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Eight Ways to Lose Weight and Save Money

Jeffrey Strain

Saving money and losing weight are often at the top of the list for people who want to improve their lives. What most people don't realize is that they can often do both at the same time.

Many people's first instinct when they want to get more exercise is to join a gym. But if you spend the same amount of time doing other activities around your house, you could get a good workout and save the cost of the gym membership. In fact, if you take into account the time it takes to get to the gym, to get dressed for your workout, take a shower, change and get back home, you can often get in more exercise around the home.

It's often little things, like hanging clothes or vacuuming, that can give you a bit of light exercise, as well as save you money. Here are eight examples of such activities:

Mow the lawn/gardening: Taking care of your garden, cutting the lawn, trimming back trees, pulling weeds and planting can be a lot of hard work that will give you a good workout. Spending an hour or two each day taking care of your yard instead of going to the gym will mean that you don't need to hire someone to do the yard work for you. It will also mean that your yard is the envy of the neighborhood and will increase the value of your house. If you decided to plant a vegetable garden, you could even reduce your grocery bill, all while getting the exercise you wanted.

Clean the house: There are always plenty of things that need to be cleaned around any house. If you spend your time cleaning instead of going to the gym, you should be able to get plenty of exercise at any level you'd like. You can choose from light exercise like dusting, to more vigorous exercise such as vacuuming or lifting heavy objects.

If you pay for someone to clean, you can save this money. Keeping things clean will help make the items around your house last longer and make it much more organized, which will also help you save money.

Commute by bike: Instead of driving your car to work each day, try riding your bike. Even if it is not possible to ride your bike every single day, riding a couple of times a week will give you a great workout. In addition to not having to go to the gym, you will save the cost of gas and wear and tear on your car on the days you do ride.

Walk to stores: A good alternative to spending your time at the gym is to walk to the store to do your shopping rather than driving. This will give you plenty of exercise going to the store, and even more exercise coming back, as you will be carrying items.

Better yet, walking will help you reduce the amount that you purchase at the store. And it could help prevent extra trips -- since you know you will be walking, you have good motivation to write a list so that you don't accidentally forget something. Making a list also helps reduce impulse spending, saving you even more money.

Do it yourself: If there are projects you want done around the house, consider doing them yourself. Purchasing a do-it-yourself home improvement book is well worth the investment -- you will be surprised at how often you can do projects on your own. Just make sure that projects that you try are within your ability, or it will probably cost you a lot more in repair bills to fix your mistakes in the end.

Hang clothes to dry: Instead of simply throwing your clothes into the dryer, take a few minutes to hang them on a clothesline. This saves the energy of running your dryer, plus it will give you light exercise in carrying the clothes out, putting them up and bringing them in.

Wash and maintain your car: Keeping your car clean on the inside (extra weight will reduce gas mileage) and washing the car yourself (instead of taking it to a car wash) will give you a light workout and save you money. Plus, most people should have no problem doing minor maintenance on their car, such as changing filters, checking tire pressure and filling fluids.

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Take up an active hobby: While some might believe that taking up a hobby will cost you money, if it keeps you from sitting in front of the TV, you will probably come out well ahead in your finances. There are a large number of low-cost hobbies like hiking, biking and running that will give you the needed exercise and keep you from sitting in front of the television.

If you have the time and energy to go to a gym, replacing the time there with any of the above will still give you a good workout while saving you a lot of money in the process. As you get into the habit of getting your exercise by being productive, you not only will get in better shape, but you'll also increase your overall energy and your savings at the same time.