Just curious? I don't know if I would use it enough to make it worth my money. Maybe I should take that money and buy equipement instead? How often do you get to the gym? What do you do with your kids? What time of the day do you go. Okay,enough questions for now

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~Happiness is a large family~

I pay $50 a month for a family membership at the Y and it includes child care for both boys, use of the pool, FREE group classes, after school programs for the kids, use of the gyms (courts), cardio equipment, weight room, and full locker room. To me that is a GREAT deal.

Once we get to OKC, we will have our treadmill back from being in storage and my own gym set up in the garage which works great for me...especially on days when the kids are too sick to take to child care and on days when the weather is bad or if you are tight on time. I have 2lb -15 lb weights, a pilates ball, a tv/vcr and DVD player set up for my gym. It's all I need!

Our Y is about the same fee. Our Y also gets United Way $$ to offer discounts for low-income families - so that could be an option for others. Our Y also gives discounts for members who participate in sports and lessons - like swimming lessons and basketball. Just the discount on those activities alone was worth it to get a child's membership!

We go swimming once a week together and I workout 2-3 other times. I try to workout while DS is in school or at his regular after school care. As a working mom, I don't like that it takes time away from our already limited time together but I know I am a better mom if I take care of myself - emotionally and physically so that's why I do it. I've had exercise equipment at home in the past but I just don't use it. I'm more motivated if I go somewhere else.

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Better to give your kids the values you have
than the valuables you can't afford.

There is no Y around here.

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~Happiness is a large family~

I pay $33 a month (I paid it all up front so it is less - I think normally it is $39 when the membership fee is included). I never, ever thought I would join a gym for the same reasons you mentioned, but felt I needed to start doing weight training. I get plenty of cardio at home doing my own thing, but not weights. We don't have any extra room for my own personal gym - I wish!

I had a friend that joined and talked me into it. Our Y has child care, but, in my opinion, it is not child care I trust. (That is OUR Y, not every Y.) I didn't consider what they did child care. Anyways, my place is open until 8 every weeknight and open from 11-6 on Saturday and Sunday. It is also one of those women only places which was important to me.

If we go 12 times a month for 4 months in a row we get a free month so I will be getting 4 free months when my membership is up in June. I go at least 3 times a week, sometimes at night when dh gets home sometimes during MMO or my friend and I trade babysitting. That is what we did this morning. After getting everybody off to school, I went to her house, dropped my dd off to play with her ds, went and worked out, came back and watched the kids while she went and worked out. We do that at least twice a week.

So, I have averaged about 4 times a week. Sometimes more sometimes less. Hope that answers your questions.

Depending on what your needs are, and how you can fit in your exercise regime, it may be best to call a few places first (for their quotes), find out about their services, go and check them out and then decide.

If you don't think the commute is worth the effort, and they are asking too much and not offering enough, a home gym is just as effective. Home work out videos are definitely just as good as any personal trainer! And in my opinion, it's better to do something than to do nothing at all!

I actually just dropped my gym membership because they went up on the membership fees, it was gonna be over $100 a month for both my hubby and I, so we went and got a new treadmill and some other work out equipment. I work out after I drop my kids off at school and put on a movie for the two year old to watch in the room with me. I love working out at home.

We started at the Y for 58.00/family membership. Pretty much the same ammenties as Christy. I do much better working out away from home! Ours is literaly only a month old so its state of the art. The kids room is good and I really like the women in there as do the boys.

Do you want somewhere for both you and dh? You might like Curves but its women only.

I know at 24 hr fitness a membership costs around 35 a month and there's like a 100 fee to start. They have babysitting for certain hours that you can add to your membership or just pay 2-3 dollars per kid each time you go!
I have a membership to 24 but mine was FREE. My AWESOME SISTER got a job there a couple months ago and she gave me her free family member membership. Mine is an all club/unlimited baby sitting pass!! I LOVE IT!! I think the gym is well worth the money!

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Crystal
Mom to Paige & Faith

Dh belongs to the Y because usually he can find one fairly close to wherever he's traveling...it's pretty cheap, he just has a single person membership, he gets some money from his company to cover the cost. He also has a complimentary membership (thru his company) to a really nice gym near his office but since he travels so much, he doesn't get to use it as much as he'd like to, unfortuantely. If he was paying for it, it'd be $60 per month.