to go to the gym or buy a treadmill

That is the question. I like to compare cost. So if I look at something basic, for instance the local Salvation Army Community Center that opened near our home; the cost for a year membership is $360/person plus the registration fee of $50. Multiply that by two and you get $820/year. Or we could purchase monthly memberships for the months of December, January and February. The monthly fee is $30 plus the registration fee (in both scenarios I am assuming we each have to pay the registration fee), again $50/each. 30 x 3 = 90 + 50 = 140 x 2 = 280. Okay, $280 isn't bad for three months.

Or, we could go to the mall and walk there for free. I now have my fancy pedometer that lets us know how far we've walked. That will only cost us gas, and the distance to the mall is 2.62 miles. If we average 25mpg that equals $.66 to the mall and back. We should be walking every day, but life has been busy. Let's say we walk three times a week 3 x .66 = 1.98 x 4 = 7.92 let's just round that up to $8/month is what we would pay to go walk for free.

Or, we could purchase a treadmill. I've been looking online at different models, prices and reviews. Let's take an average treadmill at $600 (I would use an incline, but not the "crosswalk" arm things). We would use it during the winter months or when it's raining. Both Bill and I would use it and we could use it every day. It would only take two winter seasons to have gotten our monies worth out of it. Of course, that's assuming it lasts for more than two years. While the cost of the "gym" membership would now be doubled because that's another year we have to pay for.

Or, we keep walking at the mall, dorks and all. For $24 a season until we have the money to buy a treadmill.