Y'all I joined a gym! Yep, a Crossfit gym, punch me in the face- whatever... it's worth it and I have to value SOME PART of my damn life... I can't just eat rice and beans and sit inside all day with the lights out to save electricity (sorry rant, sometimes other threads on the MMM forum tick me off).
I've been dropping in to this gym 1x a week for the last three weeks (and they didn't make me pay, which is awesome) and the vibes were really great and positive. I had checked out a few other CF gyms in the area, and this one seemed to have the best energy and the best pricing. Having somewhere to go where socializing is part of the workout is a really good fit for me.
I ended up talking to the owner, who let me pay for the whole year upfront (which comes out to a 53% per month discount from regular prices). I am SO GLAD that I have been so frugal with my money and that I keep a high savings rate even at my low-ish income. I had enough in my "gym" designated savings account to pay the whole lump sum.
Today's workout was tough, but everyone was so nice and the more I go, the more I realize how valuable this type of social setting is to me.
It's also getting warmer here, which means more donation-based outdoor yoga classes. I love these, and brought my dog to several of them last year- about once a week (setting up in the back so that she wouldn't disturb anyone-she just sleeps the whole time anyways, ha) which brought a lot of people over to my mat to say hi to her after/before class, which was social and nice.
Oh I'm so happy.
It looks like there has been a lot of good progress here on this thread. I agree that meeting new friends feels exactly like dating... I think because it has all of the same elements, and really we're looking for connection in both settings.