How Not To Waste Money - Health and Fitness Product Wasters

how-not-to-waste-money

Even though the economy is improving* and things might be improving financially for some, US citizens still lag behind the world when it comes to saving money. We are a country of consumers and wasters. I have read many articles since 2008 about saving money, however; I haven't found that many on how we waste money when it comes to our health and wellness.

*2020 update, because of the coronavirus it might be prudent to watch how you spend your money at this time.

Let's explore some abuses I have run across.

1. Paying for a gym membership and never or seldom go
Are you a none goer? I have had a lot of people tell me this. They will sign up and never or rarely set foot in the gym. If this applies to you, you need to cancel your membership or make a plan to start going on Monday. If you need an incentive, ask a friend, co-worker or spouse to work out with you. You need to be honest with yourself about working out at the health club. It might not fit into your schedule, be too far or you might not be ready for a fitness lifestyle change.

2. Letting health, fitness, beauty Class Passes or Groupons expire
I bought a spa Groupon in December and forgot about it. It expired in April, bummer. I felt bad that I lost out on $90, what a waste of money. If you are a buyer of Groupons or other coupon related programs, pay attention to the expiration date of your purchase and use it right away. If not, make sure you schedule the expiration date in the calendar on your phone or in your planner.

3. Buying organic foods and letting them rot in the refrigerator
My husband and I are not food wasters. We tend not to over shop and we eat most of the foods we buy. If you are a food waster, don't buy groceries until you consume most of the foods in your pantry or refrigerator. If you have a lot of vegetables, chop them up and put in freezer bags and freeze them. If you have a lot of fruit, cut up the fruit and have it for dessert. Add dark chocolate or whip cream on top and put it in a dessert cup, your family will think they are getting a real treat. If you are buying organic produce often and you waste often, consider switching to frozen vegetables. Consider buying less fruit or try canned fruit in water or dried fruit, if you are a fruit waster.

4.  Not exploring sales on fitness-related clothing and shoes
I bought two pairs of Adidas fitness shoes last week. I went on their online site and looked at the lowest price of fitness shoes. They had two shoes that were less than $50. When buying fitness clothes and shoes, always check out the sales. If you can also check out name brands at Target, Walmart, Kohl's, TJ Maxx and Marshall's. Also, your children don't need those $200 pairs of Jordans. If you have teenagers and they want an expensive shoe, pay them to do extra work around the house to pay for their own pair of fashionable and overpriced gym shoes.

5. Being late or not showing up for personal training sessions
I have clients that lose a lot of sessions because they don't want to work out or they show up late. Don't waste your money, show up on time and be ready to work out. If you constantly cancel your workouts, don't waste your money and time, don't sign up for more personal training sessions when you have finished your block of sessions.

6. Not using the delicate wash cycle or low setting on the dryer with expensive workout clothes 
Unless your workout clothes are very inexpensive, it is better to wash your fitness clothes in the gentle cycle. Make sure darks are washed separately from the lighter gym clothing and wash them in cool to cold water to avoid color loss. It is better to hang them up to dry and if you have to put them in the dryer, put it on the lowest setting for only 20 minutes. This will preserve the fabric and make them last longer.

7. Not looking for group rates or sales when working with a personal trainer
I wrote an article a few years ago about hiring a personal trainer when you are on a budget. If you belong to a club, ask the staff if they have any personal training sales. If you have been training for a while, for your next block of sessions, ask for a discount for being a loyal and longtime paying client. If they won't give you a discount, see if they will pair you up with another member. Small group personal training can decrease the price of your sessions significantly. If the trainer is coming to your home, look for a friend(s) to exercise with you.

8. Buying diet delivery packages and not following the program
My friend just did this. She paid for the program and ended up giving away a lot of the food to me and my sister. She just wanted to lose a few pounds, but didn't stick to the plan. Again, you have to look into the mirror and be honest with yourself. If you are not going to stick with it or if you are going to eat out a lot with friends or co-workers during the week, don't purchase the program. Most of these programs renew after they send you a month of food, you have to cancel in order for them to stop sending you the meal plans.

Budget planner pdf printable

Budgeting will allows one to have more control over his or her money. Through planning a budget, you may have enough extra money for other unplanned bills and more. If you need extra help; try these editable printable budget sheets.
budget-planning-pdf
*Bear in mind that some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.

Comments

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  3. Thanks for the great info about what not to buy.

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  4. Thanks for the advice!

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