Any money-saving articles worth their weight will explain that cancelling gym membership is one of the easiest ways to cut a big expense from the monthly budget. After all, why pay £500 a year for the option to use a running machine when you have access to the outside? In fact, in this office no-one who is signed up to a gym is getting their money's worth. It is therefore a waste of money.
But now, depending on who you believe, there is a £70 alternative to the gym - a computer game called Wii Fit.
Nintendo, its creator, is shifting 90 every minute and judging by the online commentaries it is fast becoming the dinner party conversation piece to replace the house in France.
It's life changing, says Daniel, fantastic, says everyone at Play.com with more of the same from Amazon.
Reassuringly, some people are able to see through the hype.
Unsurprising, perhaps, personal trainers aren't that impressed. But then Wii Fit threatens their livelihood. More rational is Michelle, who asks: How long does the fun last? And that's the rub. Like the real gym and the house in France, you pay your money, talk about it for a while, use it a couple of times and forget about it. It's just a computer game.
So here's our advice. If you have a Wii console already and you want one of these games, don't buy it now! The touts are charging more than £120, you can afford to wait. In our experience, one site that may have stock when others are sold out (probably because the site hardly ever seems to work properly) is the oft-forgotten Dixons.co.uk. You can sign up now for an alert to tell you when it's in stock. Littlewoods.co.uk on the other hand guarantees delivery within 26 weeks - that's half a year.
If you don't have a console and you want this game you won't get much change from £300. And if you're the kind of person who signs up to a gym and doesn't use it, don't waste your money on this.
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We bought a Wii Fit as a family one week ago, and if we never use it again we have had far more than £70 worth of enjoyment out of it already. Eight of us are registered, we have had great fun competing against each other, seeing who can beat who, and once someone gets a record, someone else is determined to beat it. We have laughed together as a family more than we ever have before (especially the kids at mum doing the balance games). This is *not* just another computer game, it is the best £70 I ever spent, and there are tons of exercises to keep you entertained until Wii Fit 2 comes out. I have spent an hour every day on it, and haven't even had time to more than glance at the yoga and muscle workouts. And no need to pay touts double the asking price. We just phoned round a few places, found a shop with one in stock (Argos) and went and collected it that day. Oh, and I have lost 5lbs, too.
Posted by: gimawa | 05/15/2008 at 11:26