Frugal Fitness: Shopping for Workout Clothes
As if gym memberships and personal training sessions weren’t expensive enough, gym-appropriate attire can really squeeze your wallet if you don’t budget beforehand. Thanks to their special fabrics (stretchy and moisture-wicking, usually), workout clothes tend to be more on the pricy side of the clothing spectrum and if you’re planning on dropping a few sizes in the coming months, having to constantly update your workout wardrobe can be a financial nightmare. No worries, however: there are plenty of alternatives to buying expensive, brand name workout clothes.
First: Check Your Closet
Before you go out and spend $100+ on fitness attire, first check your closet to see if you have some t-shirts and sweatpants or shorts that you can wear for the time being. All too often, people go out and spend a bunch of money on fancy workout clothes to go with their pricy gym membership, only to stray away from the gym a few months down the line. Until you’ve made working out a habit and can commit to purchasing gym-specific clothes because you know you’ll really use them, wear exercise-appropriate clothes that you already own.
Sporting Goods Store
Specialty stores selling sporting goods tend to be more expensive than say, Target, but you can still find some great deals if you check out their clearance rack. Here you can find top-notch clothes at prices you won’t see elsewhere, but their availability of sizes is very limited. If you can’t find what you’re looking for in the clearance section, then browse through their local ads or check out SumoCoupon for store or manufacturers’ coupons.
Discount Clothing Stores
Nordstrom Rack, T.J. Maxx, and Ross Dress for Less all offer brand name clothing at heavily discounted prices. These clothes didn’t sell at the main department stores, but a clothing brand’s popularity (or lack thereof) shouldn’t impact your shopping decisions, especially if going to a discount store such as the ones previously listed can help you save a couple hundred dollars per year on workout clothes.
Target, Wal-Mart, Old Navy
If discount clothing stores don’t suit your needs, then your next best bet would be to scope out Target, Wal-Mart, and Old Navy’s workout sections. Target, for instance, carries the C9 line by the high-quality fitness-clothing brand, Champion, but charges much less than what you’d expect to pay for clothing of this caliber. Wal-Mart also has a surprisingly large selection of workout clothes, from gym shorts and athletic shoes to sports bras and moisture-wicking tops. If you need to update your workout wardrobe as your waistline shrinks, this is probably one of the best options to keep costs to a minimum.
Amazon.com
Known for selling thousands of great products at affordable prices, Amazon.com has an entire category dedicated to exercise and fitness clothing for you to browse through. There are currently over 75,000 different items in this category, but you can narrow your search depending on what type of clothes your looking for, sizes, brands, and so on. Before buying something from a store in your area, check Amazon first to see if they offer the same item at a lower price.
Image courtesy of Photostock/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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