I recently signed a contract with a New York health club: downpayment of $100 and $56 a month for three years. Later, I realized that I cannot afford to pay $56 a month. The health club says I cannot cancel the contract now and I have to pay the money regardless of whether I use the membership. What can I do?

Keep breathing. Now is the time to do the distasteful thing you should have done before signing on that dotted line. Read the contract carefully to find any provision about cancellation or early termination.

If you do not find anything, contact the local authority on the subject, the New York Consumer Protection Board in Albany, at 518-474-1471; 800-697-1220; www.consumer.state.ny.us. The contract may violate consumer protection laws because some states have laws -- often called "cooling-off rules" -- allowing consumer to cancel certain kinds of consumer contracts within a short period of time after signing them.