The "Y" - a Gym without the "GM"
For while now I have belonged to the local YMCA. It's a good deal - there are great facilities and a great atmosphere. I hardly even notice the one huge thing that's missing.
It's taxes! The YMCA is a non profit organization, so unlike for profit gyms it is tax exempt, and all proceeds go back into supporting the organization. It sounds like socialism - and it is. It's socialism with a lap pool :)
As a result of being tax-exempt my Y costs substantially less than a for profit gym with the same facilities. It's less that $50/month. Gyms with pools in my area are typically $70 or more.
If there's a Y in your area you may want to check it out. YMCA's typically have programs for folks of all abilities and ages.
-fg
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Another good thing about many Ys is that they offer classes, etc. on an a la carte basis. We used to belong to a really great Y that charged ~$40 for a family membership. You got full access to the facilities, but you had to sign up (and pay) for extras like aerobics classes, swim lessons, etc. This was great for us, because we just wanted a place to exercise. Unfortunately, when we moved we ended up near an all-inclusive Y. The cost was about double what we were used to, and we never used the extras. We ended up dropping our membership.
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fivecentnickel.com
