First Person: Transitioning From a Military Budget to a Civilian Budget

My active duty tour in the United States Air Force was a life changing experience. I entered the Air Force one year after I graduated from high school, in peacetime, leaving El Paso, Texas to start my new adventure despite my initial fears of joining the military. The rewards seemed abundant: a free place to live, free food, free medical care, free dental care, cheap recreation, cheap gasoline, and cheap clothes. I felt like I was living a life of luxury!

Living on a Military Budget Was Easy

I soon got spoiled with life on a military base where I could shop at the base exchange that is like a department store. I bought consumer electronics, health and beauty aids, small appliances, music CDs, clothes, jewelry and more for about 50% of what I would pay in the civilian world. When I left the base exchange I would fill up the car with gasoline for about ten to twenty cents a gallon less than service stations off base.

The commissary is the base grocery store where most groceries were about 30% less than at civilian grocery stores. After grocery shopping, we rented a ski boat for $5 a day at the base recreation center and went to the lake outside of Spokane, Washington for the day. After water skiing, we showered up and hit the NCO Club for the live music and night club action where there was no cover and drinks were $1 to $3 each.

After an action packed day, we returned to our free military housing, with free utilities, and no need for homeowners insurance. The next day we took in a movie for $5, and then went bowling for $3 a game. On the way home, we stopped at the gym for free to play some racquetball and tone our muscles on the exercise equipment. We then took a dip in the free swimming pool to cool off after our cardiovascular workout.

We had our first baby while we were stationed at Survival Training at Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane, Washington. During the entire nine months of pregnancy and for the remainder of my tour of duty, all of those medical expenses were free. While military benefits have changed some since I served on active duty military -- for example, service members now sometimes pay a portion of their medical insurance premiums -- life in the military still provides for affordable living.

Transitioning from a Military Budget to Civilian Budget Was Shocking

I will never forget the days after I was honorably discharged and ready to start my college education with the G.I. Bill. I has saved enough while on active duty to have about $300 a month for living expenses while in college. My husband had a job that paid about $1,200 a month take home pay. My G.I. Bill was about $450 per month. We were 23 years old. Needless to say, I was shocked when I entered the civilian world and tried to live on $1,950 a month with a baby and college tuition! I went to the civilian grocery store and instead of a gallon of milk costing $1.50 a gallon, it was $3.50 a gallon. My stomach sank and I knew I would have to prepare and keep a tight budget.

It turned out that all we could afford for housing was a $500 a month attic apartment, 1 bedroom/1 bath on the third floor of a house in Spokane. We set up a little nursery for the baby in the living room with used furniture. Utilities were around $100 a month. This was our monthly budget to survive the transition from military life to civilian life.

$500 Housing

$100 Utilities

$300 Groceries, Personal Hygiene, Staples

$300 College Tuition

$200 Day care

$250 Car payment and maintenance

$100 Gasoline

$100 Health and Dental Care

$50 Clothes

$50 Recreation

We decided in order to manage this tight budget that I would take the bus to school and use the college campus day care center that had more affordable child care. We ate a lot of bean burritos, hamburger helper, chicken pot pies, stew and fruit to stay healthy. We walked in parks instead of going to gyms. I stopped using perfume, name brand make-up, paper plates, paper towels, and disposable diapers.

We had a box that we threw our change in and at the end of the month and we used that for our one night out to a movie and dinner. We bought clothes at the second-hand store and sometimes had to use that $50 for clothes or recreation to make car repairs or pay for routine car maintenance instead. We did not go to the dentist except in emergencies. We had no credit cards. We spent most of our weekends gathering friends to watch a movie on television, play Monopoly or play poker with pinto beans for wagering money. We never took vacations.

I look back on those times now and wonder how we made it. I can attribute the civilian budgeting success to only one simple rule of discipline that works in any budgeting process: Always ask yourself when you spend a dollar if it is something you really need. It is amazing how much you can live without if you have to.

If you are a military service member or Veteran, thank you for your brave service to America and God Bless you and your family.

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