A few months back, our sister blog Spousebuzz SpouseBUZZ had a great post called the Wallpaper Wars: The Trials and Tribulations of Home Ownership Wallpaper Wars:  The Trials and Tribulations of Home…, Eleven Reasons Why You Should Not Buy A House When You Are Military, Renting can be less expensive outright, :  Depending on the market trends on your area, you might be able to find a great rental for significantly less than a mortgage payment., Houses cost more than they seem:,   Sure,  there is the purchase price of the house — and you’re probably smart enough to calculate insurance and taxes into the total mortgage price.  What is hard to calculate are…, Things break, and housing won’t come fix them, :  I swear, the universe does its best to teach me this lesson each and every time we move into a house that we own.  Twice now we’ve had a sewer backup the first day in our house.  (Same house, long…, Orders are never written in stone, :  You know it’s true.  Those three year orders that actually last six months – not an urban myth.  You never, ever know how long you are going to live somewhere.  And knowing how long you will live…, Sometimes houses don’t rent or sell, even when they should, :  It is true that you can always find someone to rent or buy your house if the price is low enough.  However, usually you are hoping that the price is at least enough to cover your costs.   There…, House prices don’t always go up, :  I’m thinking that most of you have probably figured that out after the last few years.  However, it can still be surprising for a generation who has experienced amazing increases in real estate…, It is no fun to pay for a house in which you don’t even get to live, :  Here at my current duty station, there are more than a few people paying for empty houses back in the States.  Their budgets are not fun.  There’s no eating out, no traveling, no souvenir shopping…, Tenants don’t care for your house the way that you would, :  First, there is the economic side to this.  Messed up houses cost money to fix.  Then, there are the emotions.  If you’ve gotten attached to a house, it can be physically painful to see that…, You can’t always get leave to go deal with problems, and even if you can, who wants to use their leave dealing with a house? , I don’t know about you, but flying 3,000 miles to go sell a house is not my idea of a good vacation.  Neither is flying 3,000 miles to put in a new kitchen floor.  In theory, a good property manager…, Economic issues are the number one cause of marital problems, :  You know what?  Maintaining a marriage in the military is hard enough.  I don’t need the stress of financial problems, too.  My marriage is more important than owning a house., Security clearances are affected by financial issues, :  While the security clearance folks have been stressing that a single real-estate related issue should not be enough to affect your security clearance, it sure doesn’t help.  If your job in the…, Seven Reasons Why You Might Want To Buy A House Even Though You Are Military, It can be less expensive, :  Again, it depends on the market demographics of the area.  In the area my family is probably moving, it is much less expensive to buy a house than to rent.  For example, a single listing on…, You have lots of kids or big dogs and it is near impossible find rental housing or live on base, :  This one is pretty self-explanatory., You really, really want to be absolutely positive that you won’t have to move mid-tour, :  Even with a long lease, stuff can happen and you can have to move unexpectedly.  Owning decreases the possibility to as close to zero as possible., You  want to paint or plant trees or smoke up a storm, :  Renting means restrictions on what you can and can not do to and in the house.  If you buy, you can pretty much do anything that is legal and isn’t against the covenants of your neighborhood., This is your forever home, :  Whether you are leaving the service or just planning ahead, it is nice to get started paying off your forever home while you are still receiving Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH.) I, t could appreciate in value, and you could make some profit (either in sales profit, or monthly rental income):,   If the market works in your favor, you could see appreciation in the value of your house, or earn monthly rental income, or both.  My husband and I own a house that we bought over 18 years ago, in…, There can be tax benefits, :  Under the current tax laws, mortgage interest for your primary residence is deductible if you itemize your deductions on a Schedule A.  If you then rent the property, you may benefit from the loss…

My primary financial goal for 2012 is to cut down on the amount of money my family spends on food.  Well, it is quickly nearing the end of April and I feel like I've made little progress.  What is…, Make Menus, If you've been reading The Paycheck Chronicles, you are probably thinking to yourself:  "For goodness sakes, Kate, you talk about making menus all the time.  Are you saying that you don't do it?" …, Use What You Have, For me, this is part of making menus.  The first step in making menus is to do a rough inventory of what's in the freezer and fridge, plus any interesting things in the pantry.  My list might say: …, Reduce Waste, Oh, gosh, this is the hardest part for my family.  Or maybe the second hardest, but it is close.  There are so many ways that my family wastes food.  From something as simple as pouring too much milk…, Eat at Home, or at least bring it from home, This is so terribly hard for me.  We live about 30 mintues from base, where my kids go to school and do most of their activities.  I drive one child to school each day, so I'm on base at least five…, Choose Less Expensive Options, There are lots of less expensive options for meals:  Beans instead of meat, oatmeal instead of Cheerios, homemade cookies instead of store bought.  In addition to swapping items, you can look for…

My friends at USAA offer a world of amazing financial information to their members, and to the general public.  This article comes directly from USAA and addresses the myriad issues regarding…, The following content is provided courtesy of  USAA ., Settling for less now can lead to financial regrets later. "Going through a divorce has to be viewed as a business transaction, and it is perhaps one of the biggest of your life," says June Walbert,…, 1. Do stay well-informed before the divorce.,  During the marriage, both spouses need to know their complete financial picture — how property is titled, the passwords for accounts and the location of financial documents.                      , Don't fall into the silent partner syndrome.,  If you don't know these financial details, you could be at a big disadvantage when trying to determine a fair and equitable split of marital assets., 2. Do get a clear picture of your finances.,  If you don't know the details, turn into a sleuth. Dig around and make copies of records or, perhaps even better, hire a forensic accountant. You also can subpoena financial records and require a…, Don't avoid digging for the details.,  Be dogged about seeing documents and papers that explain your financial picture. Ask questions like "How have we been able to afford our lifestyle?" and get the answer you need., 3. Do hire your own team.,  That includes a lawyer, financial planner and perhaps a tax advisor. Your team of pros can look after your best interests objectively., Don't use your soon-to-be ex's attorney.,  An attorney can only truly represent one side's interests. You and your spouse are no longer a team. While you may want an amicable divorce, don't do that at the expense of your future. That said,…, 4. Do understand the real value of your retirement assets.,  Some assets are taxable; others are not. Keep that in mind as you determine an equitable split. For instance, a Roth IRA can provide tax-free income in retirement. On the other hand, withdrawals…, Don't believe all assets are created equal.,  As noted above, always evaluate the after-tax value of assets. For example, $100,000 in an IRA or retirement plan could be worth less, maybe a lot less, after you consider income taxes. For someone…, 5. Do think about diversifying your assets for your retirement.,  Say one spouse has $100,000 in a Roth IRA. He might offer the other either all of the Roth or half his pension in the divorce settlement. That's not a good settlement. You want to split the Roth and…, Don't make concessions without realizing the implications for your future.,  Trying to be agreeable, you might accept an offer of cash or settle for half your spouse's pension. But remember, you need a diversified portfolio down the road, so stand firm in your negotiations., 6. Do have credit in your name.,  Maintain good credit throughout your marriage. Keep some assets and credit cards in your name so you have a credit identity of your own., Don't keep any joint accounts or cosigned loans.,  Make a clean break to protect your good credit. If you can't refinance separately, sell the asset. Don't take pity on your former spouse if he or she can't refinance. Don't let your ex put your…, 7. Do protect child support and alimony payments.,  Make sure you or your ex-spouse have plenty of disability insurance to make up for this income in case of injury or death. Many divorce attorneys make this a standard request. Make sure yours does.…, Don't fail to plan for the worst-case scenario.,  If your ex should stop working for an extended period because of an injury, how will he or she keep up with child support or alimony payments? And what if your ex-spouse dies? Ask your lawyer to…, 8. Do update your budget.,  Take a close look at your spending habits now that you're single. You may have to make hard choices and restructure your spending patterns to keep up with monthly bills., Don't act as if nothing has changed.,  One person typically undergoes a dramatic lifestyle change. If that's you, adjust accordingly., 9. Do take care of estate-planning issues.,  Update beneficiary designations in your retirement plan, any annuities you own and life insurance policies. Plus, talk with your lawyer about changes to your will, powers of attorney and other legal…, Don't treat such updates as unimportant.,  Don't expect a former spouse to give back money erroneously left to him or her in a retirement plan or via an insurance policy. A beneficiary designation trumps a will in every state. When it comes…, 10. Do take advantage of your spouse's Social Security benefits.,  If you were married 10 years or more and the benefit you are entitled to receive based on your own work is less than the benefit you would receive based on your ex-spouse's work, you may be able to…, Don't dismiss Social Security benefits that can bolster your retirement income.,  Social Security payments may not cover a large part of your retirement income needs, but they add up. For example, assuming 3% inflation, 5% interest and a 30-year benefit period, a $1,000 a month…

M14 M14 Submitted by Eric Daniel Ok, this story takes a while, so bare with me. I was mobilized for OIF III on Veteran's Day (go figure), November 11th, 2004.  Two days later I was at Ft. Bliss going…, Leupold Mk IV 4.5 - 14 M1 LR/T, using Leupold's, QRW, detachable rings, was not resting properly on the supplied scope mount, a, Springfield Armory Gen. III, mount. "It won't work" was the reply I got via e-mail from Leupold on the subject.  The SA mount is not to MIL-STD-1913 standard, they said.  I needed to either get a standard picatinny mount, or get…, A.R.M.S. #18, M-21/M-14 scope mount.  In addition, I purchased an, A.R.M.S. #19, Throw lever QD mount (for the Leupold scope) and an, A.R.M.S. #20, for an AN/PVS-4 night sight. With my rifle-mount-scope issued resolved, my next task was to get ballistic data (dope) on the various bullets at my disposal, namely M80 Ball (146 gr FMJ), M852 (168 gr…, USAMU, ) at Ft. Benning, GA.  I e-mailed them regarding my needs, as well as describing the equipment I was using. Their response was thorough and quick. They not only gave me ballistic tables for all the…, M3A, stock from McMillan Brothers ) what you have to be aware of is wether the stock you buy is set up for an M-14 reciever or the Springfield Armory M1A reciever (M-14 recievers have a semi - full auto…, Smith Enterprise, Inc. M-14 mount, . This mount can trace its liniage back to the original Brookfield Precision Tool mounts manufactured for the M-25 sniper rifle.  Since going to the SEI mount I haven't experienced a single jam. In…, extended bolt stop release, , which basically makes it easier to manipulate the bolt stop while wearing gloves. Bullet drop compensators (BDC): While the data provided by the USAMU was spot on, it was still a lot of data to…, RBC, ) from Leupold.  The RBC fits on the scope, where it's out of the way, and contains a self retracting tape upon which you can write down ballistic data. When in doubt, I need only pull out the tape…

I have decided to expand my letter to Secretary Gates . I truly believe that not only will my letter be well-received by Secretary Gates, but military wives everywhere will be grateful to me for…, We need choices, . We need a sticker color wheel . Imgtheory Imgtheory I mean, c'mon, this is 2007 and women are serious about their home decor. It's high time the Department of Defense gave us options. In ten moves…