Savings Tips for Military Spouses

As a military spouse, you may feel that it’s your responsibility to save as much money as you can. Even if you do work inside or outside your home, you are responsible for saving money. In the Kitchen Think about how much food you throw away because it went bad. If that thought hurts, good! By using a few simple strategies, you’ll be able to save on the commissary budget:

• Buy and eat frozen vegetables more often. Corn, broccoli, green beans and peas are good examples. When you do buy fresh, buy smaller quantities.
• Buy and reuse plastic containers for those leftovers and lunches.
• Put your slow cooker to more frequent use. You’ll save money and have dinner ready with little effort.

Gift-Giving

• A dollar-store piggy bank (or other savings method) filled with a few dollars of quarters makes a great birthday gift for your child’s friend.
• Use your computer and printer to make cute coupons to give as gifts. Promise your time or a service to the recipient.

Entertainment

• Visit the base/post library or the library in a nearby community to check out books and DVDs.
• Slash your monthly entertainment bill by canceling your cable or satellite bill. Instead, subscribe to Hulu or Netflix and watch your favorite movies and television shows this way.

Banking and Bills

• Go through your cell phone bill item by item and unsubscribe from services that you don’t use.
• Close your bank account and open one at a credit union or a bank that caters to military families. Request a free checking account.

Those Shopping Trips

• Buy your cosmetics at the drugstore. The products sold here are just as good as high-priced cosmetics.
• Write down every errand you run in one week. Combine these into one trip or make stops when you know you’re already going to be in the area for another purpose.

In the Car

• Maintain your car every month. You’ll save on fuel and unexpected repair bills
• One word: carpool, carpool, carpool! This includes military unit events, trips to the commissary and taking the kids to school. Your military spouse should do the same thing.

Saving Money on Clothes

• Borrow another spouse’s ball gown and lend one of yours to her.
• Dry laundry on the clothes line.
• Have a hand-me-down clothes swap with your neighbors.

Bring Money Into Your Home! MyCAA allows you, as a military spouse, to take courses that will enable you to develop a career that you can take from one duty station to the next. If you’re seeking an associate’s degree, you’ll be able to have your classes paid for under the MyCAA Program for Military Spouses as long as you meet certain conditions, such as pay grade and the type of military orders your spouse holds. As long as the courses you’re interested in meet MyCAA program reviews, you’ll be able to take those courses free of charge. Check with an education consultant to find out if the program you’re interested in is on the “MyCAA programs approved” list. Check on eligibility requirements by calling a MyCAA Career and Education Consultant and get started today!