Looking for a good deal on a new gym membership (new year’s resolution time) I came across a helpful article on sparkpeople.com (I use this site to track my food intake and exercise routine. it is great.) that shows 10 Ways to Save Money at the Gym. These are the ones I found most useful, but you can check out the rest at:10 Ways to Save Money at the Gym

Shop during the slow season – obviously January is the busiest time for gyms and usually when their fees are highest, but the author suggests that if you sign up at the end of the month when sales people are trying to hit their targets you might have a better chance of negotiating a deal. I’ve decided to put this to the test and hold out another week before I sign up.

Check out the competition – shop around and don’t be afraid to ask them to match or beat prices at other gyms. It was amazing how much prices varied in my neighborhood. There are 4 gyms near me and membership fees ranged from $38-75 and all with different initiation fees. Always good to know all the facts before making my final decision.

Strip Off the Extras – on of the gyms I looked at offered towels for an additional fee of $10/month and you could rent lockers for an additional fee of $15/month. Totally not worth it to me. But this got me to thinking I should ask if there are any other things I could cut off. Another gym said I could sign up for a non-peak membership, meaning I can’t work out from 4:30-6:30pm, the savings seems worth it to me.

Putting Membership on Hold – I wish I had known about this one before. A few years ago when I belonged to a gym, I sprained my ankle and couldn’t work out, so putting my membership on hold would have saved me $55 in membership fees. So good to check what the policy is at your gym.
Good luck!