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Being away from your family and friends while deployed is never an easy thing. There will be many new things that you will have to adjust to and many difficulties will be faced. One major aspect of being deployed for many months at a time is taking care of your finances. Keeping track of things such as money is one of the last things on a soldier’s mind. Having a plan with your finances is an important thing during these times, as it helps both you and your family over the long haul.
One way that deployed soldiers can cut costs and save while they are away is by putting their belongings into a storage unit. This is a good option if you were previously living by yourself and wanted to save some extra money. Yes, storing things comes with a price, but it is minimal compared to leaving it somewhere by itself where it is liable to possibly get stolen or thrown away. If you had an apartment for example, you could move out and keep all of your stuff in a storage unit instead of paying rent on an unoccupied place and utilities. This way you can save yourself quite a bit of money while you are away.
Another known aspect of being able to save money while deployed is to call your car insurance company and possibly reduce or put a hold on your policy for the duration of your deployment. Doing this over a few months can save you quite a bit of money, especially on a vehicle that is just sitting and not being used. With what it costs to insure a car every month, this can be a nice bit of savings. Another thing to consider is that many insurance companies will give military families discounts while the soldier is deployed, so the people left at home aren’t stuck paying a higher premium every month.
One thing for spouses of those who are deployed should consider is that they play a large role in being able to save money while their soldier is away. One thing that can curb any saving is going into debt and unnecessary spending. While your soldier is away the last thing you want is to get into a financial bind. Causing financial stress is the last thing that you and your deployed soldier want to deal with. Any unnecessary spending can also hinder your savings. Seeing as how there will be one less person around, the bills such as groceries, gas, utilities, and even insurance will be a noticeable amount less. Just because there will be extra money at the end of the month does not mean that it needs to be spent on unnecessary things.
With a good financial plan and understanding of your finances, as a deployed soldier you should have no problems being able to save money while you are away. As a spouse or family member of a deployed soldier, you can also find ways to save money while your loved one is away for months at a time. With one less person around for an extended period of time, you will be able to find numerous ways to save as long as you don’t spend extra money every month.
Mark Scheets is a writer for the “Total Guide”.
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I’d love to hear from a Navy spouse on the possibilities of saving money while the spouse is “underway”. It is something the Army spouses have just gotten into.
At the beginning of this war many Army spouses took advice, packed up stuff, put it in the locker and “went home”. Now most military spouses understand the position of Navy spouses and keep the household going while spouse is deployed (or underway). It makes for a much more stable household- and marriage.
I highly suggest that the spouse left behind have an extra allowance. It is difficult to get along when the soldier is deployed. If the home spouse has an extra allowance then there is no guilt when something is used to fill the void.
At home spouses should remember to take advantage of deployment child care, MWR specials and such. I know a great temptation is “second honeymoon” once the deployment is over–or even R&R (which is happening less with 9 month deployments). An agreed upon allowance for that is also a good idea.
Most of all- God’s Speed for a safe deployment and a happy homecoming.
Great suggestion, Jan, Navy spouses are welcome to send in a guest post on what worked for them!
I think the most difficult part of the deployment was handing the inevitable financial emergencies– the car repair, a broken appliance, or some other problem. The spouse’s club could only help with so much.
Janette, I’m a stay-at-home-dad and my wife is in the Navy. The short answer from me is that while my wife was at sea there wasn’t anything for her to spend money on except her mess bill. I take care of the finances at home so I had complete control of the money. She just wrote a check for the mess bill each month, and told me (by email) the amount so I knew what to expect. It was typically about the same as BAS.
During underway work-ups there weren’t any port calls, and not that many during the deployment. When she hit port she used a credit card for pretty much whatever she wanted to — we had a loose idea of a budget, or about how much one should spend in port — and then I paid the bills from home.
While she was gone I spent more on a few things. I took the boys out to eat at least once or twice a week, more often than usual. I bought more prepared foods, and more paper plates and cups to make things easier for myself.
Our biggest savings must have been from not having her commuting to work, saving on gas and insurance. We could bike to the school, the library, and the YMCA, and the grocery store was less than 2 miles away; when she was home it was a 30-minute commute each way every day.
I guess this answer isn’t too short — maybe I owe Doug a guest post on this!
You bet, Rob, you’re welcome to take one any time!