In honor of National Thrift Week, I bring you 12 ways to get fit without spending a lot of money.
1. Look at your company health plan. Does it cover gym or other fitness costs? At the very least, are you using your HSA plan to reduce medical/health spending?
2. Buy exercise equipment on Craigslist, Kijiji, or Ebay. Large equipment like treadmills and ellipticals go fast on Craigslist, so when you see, it, grab it. Look especially in January/Feb and around typical moving times (early and late summer).
3. Work out to DVDs – they’re cheaper than a gym membership and you can easily Netflix or borrow from the library. Or trade with friends.
4. Work out to the FIT channel. There is something for everyone there, I promise.
5. Get outside! Get outside! GET OUTSIDE!!!
6. Actually USE the gym membership you’ve been paying for about a year now. Yes, I’m talking to you.
7. Make a weekly menu plan. Stop throwing away those veggies! Pull them out of your crisper drawer and put them on an eye-level shelf. A plan keeps your spending in check, and it can help mindless eating since you know what and when you’ll eat again.
8. Improvise your own weights: water bottles, cans, etc. or buy a resistance band.
9. Look for cheaper fitness apparel – Target’s Champion line is fab — but don’t skimp on a few crucials, like shoes and sports bras.
10. Downsize your plate: split an entree when eating out, or just order an appetizer for your meal. American restaurant portions are so out of control that sometimes I literally get ill just looking at my plate.
11. Barter services with a personal trainer — any PTs out there in need of a writer? 
12. Go for low-gear fitness: running, yoga, pilates, walking. If you walk around your neighborhood you don’t even need actual workout wear — jeans and sneaks are fine.