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Do Fitness and Frugality Go Together?

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Fitness and Frugality

Maybe it’s just because of the impending spring-like weather, but it seems like I’ve seen a large number of fitness-related posts on many of the personal finance sites that I read.  This made me pose the question, do fitness and frugality go together?

Ways Fitness and Frugality Go Together

The answer is complicated.  Fitness and frugality can go together.  Think about this–by its very definition, frugality is the rationing and careful spending of resources.  In being frugal, we carefully budget our money.  We carefully check over the fliers and find the best deals on groceries.  Eventually, as we continue doing these things, they become second nature.  We do them almost without consciously knowing that we are.  It becomes a way of life.

Fitness is very much the same.

Ration Resources

In being fit, we ration our resources, eating only what our body needs.  This can lead to a slimmer physique and a reduced grocery bill.  There are also other ways being fit can help us ration our resources

Not Buying Junk Food

Save on Groceries by Limiting Junk FoodJunk food is expensive, and it also can be a contributing factor for piling on the pounds.  If your fit and healthy, you’ll likely buy more natural ingredients like vegetables, fruits, healthy grains, and proteins.  These can help you stay fit and lower your grocery bill.

Not Going to Restaurants

Even if you eat what you think is a healthy salad at a restaurant, you’re likely consuming many more calories, fat, and sugar than you think.  Plus, restaurant food isn’t cheap!  If you eat at home more, you’ll not only save money, but you’ll eat healthier because you know exactly what is going into your meals.  As a result, you’ll feel better.

Track Our Progress

We frugal people keep close track of how we are spending our resources and are constantly trying to find ways to improve our outcomes.

This skill can easily translate to fitness.  We can keep track of our fitness progress while also trying to run a faster mile, bench press more, and do more sit-ups and pull-ups.  This drive can make us fitter over the years.

Lower Medical Costs

People who are frugal are patient.  They’re used to waiting for a good deal.  They’re used to waiting to see their retirement grow, knowing that each bit they invest will help secure their future.

Likewise, in fitness, each exercise you do and each healthy food you eat helps future you by reducing your long-term medical costs.  Ideally, the more fit you are, the less you need to spend on medical bills in the future.

Final Thoughts

Fitness can be expensive if you let it.  You can pay for a monthly gym pass.  You can buy the latest exercise equipment.  But you don’t have to.

If you are frugal, you can find ways to save money while getting fit and improving your lifestyle.  Simply improve your diet and find frugal ways to exercise like walking, biking, running, or lifting weights at home.

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Incidentally, if you want an example of a truly frugal person, check out Cleverdude.com’s article on if it’s cheaper to fill your own balloons. Most people would just go and buy the balloons if they were throwing a party, but this guy ran the numbers to see if DIY was better. Which is super frugal in an awesome sort of way.

How to Authorize Another Person to Your Costco Membership

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How Many People Can Be on Your Costco Membership?

Costco continues to be a popular chain in the United States, and it’s growing throughout the world.  As of 2020 there were over 550 Costco stores in the United States.  While the vast majority of Costco members renew their membership every year, there are still some Americans who do not want to pay for a Costco membership.  Luckily, Costco makes allowances for that.  If you don’t currently have a Costco account, you’ll want to understand Costco’s guest policy as well as how many people can be on your Costco membership.

By the way, you also can buy dissertation online to save your own time.

Costco’s Guest Policy

Any member can bring up to one guest with them to the store.  However, only Costco members are allowed to make purchases.  If your guest wants to make a purchase, you will need to buy the items, and your friend will need to pay you back.

How Many People Can Be on Your Costco Membership?

Each Costco member who has a Gold Star membership is allowed to have one additional person on their membership.  This person must be in the same household and 18 years or older.

How at Authorize Another Person to Your Costco Membership

Adding an authorized user to your Costco membership is simple.  Just sign in to your account, click “My Account,” and go to “Account Details” to add the person you would like.   Then, that person can pick up their membership card at the local Costco you choose.

You can also easily change authorized users using the same steps.

How Much Is a Costco Membership?

Is a Costco Membership Worth It When Living Alone?
Photo by Henry & Co. on Unsplash

For people who don’t own a business, Costco offers two main membership types:

Gold Star Membership

A Gold Star Membership is Costco’s most basic type of membership.  This membership costs $60 per year, allows you one free household card, and is valid at any Costco worldwide.

Executive Membership

If you shop at Costco frequently or have a large family or hungry teens, you may want to consider upgrading to an Executive Membership, which costs $120.

An Executive Membership also includes one free household card and is valid at any Costco worldwide.  However, it has additional, significant benefits.  These include annual 2% reward on qualifying Costco purchases (this check is sent to use once per year, usually in the month your renewal is due), additional benefits on Costco Travel products and increased savings on other Costco services.

We have an Executive Membership, and each year, our 2% reward check is greater than the additional $60 this membership costs over the Gold Star Membership, essentially making this upgrade free.  Plus, we reap all the other benefits of an Executive Membership.

Final Thoughts

If you are on the fence about getting a Costco membership, try to see if a friend with a membership will let you accompany them to the store so you can see what it’s like, what products are offered, and how much they cost.

If you have a Costco membership, don’t forget to add a household member on to your Costco card for free.

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Spending Your Money Wisely

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Over the past year, there has been so much uncertainty that thinking about the future can be anxiety-riddled. From local stay-at-home-orders to disruptions in how we work, shop, and play, the situation seems to always change from one thing to another.

And if you want to end up broke, comfort spending is one of the more convenient ways to do it.

During the pandemic, specific industries like cosmetics and sun care reported a sharp decline in products purchased. Several other consumer goods saw a massive uptick in sales.

The leading cause of these changes has been that more and more people are shopping from home with delivery services.

The ease that shopping from home has can also be an issue for overspending. And as we know, overspending can be one of the simplest ways we go broke and ruin our budget.

Regardless of your needs, shopping smartly and not overpaying for food is crucial in today’s environment of economic uncertainty.

It’s The Little Things That Add Up

To save money on food, you should consider alternatives to processed, high-fat, high-sugar items and think about shopping for food in their natural forms.

Foods in their natural state can be versatile ingredients for many different recipes, and combining other things is a great way to make delicious, healthy meals while saving some money along the way.

When grocery shopping, consider buying for a more plant-based diet versus meats, buying bulk grains like rice instead of packaged meals, and most of all, remember that you can shop cheaply and still eat healthily.

In addition to being expensive, processed and junk foods don’t offer much in the way of nutrition.

They are often loaded with fat, sugar, and salt as well.

It’s Just One Cup Of Coffee

One of the most significant luxury items that we spend money on is coffee. In fact, it’s thought that you could save $1,200 or more a year by making coffee at home and not purchasing it from a local coffee shop.

That little one cup of coffee can cost between $3-4 dollars a day, spread out over 30 days is almost $100 a month. $100 a month times 12-months, and you can see how that adds up.

If saving money on your coffee is one thing you want her thing to consider, make small batches such as a single cup of coffee at a time. No, not a Keurig cup. Those are costly, and they create a ton of debris as well. Instead, consider making a small batch of coffee, such as with a pour over coffee technique.

With this technique, you make one or two cups at a time by filling a filter or french press and pouring hot water over the grounds into one mug, wasting little additional coffee grounds in the process.

Making coffee at home doesn’t mean that you need never buy another cup in a coffee shop again. Just be reasonable and budget for it as you would any other expense. An occasional cup from your favorite spot is fine.

But it needs to fit in as a luxury item or reward for some other task you have to perform first.

There are numerous ways to save money, from making food and coffee at home to cutting back on purchases you don’t need.

Whimsical Purchases

Buying something on a whim can lead to other costly purchases that can disrupt the delicate balancing act you’ve created with your budget, so be sure that the purchase is something you need.

If it’s crucial, shop around and see if you can find a lower price online as well as in person.

One final way to overspend with comfort purchases is by buying too many things for our children.

Look, I get it; it’s easy to want to make your kids happy and comfortable in all that’s taken place over the past year.

But buying every little toy, device, or thing just because they say they’re bored or disinterested doesn’t help them develop coping mechanisms. It reinforces quick fixes for something that may take time to correct.

Spending outside of your budget is one of the easiest ways for you to go broke and is also one of the easiest ways to control unnecessary spending.

Creating a budget is an excellent first step, but what you choose to spend money on is also just as crucial in keeping above water with your finances.