Goodbye 24 Hour Fitness!

I've spent about $600 a year on a gym membership that I've used about 20 times, total. It's time to quit the gym.

My boyfriend and I signed up at 24 Hour Fitness in 2006. We both wanted to get in shape, and signing up for a gym with around-the-clock access seemed like a good idea. We didn't even look at any other gym.

The membership services guy gave us a couple's "deal" (yea right) where we'd pay initiation fees for "only" one of us, and that we'd get one monthly membership at 1/2 off. What did that amount to? My bf paid the initiation fee (something like $150?) and I was stuck with the $46.99 a month membership. He pays $23 a month.

Since signing up, I kept the membership, thinking maybe the monthly bill would encourage me to work out. Not so. Instead, I just kept wasting money.

In the recent weeks, I've been doing a barter with a personal trainer who I'm designing a website for. She works at Golds Gym and offered me a free month's pass to try out the gym while I get my training sessions. Golds Gym is much, much nicer. It's not open 24 hours, but really my bf is the one who likes to work out at 3am. I prefer 11pm. And most night's they're open until midnight.

Besides, Gold's Gym is actually cheaper. Their monthly rates are about the same, but if I sign up for a long-term membership, I can get $19 a month rates. I'm not ready to sign up for a membership like that, but if I decide I can't live without the gym, I think I can handle a long-term commitment of $19 a month.

Meanwhile, I can get a special $34 a month deal (monthly dues) since I'm training with this woman. That's a good way to get me to want to join a gym.

The bad news is that 24 Hour Fitness requires 30 days notice before cancellation (of course) - so after spending an hour on hold and talking to some outsourced customer service agent who tried to convince me to keep my membership (switch to a one-club membership and it will only be $36 a month. How about you put your membership on hold for just $7 a month and you can sign up again any time without paying initiation fees) I finally canceled my membership. I'll be paying the $46.99 one last time, and then I'm out. My membership ends March 5, 2007.

That's what I call freedom.