Everything costs money, and that includes staying fit and healthy. But there are ways to trim the fat — so to speak -and still, well, trim the fat.

1. Set up an inexpensive home gym. Instead of a gym membership ($30 to $70 per month), invest in an exercise mat, a resistance band and an exercise/stability ball. Learn a few key exercises such as a plank, side plank, squats and push-ups. Also, using the band, learn the chest press, lateral raises, bicep curls, standing back row, triceps extension and overhead shoulder press. Search online for sites that help you design a home workout for free.

2. Use your TV. Start your own collection of fitness DVDs by purchasing them online at www.collagevideo.com or amazon.com and checking sales. You can also rent videos from Netflix or check them out from the library.

3. Use the free stair climber. Find the tallest public building around and climb to the top at least once per day.

4. Walk more. Save gas and improve your life. Walking is simple, it's inexpensive and almost anyone can do it. Try to incorporate your walk into something you have to do anyway: shopping, catching up with friends and family with a cell phone or visits, or just taking some time for reflection. Walking burns 246 calories per hour.

5. Bicycle. Buy a used bike or a new low-cost beach cruiser with a basket. Start biking to get around town — and to get some exercise while you do your errands. Biking at a leisurely pace of 10 to 12 mph, you can burn 423 calories in just 60 minutes.

6. Jump rope. It is very inexpensive and it burns calories while it improves your endurance, cardiovascular health, coordination, timing and agility. Slow jumping burns 9.4 calories per minute or 281 calories per half-hour. Moderate jumping burns 11.7 calories per minute or 352 calories per half-hour.

7. Buy fruits and vegetables in season, like spring apricots, broccoli, green beans, mangoes, pineapples and spinach. When what you want isn't in season, or to avoid having fresh produce go bad, try frozen fruits and vegetables.

8. Buy organic only when necessary. According to the nonprofit Environmental Working Group, the fruits and vegetables that contain the most harmful pesticides are peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, kale, lettuce, grapes (imported), carrots and pears. These should be bought organically when possible.

9. Cook in batches, and eat at home. Eating out can be expensive and unhealthy (lots of calories and big portions). Cooking for yourself saves money, and you also get to choose the ingredients so you can make sure all your food is healthful. One of the most effective ways to ensure that you always have a healthy meal on hand at home is to cook several meals at once and freeze them in serving-size portions.

10. Get group support. One of the reasons Weight Watchers is so successful is that it provides participants with support. You can create your own group support by putting up fliers in your neighborhood or at local markets. Hold weekly meetings with others who want to lose weight. Or, if you're not the organizing type, try the nonprofit TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) at www.tops.org.

Charles Stuart Platkin is a nutrition and public-health advocate, and author of "Breaking the FAT Pattern" (Plume, 2006). Sign up for the free Diet Detective newsletter at www.dietdetective.com.