The recent near-shut down of the government highlighted the need for families to hope for the best and prepare for the worst.  Although active duty service members have good job security, pay checks and reimbursements sometimes go missing.  Everything is fixed eventually but in the meantime it is good to have an “emergency fund”.  And in this economy, many military families are budgeting for groceries and paying bills each month on one income – from Uncle Sam.

Unless you are debt free and don’t use credit cards, you may be struggling to find a way to pay for that pricey car repair, unexpectedly high utility bill, or even your kids’ school supplies. Here are some tips to help ease the crunch and put more money back into your bank account.

Shop at the Commissary and Exchange
One of the great perks that military spouses have is getting great discounts on brand-name items at their base Exchange, tax-free. Plus, if you compare apples to apples, the Exchange has lower prices than their off-post competitors. Even if you do find a cheaper price at a retailer off-base, take the ad into your Exchange and they will price match! And as for grocery shopping, shopping at the Commissary actually saves you about 30% or more than the local grocery stores! You can read more about savings at your Commissary by visiting Commissaries.com.

Become a Couponer
Already shop at the Exchange and Commissary? Do you use coupons? If not, you may want to rethink why you’re not using them. With Commissary prices so low compared to competitors, you can score dirt-cheap deals, or even free stuff, just by using coupons! The Commissary actually encourages the use of coupons, with their relationship with large companies such as Kraft and Unilever, just to name a few. These two companies work with the commissary and create coupons exclusive to military only {these coupons will state “military store only” on them}. Some Commissaries even have retailers sit up front and pass out their coupons, hoping you will use them! You can even use coupons at the Exchange as well – in fact, the Exchange allows you to “stack” your coupons {unlike the Commissary where it’s one coupon per item} for even more savings! On the AAFES Facebook page, they have a tab dedicated especially to their own in-store coupons, which they allow you to combine with a manufacturers coupon! You can read more about the Commissaries coupon policy Here, and you can check out the AAFES coupon policy Here.

Visit Frugal Blogs
Type in “frugal blogs” in Google, and you’ll get over one million results. Frugal blogs have gained enormous popularity in just the last few years, thanks to the downturn of the economy. Suddenly, it’s as if frugal living is the hip thing to do! There are blogs that cater to free things to ones that cater to discounted savings on top designer items. Some of my favorite blogs have coupon matchups with the weekly sales circulars, detailing what coupons I need and where I can find them. You can even get the coupon matchups for the Commissary and AAFES at my blog, MilitaryWivesSaving.com. Take notes on what stores have “free” products after store rewards and coupons, and print out the stores coupon policy in case you have issues when you present your coupons.

Make a List
It’s important to make a list of the things you need when you go shopping, otherwise, your chances of overspending are higher than they are when you buy what’s on your list. Making a list will help keep you on track, plus, it will save you time. Divide your list up between cold and dry items, and if you really know your way around a store, jot down the aisle number next to the item you need. And, before you head out to the store, be sure to “shop” in your pantry to make sure you don’t end up buying what you already have.

Have a Budget
Create a spreadsheet with Excel, or keep a notebook of your monthly budget. Start with your take-home pay each month, and then write down each bill you have to pay. If you get paid twice a month, jot down the bills you can pay with each paycheck. Once you have the bills squared away, allot yourself a monthly grocery allowance. It may even be worth it to withdraw that amount you have allowed yourself and put it on a pre-paid card, that way, you know you won’t be able to overspend when you go shopping.

Military Discounts
This is definitely one perk of military life that you’ll want to take advantage of. Several stores and restaurants offer military discounts, such as Lowe’s and the Home Depot {10% off purchases}, and even some car dealerships offer incentives as well, such as GM’s Military Discount. It doesn’t stop there, however. Some insurance companies offer military discounts, too, such as Geico and USAA. Do some research online to see if your favorite store offers a military discount, and even email them or give them a call. It doesn’t hurt to ask.

Childcare Discounts
With monetary assistance from NACCRRA {the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies}, you’ll be able to save significantly on daycare expenses. Look into their military program at their website Here, and find out if your daycare is partnered with NACCRRA, or call 1-800-424-2246. They do participate with on-post childcare, however, you may want to have a backup, as there can be a waitlist for on-post care. For married soldiers, the spouse must be working, looking for work, or attending school in order to be eligible for this program.

Collecting Unemployment
If you are a working military spouse and your husband has received orders to transfer to another duty station, you may be eligible for unemployment benefits because your decision to leave your job was not any fault of your own. You will need to check with your state’s unemployment agency to see if you may qualify. You’ll also need to apply and fill out a lengthy questionnaire as to why you quit and attach a copy of your notice-to-quit and spouses orders. If you are approved, depending on your states unemployment guidelines, you will need to show proof that you are looking for work each week.

About the Author:

Michelle Dudas is a military spouse and SAHM, as well as the author of www.militarywivessaving.com, where she helps her fellow military spouses save money and get the most bang for their buck. Before deciding to be a SAHM, she worked in the banking industry for over 10 years, where she worked as a loan officer and quality control coach.

Photo by o5com

Money is tight everywhere and people are struggling to ensure their kids have opportunities and the families of our soldiers are no exception. Most of our National Guard serves part time until activated for deployment. These soldiers work full time jobs besides their one weekend a month, two weeks a year training obligations. However, like too many other Americans, some of these soldiers have lost their full-time jobs in the latest economic downturn.

There are laws to protect our servicemembers but it is possible that the frequent deployments and training commitments have made some of these soldiers first on the list to go at their workplaces.

Most families do not want their soldier to spend time away from the family but for some, active duty becomes the most economically safe option. Just imagine looking forward to a deployment just so your family has a steady paycheck!

There are a number of agencies and volunteer groups that try to fill in the gaps of the needs of our servicemembers and their families. For example, Operation Homefront’s Backpack Brigade supplies backpacks full of supplies to eligible military families every year.

Elmer’s selected me as a paid Bag It Forward ambassador and gave me a $100 gift card to Walmart to purchase school supplies for my daughter and for a family in need. I was thrilled to be able to donate the full amount to the back-to-school supply drive for the enlisted soldiers’ families in my husband’s National Guard unit. Some of the members of my local moms’ group chipped in with more backpacks and supplies, too.

After the video, find out about how you can Bag It Forward and earn a $10 donation for Adopt-A-Classroom. Elmer’s will donate up to $10,000 to Adopt-A-Classroom to aid their mission to increase opportunity for student success by empowering teachers with community partners and funds to purchase resources for the classroom. You can help end teacher-funded classrooms with just a blog post or facebook note!

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Elmer’s will donate up to $10,000 to Adopt-A-Classroom with your participation. Join now!

ELMER’S VIRTUAL BAG IT FORWARD RULES

• Copy and paste these rules into your blog post or facebook “note” (look on yourr left sidebar).
• In you blog post or facebook note, give a “virtual bag of school supplies” to other bloggers or facebook friends by linking to them or “tagging” them in your note.
• Link back to the person who gave you a bag of school supplies.
• Let each person you are giving a virtual bag of school supplies know you have given them a bag.
• Leave your link in the Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward comment section. You can also find the official rules of this virtual #bagitforward program there. (http://bagitforward.org/donate-a-bag/)
• Elmer’s is donating $10 for each blog participating in the Virtual Bag It Forward Donation to Adopt-A-Classroom (up to total of $10,000 for blog posts written by September 10, 2010).
• Please note that only one blog post per blog url will count towards the donation.

My husband is a veteran of the war in Iraq.  He has served as an Active Duty Field Artillery officer and currently commands a National Guard Battery.  I am incredibly proud of him and all of those who have served with, before, and after him.  I am also so very grateful that he came home to us–to me and his infant daughter–and that he has had the opportunity to see her grow and to add our son to our family.

Some of our veterans have not returned home.  And some who have returned home are severely injured, with long paths to recovery.  Hospitalization and extensive therapy are trying under the best of circumstances.

During National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans Week (February 7-13), you can make a small token of your appreciation for these brave soldiers.  Valentines for Veterans can help boost morale and send the message that we are thinking of those who serve.

With my playgroup, I made some Valentines and I am bringing them to my nearest VA Hospital.

As part of a project with Bloganthropy, I am posting about this effort to earn a donation of clothing for Sew Much Comfort from Dollar Days.

Sew Much Comfort provides adaptive clothing at no cost to support the unique needs of our injured service members from all branches of the military and national guard. This clothing fits around medical devices and prosthetics and gives the service member and medical personnel ready access to injured areas. The adapted clothing allows injured service members to have their clothing appear the same as normal civilian attire; an attribute which helps facilitate a more natural and comfortable recovery. Without adaptive clothing the only option for the service member is a hospital gown.

Through the volunteer efforts of seamstresses and donations of money, clothing and fabric, Sew Much Comfort has been able to provide over 75,000 pieces of adaptive clothing and comfort.

How YOU can help:

• You can make Valentines for Veterans, too! Locate your nearest VA hospital and call to make sure they can accept your Valentines.  Canada also salutes its vets during this week and has some tips on making Valentines for Vets.
• Comment: Dollar Days will donate $50 retail value in clothing for this post, plus $50 more if I receive at least 10 comments.  The total donation will be well over $1000 worth of clothing.  So, please comment!  A list of other posts will be posted on Bloganthropy this week.
• Donate to Sew Much Comfort: Sew Much Comfort provides adaptive clothing free of charge to wounded veterans and is able to do so through generous donations and volunteer hours. Financial donations are always helpful and there is also a list of needed clothing and fabric.  Sew Much Comfort specifically would love to receive t-shirts, long sleeve t-shirt or sweat shirts with logos of local sports teams in any area of the United States (size large is most needed). The wounded soldiers love having sport themed clothing but it is hard to get unless you live in that state.
• Volunteer with Sew Much Comfort: Sew Much Comfort relies on its 1600+ volunteer seamstresses to make clothing for wounded soldiers–and they can always use another pair of hands. If you know your way around a sewing machine, find out more about volunteering here.

The organization will support the volunteer projects of our fellow bloggers, publish posts about social media and non-profits, and implement 6-12 Bloganthropy charitable projects a year.

We’re currently looking for volunteer bloggers to make Valentines for Veterans and help earn a donation of clothing for Sew Much Comfort.  Click here to read more details and volunteer!

And while you are there, please take the Bloganthropy Pledge–promising to use your social media influence to support your charitable causes!

This time, I was trying to think of something that was military related but would have a broader audience.

So, here’s the prize–a military supporter pack:

• I’ll make a $10 donation in your honor to the USO.
• I’ll send you a copy of Doonesbury.com’s The Sandbox: Dispatches from Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan
• I’ll also send you a camo “Support Our Troops” silicon bracelet

To enter, leave me a comment by 11:59 PM, Friday April 25th about how you show support for our troops–or leave a supportive message for our troops! Put your e-mail in the e-mail field and I’ll be able to reach you but it won’t be publicly visible. I’ll ship to any US, Canadian, or US Military address.

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If you’d like to enter more contests, check out The Bloggy Giveaways Carnival, this contest post is part of that carnival!

On my personal blog, I’m giving away a copy of Deceptively Delicious.

Also, we have lots of contests on Mamanista, my baby gear review blog.

• Alter-Eco Fair Trade Foods (ends April 21)
  
• SIGG Eco-Chic Water Bottle (ends April 22)
• $50 GC to Warm Biscuit, an awesome retro/vintage children’s decor shop (ends April 25)
  
• Nursing Cover for the New Mamas from Love & Blessings (ends April 30)
• Mother’s Day Gift Guide SIGG contest for bloggers (ends May 2)

Once upon a time, so the story goes, neighbors took care of each other. They were often in the best position to determine who really needed help, and what sort of help they actually needed. Then the Depression came along and it was like a case of national bad luck–almost everyone, it seemed, needed help. So, the government stepped in with its relief, recovery, and reform. Along the way they instituted safety nets that are the sacred cows of liberals and the demons of conservatives.

But I’m not here to talk politics.

I’m here to mention something interesting I noticed in the BlogHer Ad on my sidebar–a charity that has a new take on the idea of neighborhood hat passing. If you are an ordinarily self-supporting household who just had a spot of bad luck, you can apply for a modest needs grant. Once you get back on your feet, it is easy to return the favor by becoming a donor yourself.

If you have some extra money and would like to choose exactly what sort of need to fund, you can use modest needs to find a deserving person or family. You purchase points and then use your points to fund needs. Your money is pooled with others, so every little bit really does help. You can make a one-time donation or set up a recurring donation, which will be doubled by a matching grant.

Modest Needs does due diligence and pays the requested bills directly–so you can rest assured the money is actually going where it is supposed to go. And you’ll be able to receive testimonials from the needs you’ve helped to fund.

So, if you can’t pay the heating bill this month because you were put on bed rest, or you have some extra cash and would like to help out someone in need, check out Modest Needs.

Anyway, I saw that on my sidebar and I thought about how generous all my readers are and how some of them occasionally are in need of a little financial assistance.

Photo Credit: Change Happens

Hi, I saw your blog you posted a while ago about being an army wife. I was looking on google to find information on family day and graduation. My fiance is in Ft Benning right now at basic. When do you first get to see them? While you are sitting in the stands or before that? And then after they are dismissed on family day, how long do we get to spend with them. Also, do they get to spend the night with us, or do they have to go back that night? Then after graduation the next day, do we get to spend the day with them? Or even a couple days? I hope you can answer my questions. I would really appreciate it. Feel free to say anything else also. Thank you

Like everything else with the military, your mileage may vary (YMMV). A lot depends on the AIT your husband is attending, when it starts, and the specific command.

I would not expect any overnight passes. However, I have heard tell of some soldiers receiving 36 hour passes following graduation when their AIT was not set to begin right away. Do not count on it though, most likely he will be in transit to AIT the day after graduation.

Soldiers with visiting adult family members will get day passes (meaning they have to be back that night) following both family day and graduation–please note, however, that to the Army you do not yet qualify as a “family member.” So, a parent, grandparent, or legal guardian would have to sign your soldier out.

You may want to read my experience of family day and graduation. I describe when I first saw him and how much time we had together and where we spent our family time. Keep in mind this was about five years ago and my husband was going on to an OCS class that did not start for a while. My guess, though, is that your family day and graduation ceremony experience will be very similar.

Visit military family forums, like the forums hosted by Military.com, and you may find someone with a more recent experience to relate.

In terms of advice, I would recommend getting a hotel room for at least both nights because you’ll probably want a private place to sit and relax and your soldier may even want a short nap. Ft. Benning has good, inexpensive lodging, (Ft. Benning Lodging) but sometimes it is difficult to reserve a room. They were in the process of renovating and the rooms they had already fixed up were quite nice–one time I got a room with a sitting room and efficiency kitchen. They do keep some rooms available for “day of” walk-ins, but you’ll want to make sure you have a back-up plan.

The key is to avoid staying on Victory Drive. Victory Drive is that unsavory main road that seems to be located near almost every military post. Don’t choose a hotel on Victory Drive and you should be fine.

I found the La Quinta in Columbus, GA, to be very adequate and one of the closer, decent but inexpensive choices. There are plenty of decent options off the highway a few exits north of the central Columbus area.

There is also a very nice Marriot, that does sometimes offer military rates, right in the small, historic center of Columbus, GA, and some bed and breakfast places if you are looking for something more luxe. However, keep in mind that there is a good chance your soldier will not be able to stay overnight with you.

Your soldier will probably be most interested in you, a nap, caffeine, and a good meal. Let him take the lead about how he’d like to spend his little bit of free time.

I’ll leave you with the official word from one of the Basic Training commands at Ft. Benning (I bolded some of the text):

Family Day
The day before graduation, normally Wednesday, the battalion commander meets with friends and family members at their unit to discuss your soldier’s recent experiences and answer your questions. You will also meet the drill sergeants that trained your soldier and observe some demonstrations of soldier skills. Most importantly, you will meet with your soldier.

That afternoon graduating soldiers with visiting adult family members (spouse, parents, grandparents or legal guardians) may receive an on-post pass on Family Day and following graduation until a time determined by the chain of command. While on pass soldiers must remain in uniform and are not allowed to drive vehicles, drink any form of alcoholic beverages or use any tobacco products.

Graduation Day
Graduation is the following day, usually on Thursday at Pomeroy Field. The ceremony is at 10:00 a.m. from October through March and 09:00 a.m. from April through September. In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will take place at the Regimental Chapel and the time schedule may change to accommodate more than one ceremony.

Day After Graduation
The day after graduation soldiers will usually not be allowed to go on pass. This day is designated as a travel day for their follow on Advance Individual Training (AIT).

Class Schedule
Army Training Requirements and Resources System (ATRRS) manages class schedules.

* FY 2008
* FY 2009

Note: Graduation dates shown here are subject to change. Soldiers are afforded the opportunity to contact families with actual graduation dates/times for travel planning purposes.

Please add to this list in the comments, and I’ll update and put a permanent link up to the post on the main page:

For Momma:

• E-mail or mail weekly pregnany updates, using a site like Storknet or Baby Center; add your own comments about how these summaries apply to your pregnancy.
• Take a profile “belly picture” in shape-hugging clothing (such as workout clothes) or with bare belly (if you are comfortable with this) each week to show your growing belly. E-mail every week and/or assemble into a photobook once you are showing. DH says that it is like a “flip book” that shows my belly growing.
• Place a large piece of paper on the wall and trace the outline of your belly every week. Once baby is born, decorate and send.
• Keep a pregnancy journal or calendar and record important milestones–I felt baby kick for the first time!
• Take video/photographs at important milestones in the pregnancy and/or holidays; e-mail to your soldier and also print and put in a photobook to send. If you live on or near post, ask around to see if an agency or your FRG will allow you to record and burn a DVD for free. We even had a vendor at a local mall offer this service for free at Valentine’s Day.
• Involve Daddy in all of the big decisions!!!

For Daddy:

• Record your voice (read your favorite children’s story or sing a song) so baby and Momma can listen to you and pretend you are close by.
• Pregnant women use lots of pillows to get comfortable at night. Take two soft pillowcases and keep them close to you for a week (AFTER you shower, guys, not when you’ve just come back from a mission in 120 degree heat). Seal them in ziplock bags. One is for momma and the other is for baby if you are going to miss the birth.
• Tell Momma some of the things you would do during pregnancy to pamper her, and provide suggestions/reminders as to how she can pamper herself–make sure you check your father-to-be books so you don’t suggest something that is off-limits or not advisable in large quantities during pregnancy (like a bottle of wine or deep tissue massage).
• If you have ready internet access, consider sending mom something to help her take action on your suggestions: candles, pregnancy-safe herbal teas, a CD of relaxing tunes, a gift certificate to a local spa that offers pregnancy massages, comfy maternity pj’s, etc. If you aren’t sure what to send, try a site that has pregnancy gift baskets, or ask her friends who have also recently been pregnant. I’m sure they will be happy to help.
• Write letters or keep a journal specifically for Momma and baby–something baby can read years later and know what you were doing while Momma was pregnant.
• If writing isn’t your style, take photographs of yourself in various places and add thought bubbles about your positive feelings about the pregnancy. Make sure to date the photos.
• Show an interest in, respond to, and ask questions about the information Momma is sending to you!!!

Originally the theft was thought to include the Social Security numbers of only Veterans. Recently, the news has reported that this information also includes active duty, guard, and reserve personnel.

So, ALL military personnel are urged to take measures to protect themselves from identity theft.

• Request a free credit report and check for suspicious activity by calling 1-877-322-8228 or visiting https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp
• If you are a deployed soldier, consider placing a fraud alert on your file to make it more difficult for someone to obtain credit in your name: Equifax: 1-877-576-5734; http://www.equifax.com/ Experian: 1-888-397-3742; www.experian.com/fraud TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289; http://www.transunion.com/