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Preparing for deployment
how do you guys prepare from deployment? Im talking from the finances, to the cars, where you live, passports, wills, life insurance, everything? We are still in the 'maybe were going, maybe not phase" but looks like there going. This is our second deployment but the first one was unqiue, he got to our first duty station, and he was gone within 30days. No joke. So we werent prepared, now I want to be prepared fully.
Note: We have three cars, three notes : ( (please dont yell at me its a long long story) I really want to save and pay off bills, he wants to save to come home to get everything he wants, and i really mean everything. I want to stay here, he wants to move us home, we have a 1yr old and Im currerntly looking for work here on base. I want to be prepared, I mean even down to like getting him stuff to help him stay contacted while gone, like doing a special photo album...
Just looking for your thoughts and suggestions, and to see what others do in preparation, I want to be fully preparted this time.
Re: Preparing for deployment
This post kind of made my head spin. I'll try to answer your questions as best I can.
Finacial preps:
Set up a plan. Figure out how much extra money he'll be getting paid while he's gone. What percentage of that do y'all want to put into savings and what percentage do y'all want to put towards paying off your debt?
What exactly does he need to take with him? MH takes his iPod, his PSP and a portable DVD player. He took a computer on one of his deployments but decided it wasn't worth it to take it again. MH doesn't have access to internet in his rooms, though. No matter what, our commo was through the computers in the MWR. Taking a computer may be worth it to your H. I wouldn't get anything expensive.
Paperwork:
Before your H leaves, he will have a day of just getting paperwork together. He should already have his life insurance info and wills done up as this info is updated every 6-12 months. He will do it all again before he leaves. He should also bring home paperwork for you to help with. Some of this paperwork is not fun to do as it has to do with casualty notifications, death notifications, funerals and who will take care of your kids if you have to go be with him in case of an injury and such. It isn't fun stuff, but it has to be done.
I highly suggest you get a passport. When MH was shot, I my passport was expired. We were rushing around talking to our Congressman and Senator for help getting me an emergency passport. Luckily, he was only in Germany for a couple of days before he was sent to the states.
Make sure your H gets POAs for everything you may need. I have only ever needed a general and one specific for taxes. Other ladies here have needed all sorts of specific POAs for housing, banking and more.
Housing:
If you want to stay put, stay put. I've never understood why people feel the need to go home and live with their parents for a year. It isn't for me.
Get involved with your FRG. Build a support system around you. It will make it far easier for you. While your H is gone, go the the meetings. If they have game nights or a mom's night out, go. We always have a blast. It's always nice to see new ladies coming out and having fun with us. Some groups meet at different houses. We usually meet on post in the BTN conference room.
Also, if you move home, what will y'all do with your housing or your stuff? If you live on post, moving back home could cause you to lose your housing. You'll have to be put back on the waiting list when you decide to go back. If you live off post, are you breaking your lease? You can get out of a lease with PCS orders, but a married coupld can't get out of a lease because one spouse is being deployed and the other decided to go home.
Not only will you have to deal with your husband leaving, you'll have to deal with packing up your house, moving everything into storage and getting your self where ever you are going. Before he returns, you'll have to come back, find a new house and start moving in. I personally like my house to be perfect when MH comes home. To me, it isn't worth it. To other people, it may be.
Do you have any specific questions we can answer?
I think that really answers my questions, I really love my housing it fits my famly and needs perfectly. Moving to be closer or wih family is just stressful, i could see it if I really needed the help, like i I had several small children, but I have one. and If I really need a break I need can put her in hourly care.
I have never seen his will, i didnt even know he has one. Im going to have to really start getting things together, I mean hes not leaving to the beginning of the year-ish and the sooner I can start the better I will feel, meaning like knowing everything is in order.
I dont know how to figure out how much he'll be getting paid. Ideally I would love to just save every penny that comes in extra, you know stick to the same budget we have know, maybe even smaller since its 2 instead of 3 and save save save.
Its a little over whelming, and I just want to be wellll prepared.
DH has not been deployed, but I feel confident in saying that I would move heaven and earth to avoid moving home ever. For real. I would donate plasma, cut internet, go to a very basic phone with no data/texting, go to food pantries. I wouldnt really care if DH wanted me to do that to save money, he's not the one moving home.
I dont really care if other people move home or whatever- I just am too old to deal with my mom/dad and living in their home again.
I changed my name
If MH wanted me to save save save $$$ just so he could come home and spend it on whatever he wanted, I would kick him. Please tell me I am misunderstanding those sentences.
I changed my name
Thank you! This statement bothers me immensely and I wondered what the OP meant by this? Because if it is to be taken as literally as it is written I foresee big trouble.
I don't think you are. I read it the same way.
As for OP, Iluvmytxrg gave really great advice. I do have some extra advice for your vehicles. We downgraded the insurance on H's car to "storage fee/rate" depending on the length of his deployment that can save you a could chunk. You wouldn't be able to drive the vehicle but it still covers the vehicle should a storm cause damage or if someone hits it etc. Since you have 3 I would stick to one vehicle if possible and do the storage rate on the other two. I would also consider getting yourself on the title if you are not already. That way if someone were to steal the vehicle you could still file the police reports etc. (Many police departments require the title holder to sign the theft reports etc...) I would also get your name on the insurance as well so you can file claims.
Try to get your name on as many accounts as you can. Use your imagination to think of all the "worse case scenarios" (Identity theft, vehicle theft... your death, his death, totaled car, loss of your Military ID, etc.... and see if you would be able to address them as things are now.
As for Power of Attorney's we got a general and one in the event I loose my ID I can get a new one w/o H being present.
I'm sure other Military Moms can give you advice in regards to your little one.
HTH
I wouldn't lower my insurance rate to the storage rate. Cars need to be driven at least once every two weeks to keep the fluids from settling and the tires from dry rotting. Not starting a car at least once a week can cause the battery to drain. You would be spending far more money in the long run for new tires, new wheels, a fluid flush/fuel flush, refill of gass and fluids as well as new batteries than you would to keep basic insurance on it.
I'll be starting and moving it weekly. (perhaps more with snow)
But I also didn't take into account that H's deployment(s) are < a year.
This is great advise. Do you have a support system where you are?