Basic Money Tips for Fitness Fanatics

I find so much cool fitness swag I cannot afford. Pretty poles, cute workout clothes, and all sorts of fitness gear are out there tempting yet out of reach. This month I am sharing some of my strategies for making fitness work with a limited budget starting with a few basic tips in time for the holiday shopping season.

Do you need it?

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There is always a new thing. There's Taebo, Zumba, the Fly Gym, Pole Sleeves, and so much fitness craze gear. Can you work up a sweat without a Taebo DVD? Sure, if you love running or walking. If you absolutely need Taebo to get you motivated then go for it--your health is certainly worth it. Do you need a Fly Gym to get flexible. Odds are you can get good results from following techniques in a yoga video from the library or YouTube videos. Maybe buying yoga blocks instead would help you more. Consider all your options.


When do you need it?

Decide when you actually need whatever it is you are after. If it is a new pair of pole shorts can you make due with swim bottoms for awhile? Do you need a costume piece for a performance for a certain day? Now you know how long you can wait for sales. You can easily sign up for sale alerts for your favorite stores or search for coupon codes. I've even seen people post to social media and get help from friends on finding a deal.

Got a major purchase? Wait 30 days. When I first got into pole dance forums I made more money than now but I worked on flexibility for a month before committing to buy a workout pole. I knew I couldn't just buy a cheap fetish pole that I would likely break my head using. Waiting gave me time to find exactly the pole I wanted used so I got a great deal on it. I do this with everyday items like heels or dresses too--there's nothing worse than buying something that turns out not match anything or I lose interest in.

Set up a mini savings goal.

You can save cash in a jar or stick some money in a savings account. Some creative ideas are look for stores that offer a bonus if you buy $XX in gift cards to the store you want to shop or buy discounted gift cards (use a secure payment method!). By saving in advance you don't have to worry about running low on funds for your other bills. I used to work in jewelry and one of the sales techniques they wanted us to use was to compare the compounded cost of buying a daily coffee over several months to the price of basic diamond earrings. Saving money from little indulgences like these tend to save you calories as well as dollars. And buying a new Lululemon workout set or a cute set of wrist wraps will definitely be sweeter.

What would you save for?
Don't forget to check back for more affordable fitness ideas, posted each Wednesday this month! :D