of machines and weights, trainers available, classes to help geezers like me not hurt ourselves. I feel very fortunate that the park district recently built it so close by. Because I go during normal "work" hours, no crowds.