Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Exercising your muscles not your credit cards...

While enjoying my Sunday paper this cloudy winter day, I noticed that most - if not all - of the sales revolved around weight loss equipment.  Sales on dumbells, kettlebells, ellipticals and scores of workout tapes.  A virtual cornucopia of products you NEED to buy if you want to get in shape. 

 
(Buy me!  cries the Total Gym, right before Chuck Norris roundhouse kicks you into submission.)

 
What these big stores DON'T want you to know is that you can do a lot of the exercises they are pushing WITHOUT the big equipment.
 
 
*******PLEASE NOTE:BEFORE ATTEMPTING ANY NEW WORKOUT OR EXERCISE ROUTINE, SPEAK WITH YOUR DOCTOR*******
 
Got a second floor to your house or a set of basement stairs?  Perfect, my own private stairmaster awaits me in the comfort and privacy of my home.  I just turn on my MP3 player and my cardio is done for he day.
 
Have some heavy bottles, cans or boxes?  Free weights for free!  My personal favorite is using the bottle of pancake syrup as a free weight.  36 ounces of buttery muscle building.  When I'm comfortable, I plan to graduate to a 12 pack of soda cans. 
 
 
 
(Beefcaaaaaake!)
 
 
If you are like me, you like people yelling at you to "Keep moving!" and "Don't give up!"  Exercise tapes can be fun and help you be successful, but they can also be expensive!  Most retail somewhere in the $15 range, though some can go as high as $30.  I'm not looking to spend any money on anything, whether I use it every day or not.  My local library is a great resource for all things, including VHS (yes, I know it is 2015) and DVDs.  Borrowing tapes is free, plus I get a variety of different kinds of exercises.  Free is for me!
 
So, my loyal readers (and hopefully you are out there) save some cash this Winter, and get creative while you get in shape!
 
 
 
PS - Still in the market for some "new" equipment?  Check out these sites for some great at home fitness deals and tips for those on a budget
 
 
www.freecycle.com - here you can find exercise equipment and or videos that people are looking to GIVE away.  check here before spending any money in the stores.  but buyer beware, and be careful folks!
 
 
www.youtube.com - a plethora of at home workout videos abound on this free site.  pick and choose to make your perfect workout
 
*****ONCE AGAIN PLEASE CONSULT A DOCTOR BEFORE YOU BEGIN ANY EXERCISE ROUTINE******

Friday, January 2, 2015

Welcome Back!

Welcome to 2015!  The  year went by super fast, and I can't believe what has and, more importantly, hasn't been done by the Smith Family. 

The DH and I have been talking recently about plans for the year ahead, and the ones after that.  We've never really been "planners" in the sense of writing things down and sticking to them.  We've always just flown by the seat of our pants and gotten by, even if getting by meant using a credit card to get what we needed/wanted and worrying about the cost later.

We've decided that this year we are going to work toward solvency.  We've got a hefty credit card debt that I'd like to see vanish.  We're not behind on our bills or delinquent, but I'd still like to stop paying interest on a bed I purchased 3 years ago.

(PS - I despise that bed, so still having to pay for it makes me ANGRY!!!!)
 
 
So once again, I invite you to join us on this journey as we work toward getting a better grip on all things financial in our household.
 
Throughout the year you will see posts about saving money, changing spending habits, couponing, and much much more.  So welcome to The Penny Pinchers!