why is it that everyone outside of the militarys thinks that those of us who are involved with the military are rich?? really come on the pay isnt to bad but how come people always say that were rich and goody goodys and such i just dont get it.Oooh or give you the snide look military frummmp,IDK just looking for opinions 

I think its because most believe you dont have to pay electric, rent and more. You get discounts and so forth. I'm not military but know its a misconseption. Those are just a few things that take up most folks income so thats where they draw the conclusion. I know military people aren't "rich" but some are well off. Just depends on rank and how long you've been and of course you know that :). Its like ANY job. You move up in the chain and make more money. My friends parents BOTH retired LTC and they were sitting real good. But its also about how well some can budget their money as well. The more you budget, the "richer" you are! :-) 

Oh the Irony of seeing this as a conversation! I was just having this battle with a friend back home who in all his ignorant glory was trying to argue with me about the benefits I have...... The conversation had started about how tight he was for money, and so on. I don't remember my comment word for word but I believe it was something to the effect of "We all feel tight right now, but if your bills are paid and your daughter is taken care of that's the important thing"..... Apparently this made him made because his comment was "I knew you wouldn't understand, you couldn't possibly have understood seeing as your husband is who he is". It really kind of irked me seeing as my husband being "Who he is" is an E-5 in the army... Not some rock star or multi billionaire. I responded with "What are you talking about, you alone with your job bring in more than us". Which is true, he is a manager and a fork lift driver back home in a factory, and he makes about $500 more every two weeks than us. I got "Yea but you don't pay rent, or for anything, and they pay you to have kids".... Well sh!t I could be paid to have my son?? Really? Because last time I checked, I am definitely not receiving a check for giving birth. I explained to him that if we live off post yes we get more $, but that $ is to pay for our home and utilities. Living on post we do not receive that money at all, and some people still have to pay for utilities. I still pay for my car, I still pay my cell phone, my cable and all the normal things. I mean I get WIC, but he can get that civilian. I will admit that my husband and I budget allot better than this person, and often times we do have more money than him in the bank. Does that mean I am rich? No, not at all, It means I took to heart everything the man at ACS setting up my budget had to say about minimal purchases and making bills as small as I can. Does that mean I am Rich due to my husbands career... No. 

rich??? FUNNY! lol. my hubby is an E-4 and we have one son. and we DEF arent rich. in fact we live pay check to pay check. i mean yea we get "extra money" for housing but i just add that into the total amount we make and it still isnt a whole lot. feels like we are always tight. however, the one thing i DO thing we have that is PRICELESS..the MEDICAL insurance. im getting a much needed gastric bypass (20,000 doller surgery) this spring and its all completely covered by tricare .. whooo hoo! 

He tried to bring up the medical to me as well, but I pointed out that his company has given him medical too. I will admit many places don't, and that is one of many reasons that we want to stay in and retire. I know short of a new heart I am good. I can chop off a leg tomorrow and not have to worry. Knowing if my son does have something wrong at birth I will never have to worry about how I will pay for his care. That is definitely a perk, but like you said, we as military are in no way Rich. 

And I am looking at it from another angle. I am rich ... far more than my checkbook will ever show. I have a 4 beautiful, healthy children. I have a safe & warm home. One amazingly loving husband, who (as a bonus) serves his country proudly. I also have extended family and friends. Being a military wife just adds dimension to my wealth. Without that aspect, I would not be as self reliant, nor appreciate as deeply what the word SACRIFCE means. Now if you mean cold hard cash ... glad payday is tuesday! 

Aw that was cute, and well written. Looking from your point, I am wealthier than I ever could be, in a matter of weeks I will get to meet my son, and am thankful for all the same things you are. Cash wise... I could use some more. As long as the rest of my wealth stays safe though, I am okay with not having enough cash. 

haha RICH please let me know how to be RICH and be in the military. We live paycheck to paycheck, heck we get paid, pay our bills, buy groceries and other needs **no wants** unless its for my daughter and then we are broke till next payday! It sucks but we manage. I even have two jobs but at the moment don't get paid too well so it's not helping much. I also have people that have said oh you guys must be rich and I just laugh because if they only knew! My husband is working on get promoted though to E-6 so I hope this will help us but by no means will we ever be rich being in the military. 

Well,in my opinion, it is from the things military people buy. A lot drive new cars, have big big screen TV's wear the name brand clothes and pretty much live beyond their means. Now mind you not all of us do it, but quite a few do. But those same people dont pay their bills, are always worried about money or are living off of credit cards. The people that judge dont see all of the bad things they just see wow they got alot of STUFF! I could be wrong but that is what I think. 

Lol, I love this topic, let me remind you I am not military, but I have been around it, I know military pay has its ups and downs but I by no means think you are all rich, my sister has a rude awakining. Her bf of 5yrs joined the marines, she thinks that she will never have to work again and sit at home doing what ever she pleases, she 19, no kids and extremely young. I've told her she was crazy to think this, she also though that when he gets stationed in MO that she could move in with him (not married) and live in the barracks...lmao, I told her she has a lot to learn! 

LILMRSNELSON--lmao. she DOES have alot to learn thats for sure. but on a side note.. i was alot like her when i got married. i was 18 and no kids. i thought i would never have to work again.. HAHAHA. i have 2 jobs AND im a stay at home mom to a 2 year old. 

FortRileyMom3 hit it well. We have been in for 27 years, and although we are not even close to being rich, we are okay and have a little put up for an emergency or two. We drive 2002 and 1996 vehicles. Not because we can't afford to have a nice, new car, but because they are paid for and run great - also the hubby is a mechanic! Our son on the other hand is in his 4th year of active duty, has no dependents, has nice stereo system in his vehicle, high tech cell phone, gaming systems (plueral), big payment at AAFES, and no cash! He runs with the guys, gets tatoos (costly), eats out, and owns every CD on the market. He is broke and it by choice! He was sucked into the easy access scandle that is out there for the GI - cash advance, pawn shops, tatoo shops, etc that are outside of every military base in this country! I am sure that everyone has seen the auto sales sign that says "Approved E-1 and up"! I know there are a lot of people that struggle from week to week and don't have the "niceities" so please don't start screaming - but as FRM3 said, many live way above where they should be and it is easy to see why others might think they are rich. What they don't usually see is the big ticket that goes along with all of those richy things. 

Man, I remember when I went home from AIT all my friends thought I was banking...Now mind you, this was before all the raises and stuff...I was only making about $350 a paycheck..lol...I was one of those that got sucked into, Military approved...I had a car an awesome stereo system but I couldn't afford insurance...blah...It was a nightmare...I had to learn the hardway. Now, we are pretty good. Money wise we are not rich by any means..But, if I want something nice..I save for it. I pay my bills, the kids have clothes and food..We have one car and it is paid off..(dreading a carpayment next year)..I agree with FRM, when I was at Bliss and people got back from deployments..MAN..everyone had rims, car stereos, new cars...etc...and a few months later half of those cars would be in the lemon lot..crazy... 

however, the one thing i DO thing we have that is PRICELESS..the MEDICAL insurance. im getting a much needed gastric bypass (20,000 doller surgery I feel like the medical coverage is a blessing in itself.Late Jan i'll be having a gastric bypass surgery myself. I feel rich in my spirituality and my marriage/family.:) 

ladies, that are planning on the gastric bypass surgery, I will tell you it is a great thing. I had mine 6 yrs ago. I lost 125lbs and have gained 25 of it back..but that is normal. But what I want to tell you is fix your head hunger and emotional eating (if you have it) first. Do a lot of work on your eating habits and the gastric bypass will be very successful and 6 yrs down the line you wont be struggling as I do. Just a word of friendly I have been there advice. 

FRM3 thank you for the encouraging words :) 

thanks FRM! 

i really don't know why a lot of people believe the military is rich. even my brother thinks we are rich and always tries to bum money. my sister who is in A.I.T. she herself thinks she is rich. yes we have medical that we pay little for monthly yes we have dental that we pay for monthly yes we get paid a housing allowance- (most of the time is not enough in my opinion) and then we get the regular pay check that some how never really seems to be enough or it is just enough. but the army does offer good things to go along with it like the marriage retreats. the wic program and many more programs! to be honest i think the only way to actually live and have a little extra money is to have both spouses working now. but i do also know that isn't really an option for everyone 

Well,in my opinion, it is from the things military people buy. A lot drive new cars, have big big screen TV's wear the name brand clothes and pretty much live beyond their means. Now mind you not all of us do it, but quite a few do. But those same people dont pay their bills, are always worried about money or are living off of credit cards. The people that judge dont see all of the bad things they just see wow they got alot of STUFF! I could be wrong but that is what I think. I could not agree more. I was telling my husband the other day that most military people have flashy cars and/or lots of expensive items. I didn't understand why and my husband said most are in debt, and trying to live a lifestyle that the Army just can't provide for. He said give it 2 years and most will end up with a repoed car and pawning things left and right. I am fine off just because we manage money and I have a full time job that pays well. We pay electric, and rent...but we do also get great benefiets 

I agree that we are fortunate to get $ towards housing and the medical insurance as well, but as far as our basic pay, that is a joke! If people in the civilian sector really thought about it long and hard, we are not doing that well financially being in the military and just remember that our husbands work 24 hr duty shifts, sometimes 14 hr days or longer of regular work day schedules and then have to deal with deployments every other year, so tell me how we are so well off being in the military??? Do civilians have to sacrafice as much as we do? I'm sure there are some, but we have our fair share too! 

Sure there are some that sacrafice as much or more. I know a guy over there working for a contractor, he has been there for probably 3-4 years and came home 1-2 times. All to pay for a house, an unappreciative wife, and his kids wants and needs. Only difference is: he gets PAID...like bookoo bucks. :) 

People don't realize that it's because of the benefits we receive that the military pays BOTTOM DOLLAR LOL. My husband and I are fighting to pay our bills but yet we can't qualify for WIC because he's an E-5 and we have only 1 child. Thank goodness for credit cards when you need them. And they are charging people for overusing their utilities, it's a new system and they said they will actually reimburse people for electricity that they don't use but I haven't seen any change in our paycheck. I think we're getting ripped off personally... When I worked full time at a call-center I actually made more money than my husband, yet together our incomes barely went over $23,000 a year. Now that I haven't been working due to become a hands-on SAHM, you can imagine how low that number is now. 

I by far do not think that military people are rich. I believe if you manage your money properly you can be totally comfortable, but not rich. My hub is and E-6 and we have 2 kids and another on the way and Im a SAHM and we are totally comfortable. We only have one credit card for emergency purposes (which we have only used for flights home to get the reward points but pay it off immediately) and we also have an allotment to save every paycheck. We have two 2009 vehicles and one is paid off and the other will be within a year. We have everything we need and my children get most of there wants!!! Im not trying to sound like Im so great and no one else is bc I dont think that by far, I just think that a lot of people are in there situation bc they do not buy, think, or try to save wisely!!!! I used to get sooooo mad at my husband wanting to save but now 5 years later I totally understand the whole reasoning and point behind it. If it weren't for the military and the deployments we wouldn't have a practically brand new car paid off but that goes to show if you save and spend wisely while the spouse is deployed you can be totally comfortable! 

We have a good chunk in savings as well due to the deployment, but things happen and most of those things cost money. My explorer crapped out on me so we decided to invest in a "forever" vehicle so we're paying on that, my husband's car needs a new suspension. We try to keep our savings in savings for emergencies. We could take out money and pay off some bills but we choose not to and we made the choice to live like this sadly, lol. As long as the bank account doesn't go negative, we're good, LOL. 

I am not going to comment on the actual topic cause it has all been said and put in very good perspective. Ok, Billie... Now that you are a SAHM, you should go back to the WIC office and re-apply for it... You do qualify as e-5 with one child, I am recieving it for my daughter right now. Even being deployed your family is intitled to it. They change the criteria a couple a months ago..... Now they don't count a the extra pay which allows you to be under the cut off if the Military member is deployed. Thought this might help 

I get asked all the time how we have so much on "just" an E4's paycheck (I'm unemployed right now and probably won't work - at least not full time - until after I have the baby and he's a bit older). I don't think anyone assumes we're "rich" by any stretch of the imagination but it's almost accusatory in how they word it - as if they think we're doing something illegal to have the things we do. The bottom line is that we budget and live BELOW our means. I say BELOW because I know many people who say they live WITHIN their means but to most people that means living paycheck to paycheck without having any savings and sometimes having to use credit cards to pay for essentials. We have credit cards that we only use for emergencies and travel (so we don't get huge rental car deposits held out of our checking account, etc). We have savings so God-forbid something happen we can pay our bills for several months without a problem. We have 2 vehicles, 2 big tv's, all the video game systems, a laptop, a regular computer, etc. But that is because we saved up for those items - we didn't just go out one payday and "decide" to get them and then not be able to buy groceries. We live off-post and our rent and utilities are less than what hubby gets for BAH. Right now he spends that difference in gas to get to/from work because we live pretty far from post, but to us it's well worth it. We're renting a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom house with a living room, dining room, eat-in kitchen, laundry room, computer loft and full (unfinished) basement. The house sits on 1/2 acre and the yard is partially fenced in for our dog to have room to run and play. So all that may seem like we have a lot, but we cut back in other areas. I save every PENNY I can. I clip coupons, I shop sales, I buy clothes on clearance, and hubby gets pre-owned video games instead of brand new (most of the time anyway) - just to name a few things. I always ask for a military discount which annoys hubby sometimes but it ends up saving us a TON every year. We have our home phone / internet / cable bundled which gives you a discount. We have the military discount with our cell phones too. We use AT&T and we have "A-list" with rollover so we can call 10 non-AT&T numbers without using any of our minutes so we've recently cut back our home phone from unlimited to basic service because we just aren't using it hardly at all - that alone is now saving us $35 a month. We don't go out to eat very often - we have "date night" once a month where we go to a nice dinner and a movie. Other than that meals are cooked at home (by me most of the time b/c I rarely let hubby in "my" kitchen). I don't buy prepackaged food (boxed meals, instant anything, precut veggies/meats etc) - I buy basic ingredients (whole meats, whole veggies, starches & spices) and make meals from scratch. I also buy in bulk from Sam's club on non-perishable items. We spend about $300 a month on groceries after factoring in sale prices & coupons. That $300 includes my monthly Sam's club trips to get bulk items. Much of my regular grocery shopping is done at the commissary but I do comparison shop the sale ads for the in-town stores (Dillon's / Hyvee) to be sure I'm getting the best price. For example, when Dillon's had 12 packs of Coke products for $1.99 (regular price at the commissary is $4.35) - I stocked up! Now that I'm pregnant, hubby wants me to sign up for WIC so I'll be checking into that this week and that will help lower our grocery bill even more. I know I was long winded, but I just wanted to share some tips on ways to save money / "create" extra cash every month. I hope it helps someone out. 

Also it depends on your responsabilities as far as children, pets ect. I know I have money going out for my animals that I could use twards a car payment but thats my choice. I have all my bills paid for every month with lots let over. Sure there are times where I feel like my animals are a little much but I know that they aren't taking anything away from my family. Its just one of those bonus things you get to have. I know some people that put their animals before their children. I don't say anything because its a lesson they will have to learn. There are tons of ways to save money and Married2afox made some good suggestions. 

BLM - that's a good point - you have to factor in everything in a budget - not just vehicles, housing and food - clothes can really add up - especially when your kids are young and seem to be CONSTANTLY growing. It seems like my daughter just started wearing size 8 jeans and now she needs 10's b/c of how tall she is. That and her feet seem to grow overnight so she always needs shoes! LOL As far as pets - we have a dog and a cat (technically 2 cats if you count the outside one) so we have their food, treats, cat litter, heartworm meds, flea & tick meds and vet bills that we budget for. Our dog is a purebred so we also had to budget just to get her and have her registered/microchipped/vetted to begin with. We've also budgeted for her training and we're putting money aside for when we start showing her. We do save money by doing the grooming ourselves - but she's very low maintenance in that department. Many people don't consider the amount that animals cost when they decide they "want" a pet. You have to think about everything! My dog for example LOVES rawhide bones (she'd eat 3 a day if we let her) so I buy them in bulk from Sam's (15 bones for $9.99) to save money. There are ways to save on just about anything - you just have to shop around to get the best deal. 

I have to admit it's good to have a savings account and budget well, but honestly, you still need to "live" your life too! My mom used to always say "you can't take it with you when you die"! So, save here and there, but also do nice things for yourself and family once in awhile. 

I have to admit it's good to have a savings account and budget well, but honestly, you still need to "live" your life too! My mom used to always say "you can't take it with you when you die"! So, save here and there, but also do nice things for yourself and family once in awhile. I agree - which is why we save up for the "fun" stuff like our video game systems and travel etc. I owe my purse collection to savings too! LOL ;)