Is the economy affecting your fitness purchases?

[Joanna]

Not really, only because I don't buy much to begin with. I have mostly learned that anything not by Leslie Sansone is not worth my money I do like some of the Beachbody stuff, but they don't come out with new stuff which interests me as often anymore. And I will buy the Quick Fix/Ten Minute Solution ones which are not kickboxing or pilates, but there are not many of those and when they do come out, they are pretty cheap. If I were a Cathe fan or something like that, I might be more careful. But I really don't buy much anymore. I have learned what works for me!

[Gymmie]

I'm a No as well. I'm also picky about what I like so I generally only buy maybe 3-4 times a year as it is due to that. There have been others that have intrigued me but haven't quite checked them out yet.

I've had my eye on ChaleneX for a long while and that I'm still buying and then I have Squeeze Stronger, the next SWAT and I think that's it for this year.

I still want to get P90X+ but that probably won't be until next year.

[Taramisu]

It hasn't affected me, but I haven't bought much this year anyway, aside from a few used VHS from Amazon here and there. I sold off/traded/donated about 1/3 of my collection last year and am content with what I have. Like others have said, I know now what I like and don't like. Anything that is not a must have goes out the door. I have pretty much just kept my favorites and I have realized that I do not need anything more.

I am surrounded by people who are really struggling, really makes me think about how I spend my money. I try to think long and hard about whether I need something before buying it.

[Fitter50s]

The economy has put a damper on my purchases, although it's actually just postponing my more well-thought-out purchases.

If I were smart, I'd just stop buying and use what I have now--approximately 100 dvds--I certainly wouldn't lack in variety.

[shirleyj62]

It hasn't affected my purchases too much. Most of the workouts I have came from thrift stores ($0.99 to 1.99). There isn't a whole lot new out there I really want to purchase. I probably will purchase one of the new Gin Miller W/O, but that may be it.

The economy HAS affected my life otherwise -- I had planned to retire this summer, but with the dwindling 403's and the gas prices, that went on hold.

Sure hope it recovers soon.

shirley

[roz]

Originally Posted by Lexy

The economy is affecting my LIFE! We have plans to retire in another year or two and our investments are now worth 2/3rds of what they were a few months ago. Very depressing.

I'm sorry to hear that. I fell badly for the people that are (were?)close to retirement.
At least the scheme to privatize social security never came to pass.

I never purchased too many workouts, so I have not had any real changes.

[SharonNYC]

Originally Posted by roz

I'm sorry to hear that. I fell badly for the people that are (were?)close to retirement.
At least the scheme to privatize social security never came to pass.

Yes, and I hope that idea doesn't come back in some way. Since I've already retired I can just watch my small pension fund and hope it remains stable. So far, so good. People like me will be okay if that stays true and if social security doesn't take a hit, and both of us remain in good health (always a big if).

I think a lot of people are in Lexy's shoes these days. Our investment situation is so small it's not going to make much difference but hoards of people are depending on their retirement funds and it does cause a lot of mass anxiety.

[Lexy]

Absolutely. Retirement seemed so near a year ago and now so far. It will take years probably for us to get our money back to where it was.

I'm hoping that we get to SEE our social security when the time comes. That may go poof, too.

[FitBoop]

I'm sorry that so many people are struggling these days. I never dreamed that things would be the way they are now, and I regret having bought as much "stuff" as I did over the years. I keep thinking that I wish I had saved the money that I spent on "stuff."

I think it's going to be a long time before things improve a lot, and it could get even worse (hopefully not). It brings a whole new perspective to spending and to the value of what we are buying.

I think that the fact that we like to exercise at home is great, because it is more economical to work out at home rather than pay for classes or a gym membership.

[roz]

Originally Posted by Abbe

I'm sorry that so many people are struggling these days. I never dreamed that things would be the way they are now, and I regret having bought as much "stuff" as I did over the years. I keep thinking that I wish I had saved the money that I spent on "stuff."

I think it's going to be a long time before things improve a lot, and it could get even worse (hopefully not). It brings a whole new perspective to spending and to the value of what we are buying.

I think that the fact that we like to exercise at home is great, because it is more economical to work out at home rather than pay for classes or a gym membership.

Abbe, I can understand why you might have never dreamed things would be this way. I think it is a cultural thing. Optimism is so valued in this country and optimism in part has led us to the state the economy is in. People made home buying decisions based on the idea of a rosier (financially) future.
I guess I have always been something of a pessimist. Even back in 1999 when things were just humming along I thought "things can't be like this always". It was crazy, my husband was always getting calls from recruiters. I decided to go to nursing school because it seemed to offer a good balance of job security, decent pay, and a degree of satisfaction (and I would not have to sit at a desk all day!). I would not say it was my dream job, but I never really had any dream job, anyway. I find I'm satisfied with what I do. At the same time, I've always saved for a rainy day (or more like a rainy year or two) because I am a pessimist.
I bought a small car because I figured gas could not stay cheap forever.
I suppose what I am trying to say is that, I just think we get the message all the time that you should "follow your dream" because "dreams can come true if you work hard enough" and that an optimistic attitude is always the way to go. We get these messages all the time!
Sometimes, pessimism can lead to satisfaction too though! My husband's job situation remains good. He still gets a fair share of calls from recruiters. I have some job security. And-- we have a very manageable house payment because we based our purchase on what we could comfortably afford 10 years ago.
Of course, the lending and real estate industries were all to happy to propagate these messages of optimism (as well as engage in predatory practices.)