The average price of a monthly gym membership in the United States is $58, which amounts to $696 per year. If poor weather or travel time occasionally prevents you from making it to the gym, creating a home gym might be the perfect alternative for you. While you may think the cost of doing so would be astronomical, the average price of creating a multi-purpose home gym is $636. That’s less than a year of gym memberships, and it’s a one-time fee, versus one you’re paying year after year. If you’ve been considering starting a home gym, here are a few tips to get you started.

Find a space

The first step to a home gym is figuring out where to put it. Look at your house and figure out if you have any viable options. Do you have an underutilized garage or a spare bedroom? Have an unfinished basement you’ve been meaning to do something with? Any of these would make an excellent space for a home gym. Find a way to maximize the space you already have.

Purchase the essentials

The best equipment to stock your home gym with is stuff that can be used in more than one way. Kettlebells are one such tool. With a kettlebell, you can do squats, curls, overhead presses and ab work, all with a small piece of equipment. Invest in a set or two of dumbbells. These are also good for multiple exercises and come in a variety of weights. Purchase a set of resistance bands with different levels of resistance to use in addition to weights for a more challenging workout. Round out your gym with a jump rope and a medicine ball. Having this equipment will cover all of your bases and keep your costs low and your space uncluttered.

Build it up over time

Don’t go out today and purchase every single piece of equipment you could ever want. Instead, build your gym up over time. Consider your fitness goals and what areas you’re likely to work the most and start with only items that will help you in that capacity. Once you’re more comfortable, you can begin expanding your gym. Watch out for sales or coupons and wait until you can get a reasonable price on a particular product to add it to your gym. Rushing out to buy a bunch of items may be a waste of money as you don’t yet know which will prove to be the most useful for you.