Monday, March 21, 2011
By Jill Renaud

This is a guest post by Beeminder user Jill Renaud.

I hate my current gym. It is a budget gym with no classes, machines in disrepair, and the other members can be downright rude. I can be patiently waiting for a machine and be cut off by a gym rat. A literal rat. (Kidding. It’s not quite that bad.) So I visited a much nicer gym and want to join. The gym has two main membership options: month to month, with no contract, at a cost of $75 per month; or a longer-term contract (1 year for$750, 2 years for $1200, or 3 years for$1500). Assuming that I will actually use the gym membership for the duration of the contract, it makes the most financial sense to buy a long term contract. The three-year membership is the most economical, working out to $41.67 per month, which would save$1125 compared to buying month-to-month.

#### The savings are predicated on the assumption that you actually consistently use the gym.

Of course, gyms know that actual attendance — especially over the course of years — doesn’t always align with the good intentions you had when you were signing up and they make a killing by offering these sorts of contract “savings” because the savings are predicated on the assumption that you actually consistently use the gym over the entire contract period. So how can I ensure consistent use of the gym? Beemind it of course. ;) [1]

One of the main reasons that I want to join this gym is for the fitness classes. I have found that historically I have no problem doing cardio. I’m the typical female cardio queen at the gym: I am naturally inclined towards cycling, walking, jogging, using the elliptical, etc., but I cannot compel myself to pick up a weight. A membership at this gym allows me to attend several free weightlifting/resistance classes, which I need, but I cannot take these classes if I am not a member of the gym. I value these classes at about $10 per class so if I attend 4.17 classes per month (approximately 1 per week) then I would break even with the$41.67/month membership. If I attend a resistance-type class twice a week then it’s a great deal and I think that is reasonable to expect of myself in order to get in shape.

Building in a safety buffer, I have decided that 1.8 classes per week (9 every 5 weeks) would still be cost-efficient and help me meet my fitness goals.

Of course, for a Beeminder road to be successful, I must feel that it is high-stakes enough to force me to reach my goal. I have decided, arbitrarily, to risk $1125, which is the amount that the three-year membership saves me over the course of the gym membership contract. As it goes with Beeminder contracts this means that I will have to pay out$1125 to the owner of the contract if I ever go below my Yellow Brick Road:

Now the question becomes: who is the lucky winner of my contract? (Bids are welcome in the comments. Read the fine print.)

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