• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

US Military

  • Branches
    • Army
    • Navy
    • Air Force
    • Marine Corps
    • Coast Guard
    • National Guard
    • Air National Guard
    • Find A Recruiter
  • Find A Recruiter
  • Military Benefits
    • GI Bill
    • VA Loans
    • Military Scholarships
    • Military Friendly Colleges
    • Money
  • Jobs
    • Military Pay Chart
    • Veteran Jobs
    • Civilian Jobs
  • VA Loan Rates
  • Military News
    • Top News
    • Benefits
    • Careers
    • Education
    • Featured Columnists
      • Larry Fowler
      • Scott Ostrow
      • Kim Lengling
      • Dr. Sasha Toperich
      • Rick Stewart
  • GI Bill
  • VA Loans
  • Military Scholarships
  • Top Military-Friendly Colleges and Universities in America

5 Top Budgeting Tips for Military Families

March 9, 2017 By larryf

What are the 5 top budgeting tips for military families? Get strapped in and take notes. Military families face a unique set of challenges when it comes to budgeting. Just like anybody else, they may end up with credit card debt, auto loans and other bills. However, military families often face unique moving expenses more often than civilian families.

Find Your Local Military Recruiter Here.

It’s important to track spending, eliminate debt and prepare a real budget if you’re in the military. Here are some tips to help set up the right type of budget for today and for the future.

Keep Track of Spending

The first rule of any budget is to track your spending. If you don’t know where you’re spending your money, it’s very difficult to figure out how you can make adjustments for the better. You should write down every penny you spend or log it in a spread sheet on your computer. Once you have a full month of spending tracked, you’ll have a basic idea of where your money is going and how to adjust.

Account for Non-Monthly Expenses

Budgeting for monthly expenses are rather easy as you know what you will need to pay with each paycheck as it comes in. However, non-monthly expenses, such as oil changes for your car, vet bills if you have any pets or anything else happening less frequently than once a month, can become budget busters.

Instead of waiting until the month the expense will hit you, make sure you account for it every month. Saving a few dollars a month towards your next oil change will make it much easier to deal with when the time arrives.

Create an Emergency Fund

Think of an emergency fund as your own insurance policy. You want to create it before you start worrying about any debts you may owe (outside of the regular payment, of course). Start with a mini $1,000 emergency fund, which should be cash you keep in a safe within your home. Once you have paid off all of your debts, you can expand your emergency fund to cover 3 to 6 months? worth of bills.

Eliminate Debt

You may have debts from moving or from spending on credit cards when you were a bit younger in the military. Often, military families use credit cards when they move and it can add up.

The best thing you can start to do is pay off the debts you have. Start with the one with the smallest balance and put everything you can (outside of your regular budget and regular monthly payments) towards it until it’s gone. Then, roll over the amount you’d normally pay towards the debt to the next one until you have paid off all of your debts.

Let the Military Benefits Help Your Budget

As a member of the military, your family gains many significant benefits including free healthcare and many discounts. Instead of trying to spend a ton of money on entertainment, maybe look for military appreciation days at area attractions, which may be free or heavily discounted for military members and their families. There are several other benefits you may find for your family, depending on where you are stationed.

Make sure you have a budget you use every month and set your family up for success. You don’t have to struggle just because you’re a military family. With the right budget and plan in place, you can save money, pay off debt and know where every dollar is being spent.

Filed Under: Money

Recent Posts

  • How Was Military Time Created And Why?
  • The Best 5 US Military Bases In The World
  • Congrats To Recent Graduates And Is The Military A Great Place For Young People Today
  • The Best Jobs in the United States Army
  • Top 5  Military Home Loans for Active Duty Service Members
VA Loans

Primary Sidebar

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE

USMilitary.com is a privately owned website and is NOT AFFILIATED (or endorsed) with the U.S. GOVERNMENT, U.S. ARMED FORCES, or DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS

USMilitary.com Career Guide

Sign up to receive USMilitary.com email updates and to hear what's going on with all military branches!

Featured Columnists

Larry Fowler

Larry Fowler is the publisher of USMilitary.com Network one of America's premier privately owned

Autobiography Compares Living Faithfully With Navy SEAL Training (BUD/S).

Scott Ostrow

Lt Col (Dr.) Scott A. Ostrow retired from the Air Force in September 2005 and has been teaching

Congrats To Recent Graduates And Is The Military A Great Place For Young People Today

Kim Lengling

Kim Lengling is a Air Force Veteran whose passion is to help support veterans and their

This Memorial Day: The Knock On The Door

Dr. Sasha Toperich

Dr. Sasha Toperich is the Senior Executive Vice President at Transatlantic Leadership

Sarraj’s Dangerous Dance With Power

Rick Stewart

Rick Stewart is a former United States Air Force Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE)

Announcing American Patriots Unsung Magazine

Nathan B. Nelson

Capt (ret) Nathan B. Nelson is the Director of Military Affairs for the 1st Congressional district

Three Critical Considerations for Every Veteran Prior to Leaving Active Duty

Laquan Daniels

Laquan Daniel is a military recruiting expert with over 17 years of specialized experience in the

Important News For Military Transitioning Veterans

Veteran Buzz

High-Paying Jobs for Military Veterans

5 High-Paying Jobs for Military Veterans

July 2, 2018 By Ben Ehinger

High Paying Jobs Not Requiring a Degree

June 28, 2018 By Ben Ehinger

7 Best Military Careers That Lead To High Paying Civilian Jobs

June 10, 2018 By larryf

VA Loans

Footer

  • Advertise With Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Write For US
  • Link to Us

Recent

  • How Was Military Time Created And Why?
  • The Best 5 US Military Bases In The World
  • Congrats To Recent Graduates And Is The Military A Great Place For Young People Today
  • The Best Jobs in the United States Army
  • Top 5  Military Home Loans for Active Duty Service Members

Search

© Copyright 2022 USMillitary
Web Design by Goebel Media Group


THIS IS A PRIVATE WEBSITE THAT IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE U.S. GOVERNMENT, U.S. ARMED FORCES, OR DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. U.S. GOVERNMENT AGENCIES HAVE NOT REVIEWED THIS INFORMATION. THIS SITE IS NOT CONNECTED WITH ANY GOVERNMENT AGENCY.