Sharing 7 home gym ideas on a budget and how to incorporate them into various spaces. 

Hi friends! How are you? I hope you’re enjoying the morning so far! I’m here working on blog content for the day – I try to batch my content days- and looking forward to an afternoon hike. For today’s post, I wanted to chat a bit about home gym ideas and some of my favorite staples.

In today’s fast-paced world, making time for the gym isn’t always easy. I feel like some days, the entire day will blu by, and I find myself collapsing into bed, wondering what the heck just happened. Setting up a home gym can be a game-changer, offering convenience and flexibility. If you’re busy and/or have kids, removing the transportation time and possible need for childcare can make a HUGE difference. It’s not about breaking the bank; it’s about finding the right equipment and setup that works for you and your space.

Here are some budget-friendly home gym ideas to get you started.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, meaning I may earn a commission if you purchase through my links at no additional cost to you. These commissions help me keep the lights on for this little blog, so thank you for supporting me.

7 Home Gym Ideas on a Budget

Basement Home Gym Ideas

Flooring: Begin by ensuring the floor is protected. Use inexpensive interlocking foam tiles or rolled rubber flooring for a comfortable and durable surface.

Adjustable Dumbbells: They offer a range of weights in a single set, saving space and money.

Resistance Bands: Versatile and affordable, they’re perfect for a variety of workouts.

Stability Ball: Engages core muscles and can be used for various strength and flexibility exercises.

Yoga Mat: Essential for floor exercises and stretching.

Garage Home Gym Ideas

Plyometric Box: Great for box jumps, step-ups, and other lower-body exercises.

Pull-Up Bar: Easy to install and versatile for upper body workouts.

Punching Bag: Ideal for stress relief and cardiovascular workouts.Kettlebells: Compact and versatile, great for full-body workouts.

Foam Roller: Helps with post-workout recovery and flexibility.

Outdoor Home Gym Ideas

Jump Rope: A simple and effective cardio tool.

TRX Suspension Trainer: Can be attached to

The sizzle of perfectly seasoned fajita vegetables is snugly under wraps with oodles of gooey cheese in this golden, crispy Fajita Quesadilla.

Fajita Quesadilla

Each bite of these quesadillas is a burst of bold flavors. The smoky char of sautéed peppers and onions is balanced with the creamy flavor of melted, freshly shredded cheese.

And for toppings, you can finish your fajita quesadilla with a fiery tomato salsa, a dollop of sour cream, or guacamole. Or, if you’re like my niece… more cheese.

I typically have bell peppers of every color on hand, so using a mixture of colors makes this vegetable quesadilla a little bit more fun for me. But, feel free to use whichever color pepper you have on hand.

If you’d like to make these a little bit spicier, throw in some fresh chopped jalapeno. At my table, you can’t go wrong adding in a bit of that lingering heat.

My boys would never let me live it down if I didn’t note that you can easily add the meat of your choice to this recipe. Grilled chicken, pulled pork, and tender steak bites keep my meat lovers quite happy.

Fajita Quesadilla Recipe

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Sharing a review of Spenga and if I’d recommend adding it into your fitness routine. 

Hiii! How are ya? I hope you’re having a lovely day so far. I’m headed to a barre class and looking forward to family dinner later tonight.

For today’s post, I wanted to talk a bit about Spenga! I heard about it years ago, and it was always in the back of my mind as a format I wanted to try. Recently a friend moved back to Tucson – we went to middle school together! – and Spenga is her workout studio of choice. She invited me to join her for a class, so I was pumped to finally give it a try. I have to say, it exceeded my expectations and I can’t wait to go again.

What is Spenga (and would I recommend trying it)?

What is Spenga?

Spenga, short for Spin, Strength, Yoga, is an innovative fitness concept that has been rapidly gaining popularity in recent years. It’s a group fitness program designed to offer a complete workout in a single session, providing the benefits of cardio, strength training, and flexibility work.

The Spenga Concept: Why Was It Created?

Spenga was created with the aim of offering a time-efficient, effective, and enjoyable workout routine that maximizes the benefits of different types of exercises without overloading on any one. The concept was developed to cater to individuals who may not have the time or inclination to participate in multiple types of classes or visit multiple facilities to meet their fitness goals.

What Does a Spenga Class Look Like?

A typical Spenga class is a 60-minute session that is divided into three equal parts:

Spin:

The workout begins with a high-energy spin cycling session. This part focuses on improving cardiovascular endurance, boosting metabolism, and burning calories. This component included lots of sprints and heavy hill climb; it went by so quickly!

Strength:

The spin is followed by a strength training circuit using a variety of equipment like dumbbells, kettlebells, resistance bands, and bodyweight exercises. This segment is designed to build muscle strength, improve bone density, and enhance overall functional fitness. Our particular workout had a combination of functional and compound movements, like renegade rows, pushups, and biceps curl to press.

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The Flakiest Savory Beef Pot Pie

Savory indulgent beef pot pie that is loaded with vegetables and topped with flaky, golden puff pastry! It’s pure comfort food!

I mean, it was bound to happen. Our readers are in love with our chicken pot pie, and in fact it’s one of the most popular recipes on our site. But with all of you requesting a few more beef recipes I couldn’t resist a savory beef pot pie recipe. Is it possible to have too many pot pies?

I think not!

What started out one way ended up an entirely different way and I’m ridiculously pleased with the results. And no one is happier than Cade, he says it’s one of his new favorite dinners. 🙂

Ingredients for Beef Pot Pie

You’ll start by pulling your puff pastry sheet out of the freezer and letting it thaw slightly. The rest of the ingredients you will need are here:

• Puff Pastry – found in the freezer section of the grocery store by the pie crusts
• Beef Roast – chuck roast is my preferred cut, but a top sirloin or round roast would also work, you could even use ground beef for a budget friendly option
• Salt – flavor
• Pepper – flavor
• Yellow Onion – adds so much to the depth of flavor, see section below for using onions if you are not a fan of onions
• Garlic – flavor
• Carrots – go with real carrots that you peel and slice, no baby carrots
• Celery – flavor and texture
• Peas – I love these bright pops of flavor and color. They get added right before adding the filling to the baking dish so they don’t get too mushy.
• Flour – thickens the filling
• Rosemary – fresh is best, but you can use dried if you need to, 1 sprig fresh = 1 teaspoon dried
• Bay Leaf – adds so much flavor, remove it before adding the filling to the baking dish
• Thyme – fresh is preferred, but if you need to use dried, 1 teaspoon fresh = 1/3 teaspoon dried
• Beef Broth – the base of the gravy that the meat and veggies will simmer in and become the delicious filling
• Balsamic Vinegar – add sweetness and tanginess to the gravy
• Worcestershire Sauce – our preferred brand is Lea & Perrins and it is essential! It adds great umami flavor!
• Dijon Mustard – adds to the depth of flavor in the gravy
• Whole Milk – used for the egg wash
• Egg – used for the egg wash that will make crust beautifully golden

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card down below.

What If You Hate Onions?

I heard you all loud and clear on instagram, you either love or absolutely hate onions and there’s not really any who are in between. So can you substitute onions in a recipe? Well, in my personal opinion, no.

Tart lime juice and peppery cilantro infuse the long, fluffy grains of rice with fabulous flavor in this simple Oven Baked Rice.

Oven Baked Rice

Oven. Baked. Rice. This is a game changer, my friends, and there’s no better way to try it for the first time than in this cilantro lime rice. I tried baking rice in the oven once years ago when I first heard about it. But, I was unimpressed.

But, THIS rice? Spectacular. I could have eaten a whole pan full by myself, and my kids really enjoyed it, too. It became an instant staple over here.

I found this cilantro lime rice recipe in from my friend Jessica‘s cookbook, Good Cheap Eats, Dinner in 30 Minutes (or less!). It is filled with 300 easy recipes to help simplify dinner prep for healthy, unprocessed meals.

If you’re wondering how to bake rice in oven, you’ll be glad you learned. It so easy! It takes just moments to mix the ingredients. Pop it into the oven, and less than 30 minutes later, the rice is perfectly cooked.

Cilantro Lime Rice

I served each bowl with a lime w