The fact that I’m frugal spreads over into every part of my life, from my diet and clothing, to my health routines. Of course, I wouldn’t sacrifice my health just to save a buck, but I do look for free ways to work out.
A lot of doctors recommend walking, but since I live in Tucson, Arizona, walking outdoors any time between the hours of 6am and 9pm isn’t going to happen, especially during the summer. I don’t like being uncomfortable, and trudging around in the heat kills any of my good intentions to exercise. Staying indoors where the temperature is nice year-round gives me the incentive to set aside time for myself each day to exercise.
Sometimes I work out to Tae Bo, power yoga and other DVDs I find at yard sales and the dollar stores, but that can get boring after awhile, plus I wanted more of a challenge. I’ve always wanted a set of weights and an elliptical machine, but how to get these for free? After all, every penny I bring in goes for bills and grocery shopping.
I decided to go through my house and see if there was anything I wanted to get rid of. I found some old video games, boxes of books, and some furniture we weren’t using. I then put an ad on Craiglist saying I had this list of items for sale or trade and was looking for a set of weights and an elliptical machine.
That same day I had sold 13 boxes of books—yes, I’m a book fanatic—and swapped some for a set of hand weights. Not a bad deal. I didn’t have any luck with the elliptical, though I did get an offer of a recumbent bike. The person was giving it away for free so I went and picked it up.
This was good for a few months, but I still wanted that elliptical. I decided to check Craigslist to see if anyone was looking for a recumbent bike. Call it coincidence or serendipity, but a woman was getting rid of her gym quality elliptical machine in exchange for a recumbent bike since she had had knee surgery and couldn’t use her machine any longer. She offered to bring it over since she just wanted it out of her house.
Thanks to my patience and perseverance I now have a nice home gym I put together for nearly free. Taking care of your health doesn’t have to be expensive, simply find something you enjoy doing then start looking on Craigslist and your local newspaper for gym equipment you’d like to have. There’s no rush, so don’t spend your hard earned money on something you can get for next to nothing.