Jul 18 2010

Weekend Links: Fear of Gym Club Memberships

Posted by Simon Zhen in Carnivals and Links
0 Comments

Lately, I’ve been on the hunt for an affordable gym chain that does have really bad reviews when I type the company name and “scam” in a Google search. Most of the gyms around my area are notorious for smooth sailing up to the point where you want to terminate your membership.

For example, Bally’s gym scam revolves around a shady renewal/cancellation policy. Plenty of members have said that some gyms continue charging them despite no longer being a member or stating that their membership somehow was re-activated without their knowledge.

Many friends of mine are members of Bally’s and offered to refer me for a cheaper price. I’ve been skeptical and almost agreed at one time. But, I know that their content with the gym exists only because they haven’t tried to leave yet. That’s when the trouble starts.

Sigh. It is a fruitless endeavor.

The YMCA seems like a very nice place but it is definitely not one of the affordable options. I guess you get what you pay for in the fitness industry. But, the deceptive business practices of the popular chains are ridiculous.

Anyway, onto some more interesting stuff around the personal finance blogosphere:

Earn more money. It matters more than everything else combined. at Pop Economics. We always ramble on about how to save, budget, and invest but the key component to our personal finances is income. Without it, we cannot save more or invest more. So why don’t we care about making more money?
A Hypothetical Conversation Between a Stock Picker and an Indexer at AllFinancialMatters. This post offers a deeper look at the mechanics of the stock market that introduces an interesting reasoning for index funds. Great food for thought for every investor.
Beware when trying to find deals at Clever Dude. Bargains are not bargains if you end up spending more than you intended. All too often do we search for great deals online and end up buying things we don’t need – and we did it just because we thought we’d be saving a bunch when we really weren’t.

Check out these carnivals that Realm of Prosperity participated in: