Budget and Fitness

How much of your income would you say you spend on your fitness?
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Replies

  • deluxmary2000
    deluxmary2000 Posts: 981 Member
    Less than 1% - 0.4% to be exact. That includes my monthly gym membership.
    I did sink about $2,000 into a home gym in my basement a few years ago, but that's not a recurring cost.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    edited August 2016
    You mean like gym memberships, equipment and clothing?
    Gym membership $20 a month and the rest no more than 1%. But I do take vacations that revolve around hiking and biking, so not sure if you mean this.
  • ew_david
    ew_david Posts: 3,473 Member
    This year? About 2%, but that includes a new bike and a home gym that aren't recurring costs. Next year will be much lower; just clothes, shoes, bike accessories, and some gym things here and there.
  • casmithis
    casmithis Posts: 216 Member
    Funny, I have this conversation with a friend all the time. She insists I'm more fit and healthy because I make more money and can afford classes and personal trainer. I remind her when I started I just bought a good pair of running shoes. Wore crappy clothes and walked at first then started to run. Now I choose to spend more because I have fallen in love with classes and going to a gym and having gym buddies, but it doesn't have to cost squat...Haha!!! I probably spend 5% of my income. Thankfully my husband understands the importance of being healthy. pay to gym or pay to your doctor and pharmaceutical company.
  • Willbenchforcupcakes
    Willbenchforcupcakes Posts: 4,955 Member
    On just fitness? 2-3% for my programming. Add in meet entry fees and travel and it becomes much higher.

    But then, I've also gotten to travel to South Africa and am going down to Costa Rica in a couple months. Competitions definitely can take you around the world to see some amazing places!
  • CincyNeid
    CincyNeid Posts: 1,249 Member
    Honestly, it's pretty low. But I'm a cheapskate when it comes to certain things. I surf Amazon, eBay, store likes TJMaxx/Marshalls, Craigslist and such. IE: I just bought a pair of $70.00 Under Armour shorts at Marshall's for 19.99....

    Now I will say ... I don't have a problem paying for electronics, for crying out loud I have a Wahoo Tickr X HRM, Garmin VivoActive HR, and a Edge 520. But I guess that's because I want to buy something that will last to drive down the over all cost over the long run. Stuff that wears out and fades away I try to buy second hand or at a discount store.
  • fr33sia12
    fr33sia12 Posts: 1,258 Member
    edited August 2016
    None. A friend gave me some dumbbells, I do workout videos on Youtube which is free and walk everyday. It actually saves me money as I spend less on travel costs.
  • kevinf2380
    kevinf2380 Posts: 256 Member
    Thanks for the responses. I was wondering about yearly costs when you include gym memberships and supplements.
  • Return2Fit
    Return2Fit Posts: 226 Member
    This is a hard question to answer, because what I spend on health and fitness is considered an investment.
    Investments make money.
    If money is advanced toward gym memberships, nutritious whole foods or certain items of equipment or clothing, what is the return on that investment?
    I weigh money spent against money saved as well as money earned by being more productive.
    I save money on medical bills...and as a healthy, physically fit man, I am much more energetic, hardworking and enterprising in my profession.
    From this perspective, money invested in health and fitness is a huge win!
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    None. I do bodyweight strength training and walk/run for cardio.
  • Return2Fit
    Return2Fit Posts: 226 Member
    None. I do bodyweight strength training and walk/run for cardio.

    haha - same here - ANYWHERE -- ANYTIME!
  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
    I'm lucky, my employer pays my gym membership but if they didn't it would only be about £20 per month.

    I guess I spend more than some people on food, because I place a higher value on quality than many I know but I save on food because I rarely eat out or eat take-away food, I cook from scratch and I don't drink very often (protein shakes seem to be cheaper than wine or beer).
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    Shoes about maybe 5 new pairs per year, so about 500 UKP
    Running and cycling clothing and equipment maybe another 500 UKP
    Race entries about 300 UKP
    Specific nutrition, maybe 200 UKP

    Occasional big outlays for new bikes, would be about 1000 UKP each

    No need for a gym membership as I can do bodyweight work at home, in the park or the woods.

    So not a huge amount, although that's not accounting for my increased food intake and the opportunity cost of time
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    Interesting question. I have no idea. I buy a lot of shoes. Do a couple races each year, I have amassed the equipment I need over the years.(pull up/dip station, rings, sandbags, jumprope, yoga mat) I may buy a kettlebell soon. I spend money on quality foods, but I look for deals also. No memberships, no supplements, powders etc.
  • i_ge_w94
    i_ge_w94 Posts: 30 Member
    not a huge amount as i mainly use free online workouts (on youtube, Flex etc)
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    shoes end up to be about 200
    gym is 60/month
    upgraded fitness tracker was 70
    clothes-20/month
    i teach aerial yoga otherwise that would be 35/month or I would take complimentary ground yoga classes at the gym
    races are 20 to 30/month on average. sometimes it's more than one a month and sometimes its none
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    It's really an impossible question to answer. Every December, we rent a cabin for a week, kind of to celebrate my birthday, but also (mostly?) to ski cross country in the mountains. How much of the cost gets tallied under fitness?
    CincyNeid wrote: »
    Now I will say ... I don't have a problem paying for electronics, for crying out loud I have a Wahoo Tickr X HRM, Garmin VivoActive HR, and a Edge 520. But I guess that's because I want to buy something that will last to drive down the over all cost over the long run. Stuff that wears out and fades away I try to buy second hand or at a discount store.

    That's how I look at bikes. The most expensive one I've owned was thousands of dollars, but it was about $0.10 per mile.
  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
    Next to zero. A few years ago, I bought some bodyweight exercise books (used, for about $5), a suspension trainer ($50), pull up bar ($20), a used dip station ($30), and a Fitbit ($150, but it was a gift from my husband).

    I workout from home or at parks; no recurring fees (I don't wear special workout clothes or shoes).

    Although, I'm thinking about returning to swimming, which will set me back about $200/year for an aquatics membership to my city's facilities. I will pay for it by dropping my music and Amazon prime subscriptions (barely used, anyway). So, again, my new sport will cost next to zero (only need to replace suits, goggles, caps, etc when needed).
  • jvtchong
    jvtchong Posts: 59 Member
    About 5-7% - but that includes memberships with additional benefits, so I'm not sure how to categorize them. E.g. my "golf" membership (I don't play golf haha) includes use of gym, tennis court, sauna, steam room, pool, discounts on my fav spa and one of my fav restaurants (including some free yummy food & wine pairings). My beach tennis membership includes a lot of social hours as we end up there instead of Friday night/Sunday sunset happy hour (less cocktails, more movement!); my dance classes are at a club which holds practice nights (free entry bonus) and I tend to help out a few hours a week when there's not enough women (free classes). Plus discounts on or free entry when there's live music/events.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    Difficult to answer, as my lifting (aka fitness) is directly tied to enjoyment for me. As such, any costs I have for lifting/equipment/meets are mitigated by the fact that it's not just fitness-related.
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,997 Member
    No current gym fees but I've "invested" over $5k in gym equipment over the years which is a small fraction of my net worth and far less thsn I've spent on other "hobbies."
  • DarthJader89
    DarthJader89 Posts: 213 Member
    My gym membership is $10 a month, and I sporadically spend on gym clothes and budget for a healthier diet ($300/month for 2 people)
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    My fitness bands cost $15, I'm probably about to buy another set; you can actually make it pretty hard if you stack enough bands. My current bike cost $2,000. The handlebars were another $350 and the pedals I got on sale for $1,300 which was a steal. A few weeks ago Beth and I got a hotel in the Methow Valley for a few days so I could ride the bike over Loup Loup Pass. The "gym" stuff is pretty cheap in the grand scheme of things.
  • BrunetteRunner87
    BrunetteRunner87 Posts: 591 Member
    I'm guessing 13-15 percent if you use my income after taxes, but it's hard to estimate how much I spend on equipment/clothes/shoes. But I do crossfit, have a regular gym membership, do yoga, and am also part of a run club that isn't free.
  • pomegranatecloud
    pomegranatecloud Posts: 812 Member
    Less than 1%, but not including clothes.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,616 Member
    kevinf2380 wrote: »
    How much of your income would you say you spend on your fitness?

    A lot. Quite a high percentage.

    Clothing
    Bicycles
    Gym memberships
    Travelling
    Food
    Equipment
    Event fees

    It all adds up! :) But it's worth it.
  • troytroy11
    troytroy11 Posts: 180 Member
    Less than 1% if even that. Gym membership is free with my health insurance plan and my employer pays most of that.
    The only supplement I ever purchase is whey protein and that is 20 bucks a month and I use that for breakfast so I got to eat anyway.
    I may be even saving money because I could be buying more expensive breakfast if it weren't for that.
  • niblue
    niblue Posts: 339 Member
    Not a lot because I'm not a member of a gym and all my running and cycling stuff was bought ages back.
  • Ws2016
    Ws2016 Posts: 432 Member
    $73 a month.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    More than I care to admit, but how much are extra years and a pain free life worth?