We are one week into our new life and I thought the plastectomy was going to be THE hardest choice to make. I was wrong. I have another choice that I am facing and I just don’t know what to do. I’ve even thought about calling in to the Dave Ramsey show to ask HIS advice, even though I KNOW what he’d say already. One of the key parts that DR says you should do is to “find money”…find ways to get more income flowing so that you can pay off bills faster. Have cable TV? Cut it out. Have a garage sale…give blood…you get the point. Well we don’t have any real “extras” and we don’t have cable TV, however, we do have a gym bill and locker rental that comes to just over $100.00 a month. Here is my dilemma, do I suspend my gym membership for now and use that money towards debt repayment and then reinstate my membership after the weather turns bad again? Or do I keep the gym because I am afraid that I will get lazy and not workout on my own at home? Make a list Jen...pros and cons.
Pro to going it on my own for the summer:
I own the complete selection of Richard Simmons "Sweatin to the Oldies" dvds, several Yoga dvds, plus multiple kettle bells, dumbbells and jump ropes and undless access to the internet for any workout plan I can find or think of. Not to mention a heart rate monitor and tons of hills and roads around my neighborhood to walk/run
Con to going it on my own for the summer:
I've already paid for personal training sessions and I still have 6 sessions left. Will I have the motivation and self discipline to make myself workout at home?
This is a tough, tough choice. A “head scratcher” for sure and I am just not sure which is the “Right” choice…My head tells me one thing, my heart tells me another and that little scared voice in my head tells me something else.
You now that my first answer is to say keep it! I love my three gym memberships and I would never not have one. Given your situation I think that less stress would be one thing to give up. If you are stressing over the $100/month then I say suspend it for 2 months and see how it goes.
ReplyDeleteTry to workout on your own. Go for bike rides, do interval hill workouts on those hilly Burnsville roads and do body weight exercises. You have a Kettle Bell...Use It!!! Run bleachers with friends when they go to EastView HS on the weekends (hint hint) Jump into free boot camp classes that are offered to you on Tuesday mornings at 5:15-6:15. Do whatever it takes.
Second Opinion......So you suspend your membership for 2-3 months. You've saved $200-300. Will you actually use this money towards bills? Do you know exactly where it will go?
If you say...Oh, we can go out more, see movies more, etc. then my opinion is to keep it.
Hope this helps. In the end you have to decide what is best for you and your family.
Do you have access to the Gym at Target? If so, do they charge much per month?
SouthSide Bully only charges $35 per month and the owners are so so nice and will help you spiritually and physically. I ask questions all of the time and I love new ideas. I learn so many different ways to lift weights that I would never have learned at the Y. Oh...and it's quiet in there unless the music is blaring!
Just some thought!!!
Shannon Hagen
Thank you Shannon, this is what I was hoping for, honest, up front advice and thoughts! Yes, we know exactly where the money would go, straight into our debt snowball!! We don't go out, I have zero cards in my wallet (no credit, no debit, no atm). This is it for us. We want OUT of this financial mess and it will take us 3 years to get there. I already stopped all of my online video games that were being auto payed from our account. I am that serious.
ReplyDeleteTarget Fitness is free to all employees!!!
ReplyDeleteTarget Fitness? What is this? I am an employee! Is it downtown?
ReplyDeleteMadre,
ReplyDeleteif you want to work out at home this site has a lot of cool videos to follow with an easy search function, i've been using it all week
http://www.fitnessblender.com/v/full-length-workouts/
-Bethums
This is tough, and I totally "get" you. We love a variety of shows, but they're all on hiatus for the summer, so I'm pushing for suspending the cable until next fall--why pay when we won't use? I keep pushing for things like dropping our verizon for the tab because it can run off our wifi, things like that, but my husband is . . . resistant. I say "two years of misery, then we're rolling in the dough," he says, "I'm not going to live a miserable existence." He's moving closer, but it's still hard to get him to be okay with less in return for future comfort.
ReplyDeleteI work out at home. Over a decade ago, I bought a stationary recumbent bike, and it really does the job for me. That said, maybe you could suspend your gym membership, but if you feel yourself sliding, you could reinstate it?
Good luck!
Kris
Hi Mumbles, thanks so much for your reply!! I am still on the fence, talked to my trainer last night on the phone and he's said I can still use my sessions if I suspend and no matter what decision I make he supports me 100%!
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