Being a military family has its ups and downs. Having a steady paycheck and job security is nice but trying to make s*** happen out of nothing is beyond hard. We often have to think outside the box to accomplish seemingly simple tasks. We have to make our dollar stretch as far as it can go.

 

After getting out of the Marine Corps in 2015, I quickly learned how to make a new life. I married my husband in 2018, and we had our son Morgan in October 2020. We found out I was pregnant ten weeks into my postpartum journey. We had to adjust our plans a bit. Along the way, I have learned how to make our lives just a little easier so we can enjoy spending quality time as a family.

 

Many of these tips could apply to any family, not just military families.    I have learned many of them the hard way and I have grown so much! So here I am sharing my tips and tricks to help other Moms enjoy their families too!

 

CREATE A BUDGET.

The next tip I have for military families is to create and utilize a budget!. I know it can be tough to cut out things other than necessities, and I am the first to admit that I “need” extra guac at Chipotle, but you have to look at everything as a whole to make military pay work. Doing that as a childless couple was hard enough, but having a baby with one on the way is even more challenging. You need housing, food, water, and gasoline. Until you come to a point where your bills are a third of your income or under, you have to start making cuts. Not everyone can make Varsity, so choose accordingly. I have written an article here on how to live off of one income and budgeting with military pay. 

 

DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH

This idea applies to so many aspects of our lives from grocery shopping to healthcare plans. You have to put a little effort in and do some research to find what you need. For example, I wanted to have a home water birth (pre-Covid) while being on Tricare. On paper, this isn’t possible unless you want to be stuck with a huge bill later on; however, there is a loophole to this, but you have to dig into Humana/Tricare’s policies as choosing your hospital accordingly *wink wink*.

Due to Covid-19 still affecting our healthcare system and policies, this particular option isn’t available to many expectant mothers. However, you CAN deliver at a hospital (not a birthing center) that offers laboring in the tub or shower. You will have to search within your network to see if the hospital you are considering does offer this, which you can find here if you are on Tricare/Humana health insurance. 

 

USE MILITARY RESOURCES

My next tip and possibly the most important: is to use the resources available to you!. I will never ask for a handout; however, being in the military, you have tons of resources, which might not be handy right this second, but keep it on the back burner until you need it. Those could include the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society,  MilitaryOneSource, the DAV, and other organizations that are affiliated with the military, such as the Wounded Warrior Project and SemperFi Fund.

A couple of other resources that are available to you would be Navy Federal and USAA for banking; at AT&T, they offer military and first responder discount for your phone services, and Geico offers one as well for your vehicle insurance. If you are in the market for purchasing a home, you also have the VA Home Loan available to you where you do not need a minimum down payment. I have written an article here about applying for a VA Home Loan if you need help starting the process and if you don’t know how to list your home for sale (regardless of if you used a VA Home Loan or not). To view a list of hundreds of military programs and benefits available to you and your family, check out USAGOV and benefits.gov.  

 

BECOME ADAPTABLE

 

Being adaptable was the hardest concept for me since I am a Type A personality. I was pregnant with our first child right as the pandemic was shutting America down as well as doing a PCS (Permanent Change of Station) two weeks before I was supposed to deliver. I don’t recommend anyone doing that, haha. We moved into our townhouse on September 21st, and my water broke on October 5th. To top it off, my husband couldn’t detach from his command until October 1st.

 

During that time, I learned I had to pack my stress away and figure it out. Sometimes you will be thrown into situations you never imagined. You will have to figure it out on your own-welcome to the military. Use your free resources, don’t be afraid to ask someone for help, and most of all, remember that stress eventually comes to an end. Don’t ever feel like you’re “that” person asking if a company has a military discount, either. I might be frugal, but if there is a discount out there, I will use it. Did you know that Joovy has a 10% discount for their products for the active-duty military and their families? Awesome, right? 

 

Every day, I try my best to be grateful for the things I have rather than thinking I need more to be happy. That alone has cut down on stress and made our lives a lot more enjoyable as a whole. It’s not “a happy wife, happy life”; it should be “happy spouse, happy house.” 

 

Takeaway? We Are a Community

Hopefully, this article was helpful not only to military families (new or old) but to anyone outside of our small community! For anyone looking for detailed articles on a variety of topics about military life, please be sure to check out my blog at https://www.veterandependa.com.