EPISODE 5~ SAVE MORE: Creative ways to join a gym for less.
• Look for Daily Deals. Never join a gym without A QUICK CHECK OF GROUPON AND OTHER DAILY DEAL SITES. Gym memberships and other exercise classes are one of their most common offers. There were 534 exercise deals on Groupon alone when I checked.
• Pay as you go: Better, yet, don’t join at all. Sometimes it makes more economic sense to get an exercise “class card” or pay daily rates as you go, especially if you’re unsure how committed you are. Paying daily or month-to-month may cost more, but it will actually save you money if you decide to bail out.
• Try Apps that pay for wellness:
Apps like Welcoin AND Pact WILL pay you to exercise, WHICH YOU PROVE BY SENDING PHOTOS OR LINKING THEM IN WITH SOMETING LIKE A FITBIT. ON THE Wellcoin AP, you earn points you can then use to purchase products LIKE gym classes. Pact ACTUALLY GIVES you cash! WHERE DO THEY GET IT? FROM OTHER MEMBERS WHO FAILED TO MEET THEIR GOALS! IN ADDITION TO THE MONEY, YOU GET AN intangible motivational value.
Exercise Your Health Insurance. many INSURANCE COMPANIES now offer some sort of gym benefit as part of their plans. For example Aetna says it offers discountS at more than 10,000 gyms. And United Healthcare reimburse PLAN PARTICIPANTS $20 each month IF you visit one of its LISTED fitness centers at least A DOZEN times.
• Go to the Hospital. That’s right, many hospitals have fully-equipped fitness facilities where they welcome the public. Best of all, most do not require ironclad long term contracts. For example, ONE HOSPITAL IN Washington, DC offers memberships for $80 a month. And ANOTHER runs all sorts of fitness series, from Aqua Aerobics to Zumba, for about $8.50 a class.
• AND FINALLY THERE’S Fitness Financial Aid!: IF YOU STILL DON’T THINK YOU CAN you can afford a commercial gym, The YMCA offers financial assistance and says it never turns away members who can’t pay. There are 2,700 YMCAs ALL ACROSS AMERICA.