Military members on food stamps! (boot camp, loan, officer, deploy)
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I dont know if paying them more is the answer. I personnally witnessed several of my airman in a hard to fill career field earn extremely high re-enlistment bonus` (40K+). What do you think happended? Logically, one would hope, pay bills, save...right. Just the opposite, I had several airman with very high end vehicles (caddy's, BMW, etc.) This was an obvious mentorship opportunity...some listened while others did their thing. On the flip side, I had one airman who saved all of his reenlistment bonus`. Later in his career, he actually bought a house & 10 acres, with cash.
With that said, I think financial education/management is first and foremost (like the NFL).
I was a Soldier and got out - my DH and I met in OSUT. We had two children before he was an E-4. We made the decision for me to stay home with the children. Our homes were very nice, my children were neat and clean and our entire family was well fed, as well as being able to eat out as a family several times a month and still afford a sitter so that we could have a date night.
We had two vehicles and a nice lifestyle. Our only debt was the car payments. It CAN be done if you make a budget and stick to it.
My DH Retired after almost 23 years as an Enlisted man. By the time he Retired he was making almost $7000. a month we were in Hawaii so our BAH and COLA were high.
The Military allowed us to raise our children in comfort and 'we' had a wonderful career with the Army. People have forgotten how to live within their means and have relied far too much on credit and having the best and newest electronics and vehicles.
My son is an E-4 stationed in Korea. He lives in the barracks, so has no BAH. I know what his paychecks/deposits are because I am on his bank account.
Unmarried, no BAH, no deployments, nearly $1400 every two weeks is deposited into his bank account. That is AFTER taxes.
I believe that if you're stationed in Korea you get extra 'hardship' pay included on each paycheck, which service members based stateside do not receive.
My DH Retired after almost 23 years as an Enlisted man. By the time he Retired he was making almost $7000. a month we were in Hawaii so our BAH and COLA were high.
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After 23 Years is the operative statement here. I'm assuming that a lot of the military on food stamps are low ranking Marines with only a few years into their service. Also, in the last couple of decades, cost of living has gone up dramatically (and expectations for quality of living) and the military wage and BAH haven't necessarily kept pace although that's probably up for debate.
I agree though 100% that people have forgotten how to live within their means. I also agree with another poster that Financial Education is part of the answer.
Either way though- for most people's expectations of a decent quality of life a low ranking service member in the early years of his enlistment does not make enough. With that said though, like I said in my post my husband and I have managed to do it and end up financially ahead- but we've had to make a lot of financial sacrifices. It's definitely not what I'd call a 'good' or 'easy' quality of life.
Actually lower level enlisted don't make that much and BAH is based on rank, time in service, as well as geographical location.
It has nothing to do with time in service.
The Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) is a U.S. based allowance prescribed by geographic duty location, pay grade, and dependency status.
A uniformed service member stationed outside the U.S., including U.S. territories and possessions, not furnished government housing, is eligible for Overseas Housing Allowance (OHA).
My husband is an E4 and definitely doesn't make $70k or more a year... I'm not sure what rank you are but I know for a fact that we don't make this kind of money.
My husband has only had one deployment (last year) during his almost-finished 4 year tenure and even then the annual income didn't come close to $70k (he was E3 at the time).
No disrespect, but where do you come up with $70k? Where are you based, what is your rank and how long/ frequently do you deploy? This is definitely *not* normal for the lower military ranks!
EDIT: I read your post to my husband, he said his yearly uniform allowance is about $400-$500 bucks. No, we don't splurge it on going to dinner. His last uniform allowance hit while he was deployed- and he had to buy a bunch of new uniforms, boots and gear when he got home. By the time he recently got asked to buy new Charlies and Camis- (there wasn't even that much wrong with the old ones) the uniform allowance had already been used on gear and uniforms.
As for the civilian world- I agree that it isn't the norm to get 'free clothes'- but when I worked for the Hyatt Regency in St. Louis, all front desk staff (different uniforms for other staff) were actually issued 3 blue business suits and 6 white blouses a piece and we got free drycleaning and tailoring. So, that's a civilian employer that hands out free clothes Of course you have to give them back when/ if you leave. As for managers who didn't require the uniforms- you were able to claim some business attire purchases back on tax due to the strict dress code.
I've a few ranks on top of E4, and have been in over 12 years, and live in a high BAH area. I'm not implying that all of us make that much... I'm just saying it is possible over time with promotions and such. I'm also a recruiter, which means an extra $6K a year. Most do not make that much. Some E-9s may approach $80K or $90K a year. However, most E3s should be making at least $35K unless they live in base housing or a very low BAH area.
I didn't mean to imply that YOU both wasted his uniform allowance, just stating that many people do. Most do not actually buy uniforms with it. I don't need new uniforms every year, so I don't buy them every year.
Sorry if I offended. I realize I may have come off harsly. Uniforms are the responsibility of the member, and the allowance if used to replace or offset the cost. If a member is particularily hard on their uniform, then they may end up having to replace more than usual.
Wasn't he issued uniforms for his deployment? Maybe other branches are different, but in the Air Force we are issued deployment uniforms.
I dont know if paying them more is the answer. I personnally witnessed several of my airman in a hard to fill career field earn extremely high re-enlistment bonus` (40K+). What do you think happended? Logically, one would hope, pay bills, save...right. Just the opposite, I had several airman with very high end vehicles (caddy's, BMW, etc.) This was an obvious mentorship opportunity...some listened while others did their thing. On the flip side, I had one airman who saved all of his reenlistment bonus`. Later in his career, he actually bought a house & 10 acres, with cash.
With that said, I think financial education/management is first and foremost (like the NFL).
Good points! I once knew a guy that had almost a $100K bonus, and blew it all. ATC can re-enlist for 8 years to increase their bonus. He did, and was still broke after he bough his brand new car and electronics.
My son is an E-4 stationed in Korea. He lives in the barracks, so has no BAH. I know what his paychecks/deposits are because I am on his bank account.
Unmarried, no BAH, no deployments, nearly $1400 every two weeks is deposited into his bank account. That is AFTER taxes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by glamatomic
I believe that if you're stationed in Korea you get extra 'hardship' pay included on each paycheck, which service members based stateside do not receive.
It's about $150 a month. That doesn't really explain the delta between '1900' [total] and '2800' [with no BAH involved], if you catch my drift...
I believe that if you're stationed in Korea you get extra 'hardship' pay included on each paycheck, which service members based stateside do not receive.
Hardship pay for South Korea is between $50 and $150 a month, depending on the duty station. He's stationed right outside of Seoul so I doubt it's at the top end of that scale.
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Of course you have to give them back when/ if you leave. As for managers who didn't require the uniforms- you were able to claim some business attire purchases back on tax due to the strict dress code.
