Feeling fat and flabby? All that food, alcohol and sitting around over Christmas does wonders for fitness centres' coffers.
But many new recruits are more likely to burn more money than fat in the coming months, thanks to the fact that most New Year's resolutions have fallen by the wayside come February 1.
Christmas and New Year's resolutions, combined with a press release from the YMCA taking a shot at budget gyms, got me thinking.
I once belonged to the skankiest gym in the Western world.
The Manchester-based gym charged me an unbelievably low £15 a month with no joining fee. I worked out that each visit cost me 75 pence. At that price, it was possible to overlook the peeling paint and shabby showers. More importantly, it was 30 metres from my workplace, which meant I could work out at lunchtime.
Don't get me wrong. A session at an exclusive gym rates pretty highly in my list of luxuries in life. On the other hand, getting fit really doesn't require that you bankrupt yourself. Gym machines are gym machines and do more or less the same job. Even the skanky ones in Manchester.
The budget gym that seems to be arousing the ire of established names is Jetts Fitness, which jumped the ditch from Australia in June and now has 11 franchises in Auckland, Wellington and Dunedin.
The chain has modern equipment but operates with shoestring staff. Gym users swipe themselves in, do their workout and leave - sometimes without seeing a staffer.
The joining fee is $99. Over and above that fee, you're not tied into a long-term contract - paying a fortnightly amount of $23.95 as an individual, which can be cancelled at any time.
The cheapest Jetts' membership is $10 a week per person if you pay for a year and join with a family member.
All gyms, not just budget ones, have good deals at times.
If you wait, it's possible to get a membership without paying an upfront fee - such as at the Heath & Sports Fitness Centre in Kingsland, which has waived its joining fee until the end of summer.
Other ways to save on gym membership include:
* Buy or hire your own gym equipment.
* Try to piggyback on a friend's in-house apartment or workplace gym.
* Watch one-day sales websites such as GrabOne.co.nz and DailyDo.co.nz - they have some phenomenal deals.
* Haggle: gyms, like every other business, can be bargained.
* Check out council-run gyms and swimming pools that offer cheap deals. Even schools, such as Long Bay College, have gyms.
* Buy your membership on Trade Me and benefit from someone else's mistake. People often buy a year's membership but need to move away or simply don't use it. They're usually obligated to keep paying for a year or 24 months. You can often pick up the unwanted membership virtually free, providing you sign over to pay the weekly or monthly instalment.
This story has been changed from an earlier version, which incorrectly listed the membership price for Jetts Fitness. The correct price is $23.95 a fortnight.
