September 2011, Fort Drum area:
My husband is inches from his 90 day window for ETSing (slang term for "End Term of Service", aka contract "completion") from the US Army. His options are few and far between, so we chose what I imagined would be the easier road (I was so very wrong). He was an E3 at the time his window closed and reenlistment for a multitude of reasons was not a foreseeable option (CoC, to a degree, and my husband's steadily declining respect for the Army's "maltreatment" of him, his word, not mine. Now we were getting things in order, a small savings amount, 3 digits nothing to marvel at, and we were living paycheck to paycheck on his income. We also had steady, reliable healthcare and a well balanced budget for a family of 4 with 2 in diapers of about $3000 a month in expenditures (credit card payment of $125 a month, car payment of $250, grocery allowance, $1270 a month for a 2 bedroom apartment and our utilities at that point were included in our rent. We were doing OK, not great but everything was paid on time and in full and we had want for nothing.
Now moving into that month W started his ACAPing appointments (a program offered by the Army to assist in the reintegration into the civilian world of working and/ or going to school), now I knew I was allowed to attend these functions and ask questions and whatnot. Well, I didn't ***ENORMOUS*** mistake (First of many). So on that note here's my plug, no matter how much of a pain it seems, no matter how inconvenient it may be, GO TO THESE MEETINGS! Some you can't but many you can, including those wonderful job fairs, which not a one did I attend (another mistake on my part). He was giving me recaps of his meetings and his plans and so fourth and started filling out a resume for himself with his new found knowledge of resume writing, I maintained a sense of ignorant bliss and continued to Army wife it and enjoy our healthcare and didn't plan for ish,
November 2011
ACAPing continued, more critical information for me to know, LOST. Saving account still barely at 1/2 month's expenses. Happy googles still affixed to my head and I turned a blind eye to everything changing around me.
Late in the month paperwork for moving was filled out, yet I was not present for this (stupid move, again). I tiptoed through the prevebial tulips and thought, "Oh, we'll just buy a house." and started oggling homes in the reasonable $80-150K range.
December 2011
Moving dates firmed up, no address for our things to go to and panic sets in. I frantically call our bank and many others "Denied". Well, now what? Hrmmm let's try renting. <BUZZER> Our credit score had tanked from our years before the military and our unwise decisions back then. Low 500's, S**T, now what, not a managed community in our hometown so much as will look at us. Hours spent pouring over Craigslist, Rent,com and the like. More panic.
My husband is inches from his 90 day window for ETSing (slang term for "End Term of Service", aka contract "completion") from the US Army. His options are few and far between, so we chose what I imagined would be the easier road (I was so very wrong). He was an E3 at the time his window closed and reenlistment for a multitude of reasons was not a foreseeable option (CoC, to a degree, and my husband's steadily declining respect for the Army's "maltreatment" of him, his word, not mine. Now we were getting things in order, a small savings amount, 3 digits nothing to marvel at, and we were living paycheck to paycheck on his income. We also had steady, reliable healthcare and a well balanced budget for a family of 4 with 2 in diapers of about $3000 a month in expenditures (credit card payment of $125 a month, car payment of $250, grocery allowance, $1270 a month for a 2 bedroom apartment and our utilities at that point were included in our rent. We were doing OK, not great but everything was paid on time and in full and we had want for nothing.
Now moving into that month W started his ACAPing appointments (a program offered by the Army to assist in the reintegration into the civilian world of working and/ or going to school), now I knew I was allowed to attend these functions and ask questions and whatnot. Well, I didn't ***ENORMOUS*** mistake (First of many). So on that note here's my plug, no matter how much of a pain it seems, no matter how inconvenient it may be, GO TO THESE MEETINGS! Some you can't but many you can, including those wonderful job fairs, which not a one did I attend (another mistake on my part). He was giving me recaps of his meetings and his plans and so fourth and started filling out a resume for himself with his new found knowledge of resume writing, I maintained a sense of ignorant bliss and continued to Army wife it and enjoy our healthcare and didn't plan for ish,
November 2011
ACAPing continued, more critical information for me to know, LOST. Saving account still barely at 1/2 month's expenses. Happy googles still affixed to my head and I turned a blind eye to everything changing around me.
Late in the month paperwork for moving was filled out, yet I was not present for this (stupid move, again). I tiptoed through the prevebial tulips and thought, "Oh, we'll just buy a house." and started oggling homes in the reasonable $80-150K range.
December 2011
Moving dates firmed up, no address for our things to go to and panic sets in. I frantically call our bank and many others "Denied". Well, now what? Hrmmm let's try renting. <BUZZER> Our credit score had tanked from our years before the military and our unwise decisions back then. Low 500's, S**T, now what, not a managed community in our hometown so much as will look at us. Hours spent pouring over Craigslist, Rent,com and the like. More panic.
Finally a break, someone renting a 3 bedroom for under a grand, not in the ghetto, and with off street parking in a decent local, snagged before we could even view it. Money talks, talk walks. *#^&@**(^#@&^R*&^@,
OK try again, sleepless nights, tireless hunting finally turned up our last shot. We found a place that fit the bill, oh whoops no time/money to travel the 160 miles to see it, sight unseen. Yay. We took this place sight unseen and put a down on it without even meeting the landlord. DO NOT DO THIS!!! We got very lucky, very very blessed.
Now might I add, when the time comes to decide whether to do a DITY move or a military move, take the military move, it takes a great deal of stress and financing off your shoulders, it's there for a reason, USE IT!
Now might I add, when the time comes to decide whether to do a DITY move or a military move, take the military move, it takes a great deal of stress and financing off your shoulders, it's there for a reason, USE IT!
January 2012 "The dark days"
Now W was in his last few weeks of "employment" through the Army, he was on terminal leave and we were moving into this place. I was in an uproar, that $1800 in the savings account was G-O-N-E gone, between fueling the car, moving out of the old place, carting trash to the dump, deposits for the new place and food on the go, it was spent, quickly. We had nothing, not a red cent. Sheer terror swept over me. My family and my husband's do not have money beyond that to support themselves, I dreaded going to that horrible Humans Services building and put it off, figured, eh, we'll be OK.
Our tax return saved us some hassle but not everyone has this option and I strongly advise against relying on something you can't count on anyways, so word to the wise, put away several months worth of expenses for your family *before* ETS becomes a word in your future.
Now W was in his last few weeks of "employment" through the Army, he was on terminal leave and we were moving into this place. I was in an uproar, that $1800 in the savings account was G-O-N-E gone, between fueling the car, moving out of the old place, carting trash to the dump, deposits for the new place and food on the go, it was spent, quickly. We had nothing, not a red cent. Sheer terror swept over me. My family and my husband's do not have money beyond that to support themselves, I dreaded going to that horrible Humans Services building and put it off, figured, eh, we'll be OK.
Our tax return saved us some hassle but not everyone has this option and I strongly advise against relying on something you can't count on anyways, so word to the wise, put away several months worth of expenses for your family *before* ETS becomes a word in your future.
Mid Jan 2012:
I go into a local pharmacy to pick up a prescription for a medication I am supposed to be taking because of a dangerous health condition. They inform me TriCare denied the claim. My jaw about hit the floor. I went back home and called them, yep, coverage cancelled the DAY my husband "finished" his contract. Great, so I call the pharmacy and ask how much without coverage? "$170 for 30 days" SAY WHAT?! OK, guess I am not taking that medication anymore. Fine. Then it dawns on me, my children have no health coverage, what if they get hurt? Or sick? Crap. So I fill out an application for medicaid for them and mail it off, and wait. Nothing for quite some time. I pass it off and forget about it amongst the myriad of other troubles we had looming.
So hubby goes and applies for unemployment and enrolls (last minute mind you) in a local community college. He gets acceptance on both (miracle in and of itself that those 2 things actually worked out for us).
I go into a local pharmacy to pick up a prescription for a medication I am supposed to be taking because of a dangerous health condition. They inform me TriCare denied the claim. My jaw about hit the floor. I went back home and called them, yep, coverage cancelled the DAY my husband "finished" his contract. Great, so I call the pharmacy and ask how much without coverage? "$170 for 30 days" SAY WHAT?! OK, guess I am not taking that medication anymore. Fine. Then it dawns on me, my children have no health coverage, what if they get hurt? Or sick? Crap. So I fill out an application for medicaid for them and mail it off, and wait. Nothing for quite some time. I pass it off and forget about it amongst the myriad of other troubles we had looming.
So hubby goes and applies for unemployment and enrolls (last minute mind you) in a local community college. He gets acceptance on both (miracle in and of itself that those 2 things actually worked out for us).
Now we're doing the math based off of what we were told, which was $500 a week for unemployment and $1500-1800 for BAH (basic allowance for housing) from the VA through the Post 9-11 GI Bill. OK we can float this, no sweat. Well lookie here, the GI Bill took 9 weeks to process (not something my husband informed me about, but I would have known if I went to those appointments), and Unemployment Insurance in the state of NY tops out at $405 a week (before taxes), now that'll cramp anyone's style.
March 2012:
Unemployment coming in steady, BAH kicked in at the end of the month of February, so we got saved for March's rent on that. I skewed things in our books a few times and panicked more than once about finances, still am by the way. BAH is not what we were told, by anyone and it is far less. The first check, prorated of course all the way back to January was fine, covered many expenses. This one, not even close. A measly $799, uh um, HELP! Rent is $975 (a bargain for what we have), utilities are about $150-175 a month in the winter (also big, fat bargain by NYS standards) and everything is due. Now I was going based off of what we were told this month's check would look like by the VA liaison at the school "$1300-1500", not even close. I have tidy winks in the savings right now and make mere pennies a month from my at home business (Scentsy, shameless plug of course http://nicolecmatthews.scentsy.us/home ), and I was counting on that specific amount to cover our last minute large bills. (*&#(*&@(*^^&%$$@^*@, again, my mistake for taking someone's word on something and not accounting for the fact a failed paper on my husband's part (minor error) would have him dropped from a class. Crap. Crap. Crap. Now we're in a pickle. I can make it work but it's gonna pinch and a few things are going to be about a week late, thank God for grace periods.
Well remember how I mentioned the lack of healthcare above. My 3 year old boy goes and breaks his nose and needs a trip to the emergency room to have it looked at and cared for, $5390 for an emergency room visit, of course, I don't have that so it goes out for billing to us at a later date.
Not a week later he falls from the kitchen chair and needs stitches in his lip because he bit clean through it. This time an ambulance ride to the emergency room, and another several thousand set to be billed. So I call the Department of Human Services to check on my application for medicaid, "lost". What do you mean, "lost"? So here I am in a frenzy, a son who needs stitches removed next week, no doctor, no health insurance, no money and PANICKING, again. I do have an appointment to meet with a facilitator so my application cannot be "lost" again, but these are things that should have been, could have been, handled better on my part.
Now I apologize for the scrambled mess that this is and how my sentence construction is lackluster, but this is critical information. Once your spouse or yourself is leaving the military (under normal, honorable terms, without going forward into Guard or Reserve duty (IRR does NOT count)) please, save your money, plan ahead and do not do things last minute. Check your credit score, plan your budget for several months without steady, healthy income and be prepared to apply for some sort of Social program to help with insurance if you cannot afford the $2000 a quarter for a direct purchase plan from an HMO. Take that military move, allot time and money to travel and see your future home/rental, make sure you have your ish straight and be prepared to see some very ugly things before the light comes into view at the end of the tunnel. Yes times will get hard, yes you will panic, but please do not follow in my foot steps of failure and bewilderment.
Unemployment coming in steady, BAH kicked in at the end of the month of February, so we got saved for March's rent on that. I skewed things in our books a few times and panicked more than once about finances, still am by the way. BAH is not what we were told, by anyone and it is far less. The first check, prorated of course all the way back to January was fine, covered many expenses. This one, not even close. A measly $799, uh um, HELP! Rent is $975 (a bargain for what we have), utilities are about $150-175 a month in the winter (also big, fat bargain by NYS standards) and everything is due. Now I was going based off of what we were told this month's check would look like by the VA liaison at the school "$1300-1500", not even close. I have tidy winks in the savings right now and make mere pennies a month from my at home business (Scentsy, shameless plug of course http://nicolecmatthews.scentsy.us/home ), and I was counting on that specific amount to cover our last minute large bills. (*&#(*&@(*^^&%$$@^*@, again, my mistake for taking someone's word on something and not accounting for the fact a failed paper on my husband's part (minor error) would have him dropped from a class. Crap. Crap. Crap. Now we're in a pickle. I can make it work but it's gonna pinch and a few things are going to be about a week late, thank God for grace periods.
Well remember how I mentioned the lack of healthcare above. My 3 year old boy goes and breaks his nose and needs a trip to the emergency room to have it looked at and cared for, $5390 for an emergency room visit, of course, I don't have that so it goes out for billing to us at a later date.
Not a week later he falls from the kitchen chair and needs stitches in his lip because he bit clean through it. This time an ambulance ride to the emergency room, and another several thousand set to be billed. So I call the Department of Human Services to check on my application for medicaid, "lost". What do you mean, "lost"? So here I am in a frenzy, a son who needs stitches removed next week, no doctor, no health insurance, no money and PANICKING, again. I do have an appointment to meet with a facilitator so my application cannot be "lost" again, but these are things that should have been, could have been, handled better on my part.
Now I apologize for the scrambled mess that this is and how my sentence construction is lackluster, but this is critical information. Once your spouse or yourself is leaving the military (under normal, honorable terms, without going forward into Guard or Reserve duty (IRR does NOT count)) please, save your money, plan ahead and do not do things last minute. Check your credit score, plan your budget for several months without steady, healthy income and be prepared to apply for some sort of Social program to help with insurance if you cannot afford the $2000 a quarter for a direct purchase plan from an HMO. Take that military move, allot time and money to travel and see your future home/rental, make sure you have your ish straight and be prepared to see some very ugly things before the light comes into view at the end of the tunnel. Yes times will get hard, yes you will panic, but please do not follow in my foot steps of failure and bewilderment.
I will continue to update you on our journey, keeping information as accurate and honest as possible. The dollar amounts are accurate and I can provide proof, but remember, each zip code, each county is different and you need to be aware of these things. If you have questions, leave a comment. I will respond and I will give you all information I possibly can. I hope you find your journey easier because of mine. Learn from my mistakes and take what you see here and apply my life lessons to your own, lest you see the same road I am travelling.
Happy Journeys,
~NCM~
Happy Journeys,
~NCM~
