How to Stop a Gym Membership From Wrecking Your Finances

At this time of year, it seems like everyone is signing up for a gym membership.  Improving one’s physical fitness is one of the most common New Year’s resolutions.  Gyms know this, so they advertise relentlessly around the holidays.  Of course, it is hard to find the time to go to the gym and even harder to get out of a gym membership.  They tend to renew themselves indefinitely and make you jump through all kinds of hoops if you try to cancel your membership.  Most of us just keep paying, because we are disappointed in ourselves for not reaching our fitness goals, and also because we are two busy trying to cobble enough gigs to pay our bills that we don’t have the energy to go through all the steps gyms require you to take before they stop charging your credit card.  A Plantation debt lawyer can help you if joining a gym has made your bank account slimmer while doing nothing for your physique.

Get Fit Without Joining a Gym

If you haven’t joined a gym, don’t.  No one expects you to be able to afford to buy workout equipment or to find a place for it in your cramped apartment, but there are ways to exercise without joining a gym.  Take fitness classes, such as yoga or Zumba, at a dance studio or community center that doesn’t require you to buy a membership.  Many universities have fitness centers where students and employees can work out at little or no cost.  Sidewalks are scarce in South Florida, and even when you find them, you have to share them with lizards, bicycles, and the occasional motor vehicle, but you can find a place to go for a walk on your days off from work, such as Sawgrass Mills or T.Y. Park.

Steel Yourself for a Fight to Cancel Your Gym Membership

Canceling a gym membership is a marathon, not a sprint, but your bank account will thank you for it.  It may require multiple phone calls with long wait times, filling out multiple forms, and even a trip to the gym to cancel your membership in person, but it is worth it.

Dealing With Residual Debt From Gym Memberships

If your gym has been auto-charging your credit card for years, then canceling your membership will stop the new charges from accumulating, but you will still be stuck with the credit card debt from all the months that you meant to cancel your membership but didn’t get around to it.  If you have a steady income, then making a budget that prioritizes debt repayment will gradually get rid of those leftover gym membership charges.  If not, debt consolidation or filing for bankruptcy protection may be a better option.

Work With a Debt Lawyer About Coping With Gym Membership Debt

A South Florida debt lawyer can help you repay or discharge your gym membership debt, freeing up funds and mental energy to pursue your fitness goals.  Contact Nowack & Olson, PLLC in Plantation, Florida to discuss your case.

Source:

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