Military Life News

Military Life News, Commissary Rewards and Military Discounts

Budget Battle: Six Ways to Improve your Budget Savvy

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Write Everything Down

This can take some work, potentially, but it will be worth it. Grab a notebook that you can carry with you every day so you will have easy access to it. If you really don’t know where the money goes at the end of the pay period, write it all down. This includes a coffee at the drive-through and any vending machine used. Write everything down every day. Do this for two weeks, adding up the totals at the end of every day. Compare with any other family members in your home, make sure to add the total. It is usually pretty clear when you add the numbers up what you have been spending it on.

If you do this for a couple of weeks a couple of times of a year, it is a great check on the pulse of your budget. You can easily make changes or twinges to what costs you need to change when you are aware of them.

This also helps you determine the needs versus the wants in your life. While the wants are nice to have, it isn’t something you need to spend money on.

Get a Budget Analysis

Military families can attend budget classes through the service branch-specific Community Services or Relief Societies. These budget classes come in two forms – one in a group setting and a one-on-one budget review. A group budgeting class reviews the budgeting principle for a group. This means you can go with your partner or take turns attending to review the basics. In the individual budget analysis, you sit down with someone trained in reviewing budgets to build a budget. They assess the spending and provide guidance on where to trim if you want to or where you may need reassessments.

Grocery Delivery

Wait, don’t scroll this one by. Grocery delivery is a great way to stay on budget. You are able to scroll through coupons and deals specifically to spend money on the best budget deals. You also aren’t pulled into easy grabbing or colorful packaging. Within the grocery delivery order, you can select the coupons or a sale tab to really stick to a budget. Make it a game and stick to a certain amount of money for that trip.

This also saves you from shopping while hungry. The key is to have a snack before sitting down to the grocery shopping online.

Coupons

You don’t have to be a super saver to use coupons. Check out websites for your favorite stores, or just search coupons in your favorite search engine. Once on the coupon section, you can specifically browse for your favorite brands. Clip those coupons and then use them. Don’t let them expire. Think of it as money – because that is what it is.

Money Saving Applications

If you really don’t want to coupon clip, digital coupons are common and accessible. Check your store for digital coupons to add to your rewards card. There are many coupon applications as well that requires you to scan the item and then submit your receipt. These applications usually can be combined with digital and paper coupons as well, so this can save you some extra money, especially if there are multiple coupons on your favorite brands.

Get Everyone Involved

If you are in a family or couple, make sure to involve everyone in the budget plan. If everyone isn’t on board, you will not be able to stick to the budget. Plan ahead with a meeting of everyone’s spending, and build the budget plan together. Discuss writing everything down and a weekly grocery budget. Setting out expectations for the budget will make it a smoother process overall and lead to more progress.

 What’s your top budget tip?

What To Consider Before Going to the Ball

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The military tradition is deep within the community. One such tradition is the military ball. The military ball for each branch of service occurs around the birthday of that service. For the Army, it is around June 14th. For the Navy, October 13th. For the Air Force, September 18th. For the Marines, the birthday falls on November 10th. The Coast Guard’s birthday is August 4th. The birthday ball is a time for military members and their family members to celebrate together. This celebration means dress uniform for the service members and ball gowns or suits for their partners. It is a time to feel like a Gilmore all dressed up and somewhere to go. It is, however, an expensive time. For the Navy and Marine Corps, the birthday falling in the fall season is right before the holidays, so spending a bit of money before the holidays can be daunting. Here are some ideas to make the most of the ball and what to consider before going.

Budget Tips

One of the key factors of the ball is the cost. There are several factors that add up: tickets, outfits, travel, hotel, and babysitting. How do we make the most of it?

Ticket

If you want to have a hand in the ticket cost, you must get involved in the ball committee. The ball committee for one year usually meets the moment the previous ball ends. For instance, the 2023 ball committee would start to meet the month after the 2022 ball is completed. The ball committee decides the venue location of the ball, meals, and ball gifts, which are ultimately the items that decide the cost of the ball ticket. The ball committee also decides and works on fundraising, which can lower the ticket cost. The goal of fundraising is to find a way for the ball ticket to be free for E1-E3 ranks due to its cost. If you want to have a hand in this and the cost of tickets, join the ball committee!

Outfit

For the military member, the dress uniform can be an expensive piece of clothing costing thousands of dollars. Depending on rank, the uniform allowance can be used to purchase the dress uniform offsetting cost. Another way to save money is to look for uniform items at local base thrift shops. Sometimes those military members who are leaving service or change uniform types or size donate their uniform, and any purchase of the uniform supports programming for the military families. Ask your local base pages to find out if there are uniform sales at other locations.

For those looking for suits or ball gowns, check local thrift stores both on and off base. Ball gowns are worn once or twice and on resale aren’t as expensive – this is an item you may be able to pick up for a few dollars in comparison to the new price.

Some bases hold gown swapping or gown giveaways in preparation for the ball season, stay tuned to your military base’s social media pages and websites to learn about their events.

Outfit swapping – this one could be fun. Swap suits or gowns with friends. This expands your closet to much more than what you have and allows you to try new outfit types and colors you may not normally try.

Travel

If your ball is out of the local area of your base, you may have to travel there. Depending on the location, you may fly or drive. If you are driving, consider carpooling to save money on gas. Splitting the gas bill can help, especially if you have a lengthy drive ahead for the ball. If you are looking to fly, don’t just look on the website for airlines – check our Google Flights and CheapO airlines to save money. Time is money, so if you need to fly because you have to return to work the next day, a factor that in.

Hotel

The key with this one is to make sure the ball committee made a room block for the ball. The room block typically provides a group rate for the hotel that the ball is happening at. This usually means much cheaper room cost, plus you will be rooming near others there for the ball. If you want to make a weekend of it, the hotel room block is typically there for several days – one day before the

Babysitting

This one is tough. Especially if you have just moved. Sometimes childcare is offered by the ball committee. Check with the ball committee to see if they have set up a babysitter at the ball location.

If not, ask friends if they would be willing to swap babysitting, especially if the ball is local.

If you are using a new babysitter, save by staying for the ball and not staying overnight.

With all the expenses of the military ball, it can feel overwhelming. While it will probably be the most expensive date you will have this year, participating in the tradition is a memorable event. Make the most of it. Being a member of the armed services doesn’t last forever and taking part in the ball as an active member is a unique experience. Make the most of it by using the tips above.

USPS Holiday Shipping Price Increase and Timeline

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The holiday season brings an increase in volume for the USPS. Many families across the United States send holiday cheer in cards and packages form to their families and friends. Due to the increase in volume, the USPS is planning an increase in shipping costs for the holiday season.

Per the News Release from the USPS, there will be increases across the board ranging from 25 cents to $6.45 increase depending on the weight of the package and where it is being shipped.

Expected price changes per the release:

The planned price changes include:

Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express:

  • Commercial:
    • $0.75 increase for PM and PME Flat Rate Boxes and Envelopes.
    • $0.25 increase for Zones 1-4, 0-10 lbs.
    • $0.80 increase for Zones 5-9, 0-10 lbs.
    • $0.75 increase for Zones 1-4, 11-25 lbs.
    • $2.80 increase for Zones 5-9, 11-25 lbs.
    • $3.00 increase for Zones 1-4, 26-70 lbs.
    • $6.50 increase for Zones 5-9, 26-70 lbs.
  • Retail:
    • $0.95 increase for PM and PME Flat Rate Boxes and Envelopes.
    • $0.30 increase for Zones 1-4, 0-10 lbs.
    • $1.00 increase for Zones 5-9, 0-10 lbs.
    • $0.95 increase for Zones 1-4, 11-25 lbs.
    • $3.20 increase for Zones 5-9, 11-25 lbs.
    • $3.25 increase for Zones 1-4, 26-70 lbs.
    • $6.45 increase for Zones 5-9, 26-70 lbs.

First-Class Package Service, Parcel Select Ground, and USPS Retail Ground:

  • Commercial:
    • $0.25 increase for Zones 1-4, 0-10 lbs.
    • $0.40 increase for Zones 5-9, 0-10 lbs.
    • $0.75 increase for Zones 1-4, 11-25 lbs.
    • $1.60 increase for Zones 5-9, 11-25 lbs.
    • $3.00 increase for Zones 1-4, 26-70 lbs.
    • $5.50 increase for Zones 5-9, 26-70 lbs.
  • Retail:
    • $0.30 increase for Zones 1-4, 0-10 lbs.
    • $0.60 increase for Zones 5-9, 0-10 lbs.
    • $0.95 increase for Zones 1-4, 11-25 lbs.
    • $2.70 increase for Zones 5-9, 11-25 lbs.
    • $3.25 increase for Zones 1-4, 26-70 lbs.
    • $5.85 increase for Zones 5-9, 26-70 lbs.

The list of pricing changes is available on the Postal Service website here.

When the pumpkins start to appear in the stores, it is time to start thinking about shipping overseas. Shipping to military posts overseas can only ship via the USPS. The shipments are transferred from USPS to the military plane that travels to that post for military families.  

The 2022 Holiday Shipping Dates are not currently released, but on the whole, when shipping to APO/FPO, the deadline for packages being sent via USPS ground service to be delivered by December 25 would need to be mailed out by the first week of November. Just think, before Halloween, plan ahead and get the packages together and ready to go. First Class and Priority Mail packages to be delivered by December 25 would need to be mailed out by the first week of December.

Shipping items via the USPS Retail Ground within the Contiguous United States would need to be shipped by about 10 days prior to December 25th if you want delivery by that date.

Stay tuned for holiday shipping deadlines when they are released from the USPS.

Veterans and Retirees with No Expiration Card IDs Will Need Update

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Military retirees and their dependents without an expiration date will need to move to the Next Generation Uniform Services Identification, USID, anytime  – in the next four years.  The goal of rotating to the USID cards, so they are more durable. Read more about the cards, and see what to expect in regards to the imaging here.

Any current cards that have expiration dates must be updated to the USID within 90 days of the expiration date.

The goal of the Department of Defense is for the USID card to be the only acceptable identification card by 2026. The USID card is more similar to the Common Access Card, or CAC, that military service members are more familiar with.

To renew an ID card, check the ID Card Office Online and click the office locator to find a location that is convenient and make an appointment to save time. The appointment locator can be utilized to schedule an appointment with anyone eligible to renew or update their Department of Defense identification card.

What Patriot Day Means to Military Families

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Patriot Day was introduced as a National Day of Mourning in October of 2011, making 9/11/2002 the first Patriot Day. The day is a day of remembrance in memory of those who died during the September 11 attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center and the crash of Flight 93 in Pennsylvania. While memorials have been created at the sites of these losses, Patriot Day is a day to remember and reflect on 9/11.

Patriot Day is a time of remembering for all Americans, and for military families, it is a time to also reflect on the military service of the service member.  Those who were old enough to remember this day, remember where they were and what they were doing. It is a memory that will not soon be forgotten. For many serving in service now, 9/11 was the impetus for them to come to service or even return to service.

Walk/Run to Remember

Military bases around the world have set up memorial runs or walk on 9/11. While Patriot Day is not a federal holiday, doing something active to reflect on this loss is important. Bases or units hold organized runs. Participating in the activity provides time to be together and reflect on the losses of the day.

Reflect on Service

For those who were not in service at 9/11, it may have been the impetus to enter service. Per Veterans Affairs, of the 4.2 million Post-9/11 veterans, 2.8 million of them served only during Post-9/11. Seeing the tragedy play out on television, or for some in real-time as they were in Washington DC or New York City, was the call to serve their country in some capacity. Within the 246th Marine Corps Birthday Message, General Berger and Sgt Maj Troy Black reflected on those who specifically joined or rejoined service and, after twenty years, had reached their retirement. The events on 9/11 led to the campaigns of Operation Iraqi Freedom(OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), of which military service members deployed and served. Whether 9/11 was the reason for serving or not, military service members deployed in some capacity in support of those campaigns, and Patriot Day is a time to reflect on that service and those who they served with.

Memorials

Fully recognizing that 9/11 shaped the military course for the following decades, Patriot Day is a time for memorials. Not just for those who perished on that day, but for those who died in service to their country. Pictures with names of service members line streets on the base, at entrances of military posts, and sometimes in personal yards. It’s a stark reminder of the meaning of the day. It is tangible.  For military families who may not be able to travel to the memorial sites in Pennsylvania, Washington DC, or New York City, this is a way to reflect and remember, creating their own memorial.

There are pieces of the Pentagon and World Trade Centers around the United States. The Marine Corps Museum has a specific 9/11 unit with items and a wall from the Pentagon. The Ronald Regan Presidential Museum in Southern California has a piece of bent structure from the World Trade Center showcasing the power of that day. Families that are closer to these locations don’t visit just on Patriot Day but throughout the year, sharing the life-changing day with their children.

Being a member of the military, and a family member of a service member, during the post-9/11 world means there is an understanding of what deployment is. Typically, multiple deployments for military service members. At the height of OEF and OIF, deployments were on average 6+ months in length. Sometimes that meant 6 months deployed, 6 months home, and then repeat. That is the reality of the all-volunteer military service.  As a military family member, that meant more time alone – juggling all of the demands at home alone. The weight of home life was burdened on those left behind. The operation tempo meant long hours of deployment work-up and then periods of no communication while the service member was deployed.

The profound immediate shock of September 11, 2001, has passed. Now over twenty years later, it may feel remote, especially for those who were not alive at that time. In fact, there are military service members in active service who were born after that date. But among the military community remembering the loss of 9/11 and the impact it had on the military community is valued, and remembering this day will continue.

Back to School Lunches Your Kids Will Actually Eat

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Back-to-school time is an exciting time. Kids get excited about picking out their new backpacks, getting new sneakers, and gathering up their favorite-colored pencils. Whether they have dusted off last year’s lunch box or have a new one, it isn’t always easy to get the kids to eat the lunch inside that lunch bag. Get them excited about what they will be eating with these fun lunches.

Finger Foods

One of the easiest ways to get your kids to eat their lunch is to make it fun to eat. Fun finger foods like small sandwich roll-ups are a hit and can include their favorites. Maybe your kids like peanut butter and jelly – cut the sandwich into rectangles, making it easy.

If your kids enjoy dipping their carrots in hummus, then pack baby carrots or carrot sticks with hummus. It will be like snack time at home. Maybe they enjoy dipping fruit into yogurt – pack a dippable container!

If packing a charcuterie will encourage them, cut up their favorite cheese into cubes and add crackers for a charcuterie on the go.

A fun food to try is rice cakes. They come in different flavors, don’t require refrigeration, and are the perfect snack food.

Warm Foods

A fun treat, especially on a cold day, is warm soup or mac and cheese for lunch. Make sure to warm it up just before storing it in a thermos. Make sure to tighten the thermos, so there isn’t soup leakage within the lunch box of the backpack, though.

Pinwheels

Pizza pinwheels – for the kid that loves pizza, this one is a favorite and easy to make. All you need refrigerated crescent rolls and your favorite pizza toppings – sauce, cheese, meat, and veg. Roll out the crescent rolls pressing the seams together. On top of the crescents, evenly spread pizza sauce and top with your chosen toppings. Once all topped, roll the crescents so it is the longest roll. Once all rolled up, cut every 2 inches and place the pinwheels on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 11-13 minutes until cheese is melted and bread is golden.

Mix up any sandwich by using flatbread and smearing with your favorite condiments and layering with cheese and lunchmeat, or peanut butter and jelly for a sandwich pinwheel.

Go All Out

While it isn’t easy to do this all the time, it is a fun treat to add cookie cutters to the rotation from time to time. Cut your child’s favorite sandwich in a star, the heart or tree shape to add an extra layer of fun. You can even cut up fruits like watermelon, kiwi, or pineapple in fun shapes. Keep foods separated with colorful cupcake liners.

Add Extras

Add in notes, jokes, or fun toothpicks to the lunch. The kitchen section of your favorite store has fun cocktail picks with bright colors or your kids’ favorite characters on them, poke them into cut fruit or veg, allowing for fun snacking. It may even encourage them to try new foods! Putting in a joke is a fun way to break the ice, and they may even share the joke with their friends.

5 Pasta Dishes That Aren’t Spaghetti

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Pasta is an affordable meal that can stretch, but when you are tired of spaghetti, what do you do. You can mix up the pasta type – try a different noodle. Maybe try a veggie or chickpea one to add variety to the flavor and texture.  And then try these other pasta versions.

Farfalle with Chickpeas and Pesto

This is a fun change to a traditional dish. Swap the traditional noodles for farfalle and the traditional red sauce with pesto. The chickpeas add a great crunch to the dish.

Ingredients:

  • Farfalle pasta
  • Garlic
  • Basil
  • Pine Nuts (or walnuts)
  • Salt
  • Lemon Juice
  • Parmesan

Prepare the noodles as stated on the box.

While the pasta cooks, make the pesto sauce by blending 2 cups of basil with two cloves of garlic, ¼ cup of pine nuts (or walnuts if that is what you have on hand), ½ teaspoon of salt, and a squeeze of half a lemon (a little over one tablespoon of lemon juice). Blend until smooth. If you like more lemon, you can do more now or squeeze more lemon on the completed dish.

When the pasta is ready, pull the pasta out into a large bowl with one can of drained chickpeas and pour over the pesto. Mix together and top with parmesan. If you want an extra bite, toss in arugula for an extra zing of pepper.

Cauliflower and Herb Orecchiette

This pasta dish adds in veggies without changing the color of the dish. Cauliflower is a vegetable that can be flavored to just about anything, so add in your favorite spices.

Ingredients:

  • Orecchiette Pasta
  • Olive Oil
  • Head of Cauliflower
  • Garlic
  • Parmesan
  • Parsley
  • Other additional ingredients: olives, capers, chili flakes, anchovies
  • Prepare orecchiette per the box directions.

While pasta is cooking, heat up olive oil in saucepan. Cut cauliflower into small sizes, all of similar size for even cooking. In the saucepan, cook cauliflower until golden brown. Toss in garlic to your heart’s desire. To add extra flavor, consider olives, capers, or chili flakes. Once the pasta is ready, pull pasta over to the saucepan to mix with the cauliflower goodness. Top with shreds of parmesan for and fresh parsley. The cauliflower and olive oil-garlic sauce is light and flavorful.  Want to add more veggies? Wilt some spinach in with the cauliflower and make sure to add pasta water to the cauliflower-spinach mixture to make sure the flavors meld.

Pasta with Artichoke and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

The beauty with this dish is that it is awesome cold the next day too, no need to heat it up. So make sure to make extras for lunch.

Ingredients:

  • Pasta of choice
  • Garlic
  • Olive Oil
  • Red Pepper
  • Sun-Dried Tomatoes
  • Jarred Artichokes
  • Fresh Basil
  • Pepper
  • Salt

Make pasta according to box – choose a small pasta like bow-tie or spirals so that the sauce will get into all the little areas.

Sautee 2 cloves of minced garlic in olive oil over medium heat until the garlic smells, and then add in 1/2-1 cup of diced red pepper. Once the pepper is cooked, add in ¾ cup to 1 cup of oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes (drained) and 1 cup of chopped artichokes to heat them through. Add in ½ cup of fresh basil sliced just before adding the pasta. Sprinkle ground pepper and onto the dish, and if you need it a pinch of salt. The flavors will meld together creating a great tasting, beautiful dish.

Pumpkin and Pecorino Pasta

This one is a fall favorite and comfort food and any pasta type can be used. Make sure to use your favorite pasta.

Ingredients:

  • Pasta of choice
  • Olive Oil
  • Butter
  • Garlic
  • Pumpkin Puree
  • Pecorino
  • Parmesan
  • Cook the pasta to the package directions.

While the water for the pasta is heating, add 1 tablespoon oil and 2 tablespoons butter to a heated skillet. Once the butter is melted, add 2-3 cloves of minced garlic. Once you can smell the garlic smell, stir in 1 cup of pumpkin puree to prevent burning the garlic. Combine the mixture and thin it out with one cup of pasta water. Add in the pasta noodles and sprinkle with nutmeg and saved pecorino and parmesan. This is a luxurious tasting dish without the luxury cost.

Pasta with Edamame

  • Add a pop of color and freshness with some heated edamame.
  • Ingredients:
  • Shelled Edamame
  • Olive Oil
  • Garlic
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Pasta of Choice
  • Lemon Zest

Heat water to warm and cook the edamame beans. You can typically find bags of shelled edamame in the freezer section. Once the edamame is heated through, use the water to cook your pasta of choice. In a large skillet with plenty of oil, heat 2-3 minced cloves of garlic. Add in the edamame to the garlic oil to coat the edamame Once the pasta is ready, put the drained pasta in the oil and top with salt and pepper. If you have a zester and a lemon, get extra fancy and zest on some lemon!

Scholarships for Military-Connected Families

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If you or your military-connected family member are pursuing a degree or could use funds for certifications, this list is for you.

National Military Family Association – Year Round – Spouses

The organization supports military family members in various ways, and one of them is through scholarships for military spouses. If you are a spouse to a post-9/11 service member and hold a valid military ID, you are eligible to apply to their scholarship program. The program pays for degrees, professional licensures, supervised clinical hours, continuing education courses, and business expenses.  Applications are taken year-round with quarterly awards.

Pat Tillman Foundation – Opens February 2023 – Spouses

The Foundation has a scholarship program open to spouses of active-duty service members, veterans, and surviving spouses. The $10,000 scholarship covers academic expenses, including tuition, fees, and books. Applications are open annually in the winter months, with the next application opening in February 2023.

Fisher House Foundation – Opens September 2022- Spouses and Children

The Fisher House Foundation offers multiple scholarships. The Heroes’ Legacy Scholarship is a college scholarship for children of service members who became seriously injured or died in the line of duty since 9/11. Military Spouses can apply for and receive funds for degrees, certifications, licensures, clinical hours, expenses, and more. The Scholarships for Military Children is a program through the Defense Commissary Agency providing $2,000 for college expenses.

Thanks USA – Opens March 15, 2023 – Spouses and Children

The ThanksUSA program offers scholarships to military spouses and children for use in their first-time undergraduate degree at an accredited 2 or 4-year university or trade school.

Hope For Warriors – Fall and Spring Application – Spouses and Children

The program offers several scholarships. There are scholarships for those pursuing graduate work, associates, bachelors or Master of Social Work. There is also a scholarship for Gold Star Spouses.

MyCAA Scholarship – Spouses of Service Members E1-E5, W1-W2, O1-O2

My CAA – or My Career Advancement- is a scholarship specifically for spouses to provide assistance for licenses, certifications, national tests, or associate degrees to pursue their desired careers.

Navy Marine Corps Relief Society – Annually – Spouses and Children of Sailors and Marines

The Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society Education Program offers grants for children and spouses of active duty, retired or deceased Sailors and Marines. The grants are for undergraduate or master’s degrees at accredited 2 or 4- year post-secondary, technical or vocational institutions.

Air Force Aid Society – Annually – Spouses and Children of Air Force Service Members

The Air Force Aid Society (AFAS) offers ten merit scholarships a year to dependent children and spouses of retired and active-duty Airmen. To apply for an AFAS merit scholarship, completion of the Arnold Education Grant application is required.

Army Emergency Relief – Annually – Spouses and Children of the Army Service Members

There are two scholarship programs from the Army Emergency Relief. The Mrs. Patty Shinseki Spouse Scholarship Program is an annual scholarship for Army spouses pursuing undergraduate degrees or professional certifications. For Army children pursuing an undergraduate degree can apply for the Maj. Gen. James Ursano Scholarship Program.

Coast Guard Mutual Assistance (CGMA) – Annually – Spouses of Coast Guardsmen

CGMA clients can apply for the programs if they are enrolled in college in pursuit of an undergraduate or postgraduate degree, vocational program or seeking a correspondence course.

Spouse Clubs

Don’t forget to check the spouse clubs on your current or recent military bases. There are often scholarship programs for spouses and/or children of service members. Check with the local club for eligibility requirements and deadlines.

5 Ways to Make Friends At Your New Duty Station

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PCS season means that many military families are moving around the world. Many are starting over because they are at new duty stations. Many are starting over because their friends have moved and left them behind. Either way, at some point, military families will have to make new friends, especially for that all-important emergency contact that all the new forms require. It is overwhelming to have so many things to do after a move, here are five ways to get plugged in and make new friends.

Start Digitally

As expected, the first place to start is social media. Look up neighborhood groups or post-specific groups to get a lay of the new ground. Perhaps there is an unofficial unit page where people meet for book club, or there is a kickball league you can join. Finding out about this before you move means you can plan accordingly and get signed up or complete all the required forms.

Don’t neglect other websites beyond the base. Search local travel websites for the best restaurants, museums, zoos, or other attractions in the area. This may lead you to meet other people or be able to plan an outing with new friends you meet.

Say Hello

Once you arrive at your new base, don’t forget to say hi to your new neighbors. It isn’t easy to go next door and ring a doorbell, but if you see your neighbors out and about, don’t forget to say hello and wave. This may lead to a conversation. Make it a goal to say hi to someone new each time you are walking the neighborhood in your first month in your new home. This is usually easier in military housing, where people are used to transient families and want to say hello to learn about the new family. It may be more challenging in civilian or more established neighborhoods, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Gauge others’ interest and comfort levels in talking as you say hello.

Find Small Groups

If you were involved in a bible study, organized sport, or hobby at your last home, now is the time to look for and establish a link in your new community. Having a common interest is an easy and simple way to get plugged in and find new friends. If your kids are used to doing a certain sport, make sure to find that next group, so you get plugged in there. There may be community groups with fellow parents to help in getting acquainted with the new area.

Check out the events calendar on base through Morale and Welfare (MWR) – there are often trips to local parks or theme parks with cheaper costs and parking! It’s a great way to explore a new area while meeting others with similar interests and backgrounds.

Try Something New

If you have always wanted to learn a certain cooking style, or always wanted to do bonsai cutting, and your new community has a center where you can take those classes – now is your chance! Check out your local library to see if they have adult-only classes or sessions. Check the local community center or recreation center for classes. Local community colleges may even offer a sewing or cooking class.  Having a common interest will bring you together with other people with that interest. The local library may even have classes or sessions for kids that allow for age-appropriate fun and learning where the kids and adults will make friends.

Don’t Forget to Ask

When on social media groups, at community events, or at an information session for your child’s activity session, don’t forget to ask for what you are looking for. Perhaps you are looking for the best farmer’s market or where you can find a martial arts class for adults, your favorite search engine can help, but so can other people. Reach out on the neighborhood page for what you are looking for, that may connect you with others in addition to giving you the information you need. While the urge to unpack all the things is strong after a move, part of settling in is meeting others and getting connected. Add it to your to-do list and make it h

Are Performance Bonuses on the Horizon for the Army?

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This summer, top leaders of the US Army met for the “Solution Summit.” The group meeting met to discuss the future of the Army, and how to retain the best the Army has to offer. One such policy discussion was on the idea of performance-based retention incentives. The idea behind the discussion was to show belief in those hard-working individuals within the Army. The policy will continue to be a topic of discussion among military leaders throughout the year.

Other ideas that were discussed and will be moved forward for further research are a service-wide mentorship program, peer feedback, the end of alcohol restrictions in the barracks, non-chargeable leave after re-enlistments, added GI Bill benefits, and participation bonuses. These ideas will need to be researched by the Army, Department of Defense, and potentially Congress, depending on the policy discussion.

Performance-based incentives are a new idea, and there is not information on the proposal to know how it will be implemented. The goal will be to manage both the pay grade and the job, and to retain those positions needed in both categories. According to a 2020 RAND Report, there was previously a performance-based program from 1958 to 1976 which was “unpopular” and “singling out extra pay was unpleasant for defense managers.” The report further reports that the reward for performance was through faster promotion and pay would be reflected through the time-in-grade pay table.

There is currently a bonus program for enlisted soldiers. The program is based on the job, rank and skills needed to perform their job, but does not take performance into account.  The possibility of the policy being tried on a specific MOS will also be reviewed.

For the moment, it is not known when the performance specific reviewed would be reviewed or determined by, but the discussions will continue monthly through virtual meetings for the Army’s leaders. Time will tell what the ultimate determination will be.