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What is it like living on a military base? |
Travel Info My boyfriend and are thinking about getting married. What are the pro's and con's of living on a military base. We're both fairly young 23 and 24? Most likely San Diego. Travel Tips San Diego! My hometown! Which base? I have been a Navy brat (20+ yrs.) and an Air Force wife (17yrs), and have lived on and off base. Personally, I liked living on base. It's nice living in very supportive community. Pros: It has everything like a small town would have without having to drive all over the big city-post office, hospital/clinic, library, church, schools, grocery (commissary), department store (BX,PX, MCX, NEX), gym, rec center, you name it! Housing/utilities are taken care of by military. If there is any problem with the house, military housing office will take care of the problem. Cons: You do not receive housing allowance. (In San Diego, you'd have to pay extra out of pocket for rent what allowance doesn't meet). Live within housing rules and maintain accordingly. Size of base house. (It suits most fine. Especially couples, or a small family with not too much 'stuff'). Some find them small for the larger families and with lots of furniture. For my husband and I, the pros out weighed the cons. I like living with others who understand the life of a spouse who is in the military. Especially, if the spouse gets deployed or out to sea. Great support from your neighbors. (If you're lucky!) You are both young, and San Diego is a very expensive place to live. Take the opportunity if you are able to live on base. There is usually a loooong wait list to get housing on base, in the more desirable cities. Good luck! Others There are very few cons. First, there are some things that you should understand, if he's the military member, he is responsible for everything you do on that installation. If you get caught speeding, HE has to answer to his leadership. so keep that in mind. There are rules for keeping your yard up to standards, if the grass doesn't get cut, your house gets written up and you get a 'ticket' and after so many tickets, you lose your privelages to live on that installation. Some things as minor as watering your yard on the wrong day will get you written up. but other than that, it's great. There's plenty of other military wives, so you'll have a support group for when he gets deployed, etc..Good luck 9 years in the Air Force, lived on base for most of those Life on base is going to vary from one military installation to the next. Certain bases are great to live on while others are not. Usually when you first get married and if you want to live on base, you will be put on a wait list. This also happens when you PCS to another duty station. You do not have to live on base just because you are married and a military family. The military provides BAH based upon where you live to cover your cost of housing. Typically if you are smart about it, you can make a little money off the BAH. It should cover at least your rent and most of your utilities at the minimum, unless you are living beyond the means of your paygrade. The pros - its much quicker for him to get to/from work. He can come home for lunch which saves money. You are closer to the PX , ect so its easier to get around for shopping. In the event of an emergency you do not have to get through the gate to go to the hospital. You do not have to come up with a deposit for your house. You live in a close knit and typically very safe community The cons - your neighbors are very close to you and in a sense if you do not get along they can be breathing down your neck. You are required to keep your house/lawn maintained to someone else's standards and if you do not, he gets in trouble at work. Friends who are not military would have a difficult time visiting you at your home because they would have to go through the trouble of getting a visitors pass, ect. Maintanence can be very slow if you need repairs on your home. i lived on a military base in cal. for four years it is not bad. every thing is close for you and you will make alot of good friends. The bad things are nosy people and having to put up with regulations that you would not have. Also when you are off work you are still around military people all the time. Usually you don't live on the base unless you are the one in the military and you don't have family. More likely you will either get put in military housing (waiting list) or given a housing allowance to put toward getting your own place. The military housing in SD seems pretty nice from what I've seen, but I hear there is a loooong waiting list for it. It can be a little tough if you have to find your own place cause rent/house prices are very high here. Good luck and hope everything works out! live in SD, grew up in a Navy family |
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