The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Life As A Military Spouse
Life as part of a military family is tough whatever branch you are with. In this book you will find all the advice and information I wish I’d been given as a military spouse. Many times the publications we get given are so wildly out of date (I received one that was written in the 80s and hadn’t been updated since) that they really aren’t useful. Websites have changed, and flyers don’t always get updated. So that is why I wrote this book.
This is not just for the new spouse just joining the military world. Throughout your spouse’s career you will come upon challenges you haven’t faced before. Maybe your spouse just got orders overseas, or you’re having a child after 5 years of marriage. It’s easy to forget that someone who has experience with the military in general, may not be an expert in each individual situation.
So, in The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Life as a Military Spouse you will find:
- The basics of getting acquainted with the military, including ID cards, TRICARE, Immigration challenges if you’re a foreign born spouse like me, and so on.
- Understanding your spouse’s pay and allowances and how to create a realistic budget including retirement savings through the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP).
- Other benefits for military families, including shopping options, VA home loans, subsidized childcare, family education programs, legal assistance, vision and dental services, base housing, and cheap (or free!) military flights.
- Military family support services- each branch’s family support center, non-profit relief societies, online support services and what each offers to you.
- Options at the military hospital when you are pregnant. What to expect for the delivery and post-partum care. Options for if your spouse is deployed for the birth, how things differ if you’re overseas, adjusting your budget, what is WIC and how to determine if you qualify, getting a base housing upgrade, and so on.
- Navigating the military childcare system, including the Child Development Center, Family Child Care/ Child Development Homes, and drop-in/part-time options.
- Moving in the military. Tips for a successful PCS move, how to budget the PCS so you will make a little money and not lose out, how to prepare your kids for a move, what to expect if you’re moving overseas including new allowances and programs available to you.
- Deployment preparation, how to handle the actual deployment, understanding the deployment cycle, Making the deployment as easy for the kids as possible, how to handle R&R successfully, post-deployment reintegration, what is PTSD and how can you help.
- Planning for retirement and the benefits you will continue to receive.
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Life as a Military Spouse is not branch specific. Wherever possible specific information is given for Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and National Guard. Retirees are not left out either! So whatever branch or stage of career your spouse is in, this information should help you find the tools and resources you need to make your life easier, and answers many questions you don’t usually find answers to.