Solavei

A few years ago a friend of mine shared his simple rule for not accumulating too much stuff – for everything you bring into the house, you must remove items of at least the same physical size and removing more always helps. I think about this every time I buy something and it’s been working really well for me.

Sounds to me like you’ve never tried CrossFit. You really should, and it’s normally free for an intro session. It is not a “health club.” By paying that price, you get constant direction, variety, detailed supervision/instruction, and a great community (all of which is not part of the package at a traditional gym). Next time you go to the gym, tell me how many people you even talk to.

Frugality for me is getting the most value out of the money I spend. It’s not how much something costs, it’s what I get out of it that’s important.

I own a $150 massage chair and a $300 massage table, both of which can only be used for one thing, but I use the income from doing massages at fairs and such to finance the other streams, so in my case, these were good purchases.

Out of the 8 gyms I’ve been a part of, only 2 had a rigid pricing system. At the others, the salesperson would either (1) verbally tell me the rate & fees with no price chart, (2) show me a price chart but write the “new” prices on a post-it, or (3) stick to the chart’s monthly rate and waive fees. For example, my current gym has a $14.95/mo. rate, but a $199 start-up fee and $75 security fee (cameras, HDDs, etc.). The fees were waived for me, so are they even necessary? Well, the give the salesperson flexibility. Start with all fees, see if the customer bites. If they don’t, slash them X% and keep emphasizing the great deal they’re getting. This happens a lot, and may have happened to you.

Anywho, you’ve found something that works. Congrats. (Seriously.) Now, you need to use that cabeza to cut costs. Think about ***WHY*** your Crossfit gym is working for you, then see if you can replicate that in another gym or even in your own home. For me, it’s all about the equipment. Dumbbells, benches, cardio machines, etc.

However! You only sustain a workout (and/or diet) regimen when your heart is really in it! You may have really wanted to get in shape at time A, B, and C, but, in those breaks, you didn’t want it as badly. Thus, overall, you didn’t want it “badly enough.”

Try watching at least the last 5 minutes of each episode of The Biggest Loser, as well as the finales. These times are dedicated to showing how those who were kicked off achieved success at home. They took the drive and the methods from one location (that worked really well), and applied them at another location.

Even the gym you joined is conceptually similar: a model was successful for one business, so they replicated it at their own. And for the founder: this workout regime works, lets put it into effect at .

My thought? Make sure there is a good return policy. If I don’t use it within 24 hours – 1 week of buying it, I DIDN’T NEED IT. Go take it back now.

Reason this is such an issue for me? I’m a compulsive (and perhaps obsessive) shopper. Techniques like putting my credit cards in blocks of ice don’t work, because I obsess over getting an item for weeks to months at a time. I will research it to death. Worry. Lose sleep. I will find the PERFECT pair of running shoes… buy them, and never run.

That’s me. Am I insane? Probably. But I’m working on it.

Reading the comments above, I think anyone who says, “you definitely shouldn’t do X because it’s not worth the cost” needs to take a step back. It may not be worth it for THAT person, but it’s obviously worth it for some people. A gym or club membership may not be worth it for some (even most?) people – but it is for others. Another commenter mentioned a bread machine as being “not worth it” – but my family finds it very much worth it. We previously didn’t make our own bread – now we do, and we’re saving money by doing so. If someone else can do this without the machine that’s great – but it wasn’t working for us. I think that’s the bottom line here – do what works for you, and get rid of what doesn’t. All within your budget, of course!

Other things I spend more on are good food, underwear and shoes that fit well, and a good quality handbag. The rest I go frugal on – I totally agree that you want to spend $$ on things that have value to you and cut back hard on those things that matter less.

Over time, this tool will allow me to complete jobs quicker and allow me more free time or time for other jobs. It will also allow me to provide a better finished product which always leads to referral jobs.

When I first started the business, I bought a decent hammer drill. A few months later, i bought a new one after that one started to fail. Finally, I just went and bought the best drill that Bosch made knowing that the high cost was well worth the quality i was getting. i have used that drill for over 2 years under heavy conditions and it still works like new.

I give myself a budget of $50/month for personal fitness, but you have to do what works for you.

A few months ago, I made a list of the top 10 baseball cards I always wanted growing up but couldn’t afford (as a kid) or just was never able to find. Note: as a child, I was an avid sports card collector and was constantly raiding the sofa cushions for spare change to buy more cards. With a few months patience and eBay (and a “favorite baseball card budget”), I was able to buy all 10 on my list at a very reasonable price and now I have a small collection of cards that really makes me happy and takes me back to my youth. It’s really funny because a lot of times you don’t think about simple stuff that will make you happy that is easily obtainable. Was it stupid to spend a few hundred bucks on old baseball cards? For some people, yes. For me, no.

Most of my friends think it is awesome that I was able to do something that I have always wanted to do and that I got such a kick out of it.

I view personal fitness in the same vein. Some people run marathons. Some people take walks. Some people do karate or boxing. Some people lift weights. Some people do a combo of things. Some people do nothing. People have such very different goals and personalities — that’s part of what makes life interesting.

I think $200 a month for a fitness plan that you actually use is a bargain. My only concern would be committing to $200 a month, for a year, such that one could not get out of the commitment. I actually paid more for a gym membership, when I had one (right before my wedding, I’m not really a gym person) but I paid cash up front, no contract, on a monthly basis. I actually used the membership but only until my wedding.

I’ve found that crappy kitchen equipment is a deal breaker for me. I’m not weeding too much right now, but will be ruthless the next time I change apartments!

The only other expensive thing I have my eye on is a camera, but I’m a way off from that purchase.

The one that works best for JD happens to cost $200 a month. I’m glad he earns enough, and is frugal enough, to pay for it.

I also used to avoid spending on health. I had perfectly good sidewalks in my neighborhood that I could use for free. But I never did. I don’t exercise ’til late at night and although our neighborhood is safe at night I’m ridiculously clumsy and trip on sidewalk cracks in the dark. So I remained fat, until I changed my mindset and recognized that I would never get fit so long as I insisted that free was the only way to go.

I spent $2,000 on a great treadmill that I use 6 nights a week for the past 22 months. I lost 60 pounds (and have kept them off) that I would not have kept off if I’d stuck with that “cheaper than thou” attitude. Cut JD some slack; he knows what he’s doing.