Handling stress during a financial crisis

Ran across this fabulous piece by Diane Bergman this morning about how to manage stress during a financial crisis. I thought it had some actual helpful practical ideas beyond the typical Stay Positive! line you usually find in articles like this (although it did include that). I've found when you're swimming in the midst of a true financial crisis and the stress is just drowning you and taking over your life, some of these tips can actually work to pull you back out. They won't necessarily fix the problem, but doing some of them can help change your perspective, give you hope, and help you better navigate the crisis. So check out the article and I hope it can bring a little light to those in otherwise seemingly world-ending situations.

Gym memberships for less

Did you know the YMCA offers financial assistance for memberships? I recently received a flyer in the mail with this information and thought I’d go check it out. I had always assumed the Y cost a small fortune to join, especially since the one by us has a pool and offers childcare.

Turns out, not only do they have some great programs, many of which are included, but their membership fees are pretty comparable to other area gyms. Years ago, (we’re talking more than 10 years here) I had a membership to Club One, subsidized through my employer at the time. Their enrollment fee back then was something crazy like $300, and my monthly membership was $65 if I remember correctly. After doing research into other gyms in the Peninsula area, I’ve been hard-pressed to find too many gyms that charge less than $60 or so a month. Well, for an individual membership, the YMCA charges a pretty reasonable $90 enrollment fee and $70 a month. Wow. If you account for inflation, the Y membership is much, much cheaper. For a two-parent family membership, kids included, enrollment is $150 and the monthly fee is $108. The family membership includes ALL dependents living at your address under 24 years of age. So if you have one kid or six, you can all use the facilities. They also have discounted rates for seniors, teens, and college-age adults.

So onto what membership includes. You get full use of the facilities, which house a lap pool, family pool, full workout room with weights and cardio machines. You have access to something crazy like 200 classes a month, FREE childcare, up to two hours per day while you work out (which includes enclosed outdoor play time for the kids). They also have all sorts of additional and some included programs like kids dance classes, swimming classes and youth camps.

This place is also crazy family-oriented like no other gym I’ve found in my area. As long as kids pass a safety test, they’re allowed to work out in the weight/cardio room at age 8. They also offer a number of parent-child exercise classes, and special family pool time.

If the membership fees are out of your budget, and let’s be honest, if you’re reading this, you probably don’t have an extra $70-100 a month to spend on working out, just ask for a financial aid application at the front desk. You can apply for assistance with gym costs or for things like the youth camp programs. I’m not sure what the income cutoff is, and I would assume it probably varies by where you live. To check out your local YMCA facility, see their website.