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
Junk 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.
Read More
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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.
Melissa is a writer and virtual assistant. She earned her Master’s from Southern Illinois University, and her Bachelor’s in English from the University of Michigan. When she’s not working, you can find her homeschooling her kids, reading a good book, or cooking. She resides in New York, where she loves the natural beauty of the area.