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PCS? Moving Tools Can Make it Easier!
It is the PCS season for many military families. Orders in hand and with the next location almost in site, how do you find help to learn more about that next assignment? Friends? Social Media? Military One Source? Family Centers? Military friendly businesses? There are so many resources that are available for you! We tried to grab and bring them to you in a centralized location. Military experience helped us create some ways that can help you on MilitaryAvenue.com. Our Moving Tools section is perfect to guide you through many of the challenges military families face! Come take a look: School reports, mortgage advice and articles, packing materials, utility hookups…
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Life is an adventure not a race
How often do you take the road less travelled? Driving home from a weekend with college friends. A trip across state lines, many state lines. Time with just hubs as my boys were at home with Grandpa and Grandma. Ahead of us was Breezewood, PA and hubs was already grumbling about that “gosh awful” interchange. (I just might have edited that grumbling to make it more family friendly.) A last minute decision between the two of us and we found ourselves driving the passes of the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains instead. It was white, pristine, beautiful, a lovely change of pace. The Cumberland valley was wind swept, quiet, peaceful. The countryside…
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The Year in Review – 2012
MilitaryAvenue.com has a lot to offer the military family, from local military discounts, to stories of personal experience, and articles from reputable resources like the DoD, USAA, Community and Family Policy and so many more. So what was important to our families this year? Here are the Top 10 Articles on MilitaryAvenue.com from the year 2012: MilitaryAvenue’s Moving Checklist: A move isn’t complete without a checklist! It certainly is less stressful with one. Click on a link below to take you to the appropriate time frame and then skim the other lists to make sure you are on track for a great move. Growing Up in the Military: A few years ago,…
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Tips to Protect Your Hard Earned Military Money! The BBB Military Line is for You.
Do not give away your hard earned military cash! You served. You or your soldier, airmen, marine, sailor or coastie served in a high threat environment to bring in the bacon and now an unethical business or person wants to take it from you. Have you ever been a victim of consumer fraud? Concerned about how to avoid becoming a victim? Many of our military community are vulnerable to consumer fraud, scams and contract issues due to their age, relocation to new and unfamiliar areas and their wide spread use of the internet according to Brenda Linnington, Director of the Better Business Bureau Military Line! Did you know that the…
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Two Very Different Veteran Day Celebrations
Last week I was privileged to be invited to the 3d Annual USAA Influencer Conference in San Antonio, TX. Today, I was invited to Pine Ridge Elementary School in Ada, MI. Both had Veterans Day celebrations that impacted me but in two very different ways. Both sent and had a wonderful message! USAA is built around veterans and their members are veterans and their families so there is a natural appreciation and their Veterans Day program certainly showed their affiliation. A dignified and respectful ceremony with flag officers, wounded warriors from the nearby medical center, family members, USAA team members and a crowded, standing room only audience. Captain Smiley speaking…
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Surviving the Storm – Hurricane Preparedness
Being prepared, it seems to be the motto of military-families worldwide. Hurricane Season is upon us and it is time to start making plans, thinking through what we need to do to be prepared. Some great tips from Hurricane Survivors include: Make sure you have lots of bottled water on hand and fill your bathtub before the storm. Tap water easily becomes contaminated and you won’t want to risk it before it’s checked. Make sure you have plenty of batteries, flashlights, candles, and nonperishable food on hand. – Cathy Keep those laptops and cell phones charged. If you have kids and have no power you’ll want to entertain them somehow.…
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An Open Letter to Teenage Drivers
Dear Teenager Driver whose path I crossed yesterday, In some ways I am sorry for yelling yesterday. I know I yelled loud. Adrenaline kicked in and Mother Bear came out. I now know you were scared. You see there are three very special boys to me – VERY special. They frequently play on the sidewalk that you careened over. There are at least nine other neighborhood children who are all very dear friends. Children that we cannot replace. Children who play in our quiet street in our quiet development. A black-hole could have easily been created in our hearts that day had only one of our precious jewels from heaven been standing on the…
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One More Challenge for Military Personnel! Post Deployment Driving
They just keep adding up for our military folks – challenges that is! But this one is pretty close to home and the safety of our service members and their families should not be compromised. Insurance industry giant, USAA has released the results of a study of post deployment auto accidents for military members and they have tagged a large increase for some groups following deployments. An educated guess of the results indicates a lot of habits formed while driving in convoys in combat situations (to stay alive) can increase the chances of having an accident at home. So the best convoy and combat drivers may be at risk at…
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Home Maintenance equals Money in the Bank
It is Military Saves week! A subject that is dear to my heart as Americans (including military-families) find themselves in more and more financial trouble. Sometimes saving money can be found in the simple things. Today’s blog post on saving money is about what you can do in the day-to-day. There is value in maintaining your home. Take the time — and I know we are all so very busy — to take care of our ‘stuff’ and you will find more money in the budget for other important things. If we maintain our electronics (invest in a can of compressed air for the computer as an example), vehicles (are…
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Saving Money Around the House
Click on any of the pictures to find some easy ways that YOU can save money around the house. Where would you put an extra $10 to $30 a week? Perhaps towards your retirement? A down payment on a home? A vacation? Start saving now for a brighter future! (Remember you can click on the image to read more.) Start a savings shadow box with a picture of what we’re saving for. This would also be cool for the kids, to teach them to save for something by seeing you do it and letting them join in with items they want as well. Perhaps a picture of Disney World, a picture…
