8. Gym Memberships
Few charges are as opaque and inconsistent as gym memberships. You sign up during a promotion that promises you $10 a month, only to learn that there is also an “initiation fee” that tacks on $20, plus an annual membership fee that goes into effect a few months later.
Suddenly that $10 a month you thought you were getting has ballooned into a lot more. And that’s assuming you actually use it. According to StatisticBrain.com, 67 percent of Americans who joined a gym barely use them.
The average gym member goes just twice a week, even though they pay an average of $58 a month to be a member (“underutilizing” their membership, according to StatisticBrain, by $39 a month).
