After months of debate, a few free “try-me” sessions, and a serious yearning for better strength/flexibility, I bit the bullet and joined the local gym.  With the impending $59/month fee due to kick in November 1st, I’ve done some thinking about how to rearrange my finances to account for this new monthly bill.

As a side note, while this fee is a bit on the steep side, it does provide literally everything I could ask for in a gym in an urban area, there are multiple, convenient locations all through Boston that I can go to at any time, and it adds an extra incentive for sticking with my fitness regimen because I’ve never paid for the gym before—if I’m paying for it now, my butt will be there!

While this is by no means a burden with regards to my monthly expenses, I don’t want to simply tack on another expense without compensating/cutting from another area.  My solution?  To cut back on my miscellaneous spending (which is also a goal for this month).  As simple as this solution seems, it’s opened up a new lens through which to view my spending habits.

Currently, my miscellaneous spending is what is posted in each of my “weekly spending” updates:  a mish-mash of spending on groceries, gas, eating out, shopping, etc.  For years I spent blindly in these categories (specifically, ahem, the shopping) and only recently (the last 2 years or so) have I begun to actually track this category–to the penny!

By reviewing my glorious Excel spreadsheets, I’ve identified 3 potential places to cut back:  eating out, clothing, and random expenses (what I endearingly refer to as the “lazy” category–things like parking tickets, ATM fees, etc.).  By establishing a clear budget for each of these categories, the goal is to spend as if I were using an envelope system:  once it’s gone, it’s gone for the month!

The gym fee will be paid through “savings” in these categories and an eventual tandem goal is to cut back the total amount for my monthly miscellaneous spending.  Stay tuned for updates on my progress.