By Kate

I just got off the phone with Navy Federal Credit Union, one of the three banks with whom I do business regularly. My father-in-law, in the US, had sent me an email that the automated fraud detection system had called and asked about my recent card activity. As I’ve had cards frozen before, and it is awfully inconvenient, I pretty rapidly got on the phone and sorted out the situation. It seems that an airline ticket purchase made today was routed through Switzerland, and since I don’t live in Switzerland, the computer figured it was suspicious.

I have such mixed feelings about this. (more…)

By Kate

From The Pentagon Channel, annual leave carryover has been extended from 60 days to 75 days until 2013.  The limit will reset to 60 days thereafter.  (Warning:  it is a video with audio and it autoplays.  Don’t click on the link if you have bandwidth or other issues.)

Good news for those military members who lose leave!

By Kate

As kiddos all over the world are headed back to school, I’ve been seeing lots of questions about how military pay and allowances affect the applications for Free and Reduced Lunch Programs.  Free and reduced cost lunches are a huge benefit to families who are struggling financially and many military families qualify for these programs. (more…)

By Kate

Well, it is actually Sunday, as I’ve wasted the good part of a day reading the comments on Tim Ferriss’ post (and the accompanying comments about)  How to Travel 12 Countries with No Baggage Whatsoever.  As a person who travels a bit, there is some fascinating stuff here.  I’m not sure I’ll ever be this hard-core, but I know that I could stand to improve my packing and there are some solid tips to be found here.

As if there wasn’t enough interesting stuff about travel, I then fell across this controversial gem:  Email from “Morally Conflicted”:  Boy, Am I Glad I Walked Away From My Mortgage.  (more…)

By Kate

“The greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not our circumstances.”

via Army Wife Network

By Kate

Walking across base today, I saw a notice on a bulletin board:  Full Time Baggers Needed at the Commissary.  This notice got me thinking about the job of being a bagger.  I’ll admit, my gut reaction was “They must be making a bundle!”  After a few more minutes, I realized that there is so much more to it.  I tried to do some research but was unable to find much information about bagging as a job.  I’m hoping that some readers can help me fill in the gaps.

Obviously, there is the income aspect.  (more…)

By Kate

From the Military​.com Military Report, update financial news for the military, veterans and their families:

AAFES Fixes Credit Card Billing Errors — A processing error resulted in duplicate charges on credit and debit card transactions for some customers at Army Air Force Exchange Service stores. More…

Benefits and Support for Transition Vets — Have you recently returned from military service? If you’ve served, you’ve earned benefits. Now is the time to take advantage of the benefits VA offers OEF/OIF Veterans. More… (more…)

By Kate

I have been reading The Difference by Jean Chatzky for a couple of weeks now, and this morning I began thinking about how much I enjoy reading personal finance books.  I really do — I find them fascinating and that is sort of weird, since they all basically say the same things:  keep track of your money, spend less than you earn, etc.  Yes, they all have a different perspective, and sometimes they present ideas that are unique, but the basics don’t change.  So, why bother reading more than one? (more…)

By Kate

This PCS, we unloaded a lot of stuff that we won’t need for this tour:  the second fridge, the second car, vacuum cleaner, washer and dryer, lawn mower.  Great for moving, and most of it was at or near the end of its useful life anyway, but not so great when we eventually go back to the US and have to replace it all at once.  There’s only one sensible thing to do:  prepare.  Make a list of everything we’ll need to replace, guestimate how much it will cost, and start saving a little bit every month until we go back.  Since I have no idea how much these things will cost, whether we’ll find used or have to buy new, and when this need will actually arise, there will be quite a bit of guessing involved.  So here goes: (more…)

By Kate

I am so frustrated right now, I can hardly stand it.  We have been out of the US for  65 days now and I am still unable to cancel/suspend my Sprint account.  Admittedly, I have not spent time working on it every day, but I have put forth a significant amount of work and I am beginning to feel that Sprint is purposely thwarting my efforts.

When we first arrived, I spent an extremely long time in an online chat with a lovely young man at Sprint.  I explained my situation and he was quite helpful.  He even pointed out that we could put the account on a military hold, but he couldn’t do anything to my account through the online chat.  I would need to telephone. (more…)