For December I was given a free month at a nearby gym and surprised myself by attending an average of 4 times a week to a variety of classes. There are lots of options to go around my work schedule and it helped fill some of the down time I have too much of so I think I will stick with it throughout 2015. I even used my Google calendar to track the classes I actually attended which will help compare number of visits to monthly cost. Physically I noticed that I slept better and ate less in the evening after working out. It is funny how a morning workout, which I usually prefer, increases how much I eat throughout the day and does not seem to help me sleep at all. As an added plus they have a hot tub and the one at my complex is always broken which annoys me.

Thanks to my employer I was able to get the required upfront first and last month’s membership fees waived and $20 off my monthly membership for as long as I have it. Plus they had an end of the year special that reduced the application fee to just $10. If that is not enough they then told me that they now allow members the option of coming in and paying in cash each month instead of mandatory auto billing! They do require a card on file in case you do not come in on time, but I had no problem using my prepaid Amex debit card, which also keeps them away from my personal accounts.

In other expenses news I have completed my tracking for December and wow it is weird to see all my money listed like that. It is very helpful though to know where every cent went and to have a little bit of money left over for once. I cannot wait to see what my household bills are actually like each month now that I am finally caught up.

A couple of categories seemed high such as Clothing/Accessories and Dining/Drinks Out so I will watch those closely next year. Other categories were surprisingly low such as Gas and Entertainment, so I am curious if that is the norm for this time of year or not. I will have a better idea next year.