Showing posts with label Budget. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Budget. Show all posts

Friday, May 31, 2013

Deployment Coffee

Guest Blog: Deployment Coffee

 Posted by Guest Blogger on April 4, 2013 at 16:00

(picture published on article page of Blog Brigade)
My publishing credit: credited as “Guest Blogger” “Christina”
Published by Blog Brigade of Military OneSource on 
April 4, 2013 , in Deployment 


Blogger Biography: Christina is a proud war bride, military 
“dependent,” writer and volunteer. She met her husband 
while working two jobs to pay her student loans and stay afloat. 
He stuck with her despite the long and crazy hours away from 
each other and so began her experience with the military. 
Scrapping the wedding for a long and dangerous deployment, 
she fully embraced being a military spouse. Christina reaches 
out to all available networks to learn and take advantage of 
what the military has to offer its family. Learning the ropes is
 tough, but she knows she has help.

There is always one thing I consistently do when my husband deploys 
or goes TDY. I would like to say it’s get a massage or a facial,
 but I just never find the time or budget for those things.

What does fit in my budget and what I can sneak a few moments for 
is coffee. Forever ago, I found one specific flavor from a specific 
brand that I just could not get enough of. For years I could only 
find it during the holidays and then it was gone! I refused to open 
the last package for everyday use. Coffee is coffee to my husband.
 (His fishing or car stuff is another matter entirely.) For me, this 
coffee is like his special stuff. He just laughs at me when I try to
 explain it.

It’s even more special because when I finally found it he was 
deployed. I would come home to a dark, cold house and turn on 
the coffee pot for just a cup or two. That gave me enough time
to change out of my work clothes or uniform and into yoga pants,
a sweatshirt and some fuzzy socks. I would turn up the heat and
get dinner started. If it was just me, I enjoyed the coffee while
cooking. If the house was abuzz with activity, I saved it for when 
beds were tucked and guests had taken their leave. I would settle 
on the couch and listen to some music or just collapse into the 
nearest chair for a few minutes of peace.

I would indulge in the smell of the coffee as it wafted up from 
the cup in white curls, savoring each taste as it rolled over my 
tongue, absorbing the warmth of the cup in both hands before 
returning to life, laundry, cleaning, bills or returning missed 
phone calls. When I found it, I couldn't help but send a happy
 little email to my husband. After that, every time we talked 
or emailed until he came home, he would ask if I had my special 
coffee as a clue to how my day went.

Now it’s one of our little jokes. Since I can get it fairly 
regularly, I only buy a few boxes, which stay hidden in the 
pantry waiting for the next deployment or TDY. And they only 
come out then. Once he even came back with two special mugs 
for my “Deployment Coffee.”

What is the special thing you do for yourself during a deployment
or TDY?

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Taking Advantage of Military Discounts

Taking Advantage of Military Discounts
By Christina Callisto
Published in the February/March 2011 issue of the Military Voice & Community News
With January over and the New Year’s resolutions to control spending made, the winter months still have vacations dancing in our thoughts. Here are a few discounts to help your budget and simplify vacation ideas.
Brides Across America provides free wedding gowns to qualified military brides.
Lowe’s & Home Depot offer an extra 10% off to active-duty military members, National Guard and reserve members, retirees, honorably discharged veterans and immediate family members.
Restaurants to check out include: Arby’s, Back Yard Burgers, Burger King, Captain D’s, Chick-Fil-A, Denny’s, Dunkin’ Donuts, IHOP, KFC, Pizza Hut, Quizno’s, Sonic, Taco Bell, and Whataburger. Check for specific days or times for discount availability.
Services to look into include Geico , Jiffy Lube, Meineke , and Sears Portrait Studio.
Looking to stay in or want a day trip? Try Blockbuster, local movie theaters, Ripley’s attractions and museums, and professional and semi-pro sports teams. Some events at the Pensacola Civic Center provide volunteer opportunities to military members and offer free events in return.
Need a deal on a gift? Try Apple Computers, AutoZone, Bass Pro Shop, Bath and Body Works, Big 10 Tires, Champs Sports, Dell, The Discovery Channel Store, Dress Barn, The Finish Line, Foot Action, Footlocker, Gadzooks, GNC, Goody’s, Hot Topic, Jockey, Lerner, Michael’s, NAPA Auto Parts, New York & Company, Pac Sun, Payless Shoes, Play It Again Sports, Pure Beauty, Sally Beauty Supply, Spencer’s Gifts, Suncoast, Timberland Outlets, and Wilson’s Leather.
All Federal employees are able to get a 15% discount on their personal cell phones by calling their carrier and mentioning the “Federal Telecommunications Act of 1996 – Discount to Federal Employees Past and Present.” You will need to know the military member’s supervisor’s name, phone number, and full address, so that his/her military status can be verified. Use the following contact numbers: Cingular – 800-319-6393, Sprint – 877-812-1223, T-Mobile – 866-646-4688, Nextel – 800-639-6111, and Verizon – 800-865-1825.
Be sure to ask for a military discount wherever you go here locally and around the country. While not all restaurants, service centers, or products are included, it never hurts to ask and a little leg work can save a few bucks all year round.