My Life As A Military Spouse

PCS

I will be offline for a few weeks due to our PCS move. See you on the other side.

Postponed

'Money Monday' will be posted on Wednesday this week.

Lasting Legacy

Website plans lasting memorials to fallen troops

For the last month, site administrators and online members of TogetherWeServed have been compiling basic profiles of every servicemember who died in the Afghanistan, Iraq and Vietnam wars. Now, they’re hoping that family members of those troops will pick up the project, providing a more complete profile of the fallen heroes.

Brian Foster, founder of the military-themed social networking site, said most of the profiles already contain some personal information, like photos and hometowns, thanks to the work of site members who “adopted” the pages.

“But we want to get in touch with families, really create a lasting legacy for these troops,” he said.

The website, a fee-based membership site only open to those who have served in the military, is offering free access to families who contact administrators to update those fallen hero profiles. The offer is also open to families of veterans from earlier wars as well, although many of those profiles have not yet been created.

My PCS Chronicles

I have been out of town for awhile. My MIL has cancer and I was away helping her. She is doing rather well at this juncture, but I still feel guilty about preparing to move further away from her.

We had our transpo appointment. The folks were very nice. We have dates set for the packers/movers and have our partial DITY (I refuse to call it PPM) details set and ready to go. My motto is always to hope for the best, prepare for the worst - so I do have scenarios in the back of mind - what if the moving season is like last year? Many of our friends that PCS'd last year had moving dates set - the movers either didn't show up or moved their dates around and made it very difficult on everyone. We are told that they have planned for a very busy moving season due to BRAC and are prepared. Because we will likely be awhile getting housing they will store our goods nearby our current installation. It will take longer for us to get our things on the other side, but they tell us that this should help with things as a whole. We shall see.

We received our alleged housing assignment. We did not get the type of house nor neighborhood that we had hoped for. I am optimistic though that our housing assignment may end up being better for us on the whole due to location. I also have to be thankful that while we may have to wait a bit for a house, we will likely get a house. I know that this move will likely be the last one we make to an installation where housing will be available sooner rather than later.

They did change our dates around and I had to cancel reservations. I was able to get most things changed without too much hassle. We had planned to stay in temporary lodging on installation at our new location, but when I canceled and tried to rebook, they were full for our new dates. We were lucky to find another hotel nearby that accepts pets and had rooms available. It isn't as nice as the hotel on post, but when you move with pets sometimes you have to take what you can get and be happy about it.

Housing here says that they will get our BAH refund two weeks after we clear. I am not sure that I trust that, but we shall see. We will take our DLA and use it for upfront rent at the next location. We are only getting a portion of DLA upfront. I hate that they changed how to they disburse DLA. I suppose I should just be thankful that we receive it.

As for rental trucks for our partial DITY, we ended up going with Budget. Overall they were cheaper and they gave a military discount. Uhaul was going to be more expensive and no discount.

I continue on my daily quest to purge things from our house. I have boxed up items and written 'Do Not Pack' on them. I have gone through all linens, curtains, etc. Washed them and packed them into large Ziploc bags so that they do not have to be touched, only boxed. I have a lot more to do, but I am on the right track. Now if time will just slow down. :)

Military Pay Seems To Be A Political Game

Military paychecks not assured in August should government default

Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., is among the lawmakers seeking to reassure service members and their families that they won’t miss out on a paycheck, even if the government faces a financial crisis this summer.

In the wake of Monday’s announcement that the U.S. has reached its $14.3 trillion debt limit — and is now using extraordinary means to keep paying bills — Hunter is urging quick passage of HR 1551, a bipartisan measure to guarantee military pay. He is the chief sponsor.

House leaders have made no promises to pass Hunter’s bill, nor any of the several similar bills that also would protect military pay in case the government runs out of money. If pay protection is granted, it is likely to be done at the last second, because the threat of not paying troops is a powerful motivation to get a debt ceiling agreement.

Hunter’s Guarantee Paychecks for America’s Military Families Act would guarantee that military members, and federal civilians working in combat zones, would continue to be paid even if the government runs out of money or there is a lapse in federal funding.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told Congress on Monday the government is borrowing money from government trust funds and delaying some payments to keep spending through Aug. 2. At that point, the government would go into default. One of the things that might not be covered is military salaries, Treasury officials have warned.

Service members and their families already suffered through a threat to their pay in April, when a government shutdown was avoided at literally the last hour. After that, Hunter — a Marine veteran — said he doesn’t want military families to worry again while Congress and the White House try to negotiate an increase in the debt ceiling.

“Each one of our military families deserves to know that paychecks won’t be withheld,” Hunter said in a statement. “My bill provides that certainty, so that service members won’t have to worry about whether their families at home have money to pay bills, put gas in the car or go to the grocery store. These men and women have enough to worry about already — and paychecks should not be on the list. It’s time to put this nonsense behind us.”

Money Monday

Short and sweet this week.........

Smart Products

How to protect yourself as a consumer

Grocery savings tips

Thieves swipe debit card information

How to retire with no savings

How to win in small claims court

Tips for hassle free road trips

Frozen credit reports

What to do when a company leaks your information

Finding frugal family fun

Are credit card protection plans worth it?

Settling debt and your credit report

What to expect from a college consultant

Netflix arrives on some Androids

Can your bank stop ID theft?

How the home buyers tax credit costs you

New tools for your money

Where to travel on the cheap

Gas prices expected to drop soon?

What info you can be asked when using a credit card

Great laptops that are cheaper than a chromebook

How to cut car insurance costs

ID thieves targeting babies video - article

Do you really save at outlets?

How to stay safe with mobile banking

Labels: budget friendly

Money Monday

Check out The Paycheck Chronicles for this week's Military money related updates.

Sticker Shock

Cutting costs by $14000

Focus on earning more

Most stolen cars and trucks

Lower your cell phone bill

Tips to limit student debt

Lessons to teach kids on how interest works

Building blocks of good credit

VantageScore, why it matters

College tuition reality check

How credit card data is stolen and sold

Second Sony hacker attack

Antitrust probe of AT&T, TMobile deal deepens

Things to know about credit card interest rates

Amazon to launch fashion deals site

College costs that you can deduct

Is home ownership overrated?

Cool Deals and Bargains

AT&T Caps Broadband and DSL

Suit against Aaron's Rental Raises Privacy Questions

Solutions and Savings for Tech Problems

Sony offers ID theft services

iOS4.3.3 Kills iPhone Tracking

US Chamber to publish gallery of pirate websites

Best digital cameras

Developer offers new homes for $1 down

Tips to lower gas costs

Gaming extras to skip

Save time and money on dog grooming

Gas prices break their streak, for now

Oil prices drop, will gas?

Middle class in crisis

Is debt collector legit?

Reps. want review of rule limiting credit for stay at home parents

Getting the best deal on rent

Methods used to get you to buy more

Reasons to steer clear of coupon madness

Mobile banking features you need

Spring car care

Real cost of divorce

Bumped from Alltel to AT&T - you have options

Neighbors that can sink home values

Spending cuts that equal big savings

Best and worst kitchen appliances

$15 a month Android data plan

Cost cutting gone wrong

Gas prices expected to drop by summer?

Labels: budget friendly

Money Monday

Ethanol - friend or foe?

Best mother - daughter vacations

Hackers bring down PlayStation network, may have stolen credit card information

Money saving mistakes

Rising gas prices leave people running on empty

Unexpected costs of the health care law

EPA to toughen up on fuel economy standards

Yahoo buys IntoNow

Why you should care about the iPhone tracking issue

What you should know before booking a cruise

Tips to lower car ownership costs

What cars cost to fill up

Sony issues warning about hacker stealing personal information

Best schools for your real estate bucks

Overdraft fees pile up despite regulations

Manipulation driving gas prices?

Traditional light bulbs on the way out, learn to read the new packaging

Amazon explains cloud disaster

Verizon phone warning label

Android to get google talk

BofA to hike rates for late payment

Are car safety extras worth it?

New math for college savings

What your phone knows about you

Amazon launches .69 song store

Ways you can sell old gold

Drugs that will go generic in 2011

Guide to buying laptops

Best cars for families

iPhone tracking story, the fix?

Tips for the iPad 2

Ebay buys Where

Alaska cruise tips

Some banks still not disclosing all fees

Toyota recalls 2011 Tundra

Nissan recalls

Diaper prices rising

Tips so you aren't compromised by your smartphone

TV without cable

How to unload groupon vouchers

Used car prices surging

Sneaky retail pricing tricks

Crude oil declines

How to play the new credit card offers

Travel Apps

Restoration plans for Sony network

Labels: budget friendly

War reporters leave families behind

This is eerily similar to what military spouses and families go through each day. I watched it once. The second time I only listened to the audio and substituted in my mind the word reporter or service member.

Money Monday

Finances: Back to Basics Week 1

Ways to raise credit score

Flat Tax

Pharmacies that consumers like best

New website showcases beachfront hotels

Airfares going up $10

GAP discounts via text

Amazon to launch library lending for kindle books

What to do about a lost ATM card

iPhone tracking, what you should know

No new XBox or Playstation until 2014?

Weird ways to use reward points

Gadget secret powers

Don't waste your money

New Airline requirements

GA Hacker caught with 675,000 credit card accounts

Get what you need without paying

Ace college financing while in high school

Disaster proof your budget

How to remove authorized users

Why families should not share credit

Groups wants government to link gas prices to mileage, prod you to purchase certain cars

Credit Cards and Cell Phones

Bank settles military foreclosure claims

Wash. considers annual fee for electric cars

Best Washing Machines

Ways Menus Make You Spend

$5.69 for Gas

Driving myths that cost you

Secrets to saving money

Q & A: Smartphone tracking

Wi-Fi Privacy Dangers

Walmart testing home delivery in CA

When is tracking too much?

Costly home buying contract errors

Track your own phone

Rising oil and falling dollar reset summer travel plans

Travel Deals

How to avoid taxes on life insurance

Dodging Phone Fees Overseas

Double Dip Recession?

What is the cheapest long distance?

Prices that will rise along with your gas

Low cost summer daycare alternatives

College debt worse than credit cards

Google testing google offers

When to start prepping for college

Alternatives to college

How to retire a millionaire

Money lessons from childhood

Labels: budget friendly

Unscheduled “fundamental review of America’s missions, capabilities, and our role in a changing world"

The Mother of All Reviews

President Obama was calling for an altogether new review on Wednesday in saying he, Secretary Gates and Admiral Mullen would search for places to cut the Pentagon’s budget over the long term — or so DoD understands. When’s it going to start? Who’s going to run it? There aren’t many details, and the White House apparently hasn’t issued instructions for what’s going to happen next, but this much we do know: Obama wasn’t referring to a Quadrennial Defense Review or any of the other regularly scheduled reviews, said Pentagon spokesman Col. Dave Lapan.

For many people inside the Beltway, life is review whack-a-mole. A general wants a study on what to do about a program. Members of Congress want reviews about why DoD should buy the widget produced in their districts. The budget is coming up. Or there’s a big one like the QDR, the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review, the Quadrennial Missile Defense Review, and so on. Often these reports appear with great fanfare and have absolutely no effect. Every once in awhile, a review will uncover something the brass doesn’t want to see the light of day, and so the report never materializes.

But a big, unscheduled “fundamental review of America’s missions, capabilities, and our role in a changing world,” as Obama called for Wednesday, is definitely unusual. This is bigger than whether DoD should buy 41 more F/A-18s. This could raise long-simmering questions about whether the services should be funded unequally — we’re never going to fight another big land war, right? (The argument goes.) So cut the Army and Marines and grow the Navy and Air Force. Or could it mean fewer troops forward deployed in Europe and Asia? Could it mean the U.S. scales back its nuclear umbrella?

So not only will DoD be forced into a major review to define its future, it will force Washington to confront some unpleasant realities about the future of American power.