How much money does my husband need while deployed?

Question

We are getting ready for our first deployment, and at the FRG meeting they mentioned about the Eagle Cash card. While he's deployed, I want to work on paying off all our debts as well as putting more into our savings account.

The thing though, is how much money does he need each month while over there? Will he still need to pay to eat at the DFAC? What kind of expenses will he have?

Another thing is that we have a family plan cell phone? It only has him and myself on it? What happens with the family plan cell phone?

We have like 6 weeks left before he gets deployed, and I just want to tie up loose ends so it will be less stressful!! I'd rather not worry about this stuff in the last few days when I should be concentrating all my time on him. Ah!

Elaborating on the cell phone bit. I mean, we have a family plan, can I just downgrade until he gets back from deployment? I have T-Mobile. I guess I'll have to call them!

Answer 1

Hi there! My husband just recently left for our 3rd deployment together, so I think I can help a little. Our first deployment we put his phone on military hold, but now we just keep it on. He takes his phone with him so that the FIRST step on US soil, he can call me on R & R and also upon redeployment. Your husband cant do that if the phone is off!

Second, regarding the money. We have USAA (you should think about switching if you dont bank/insure with USAA), and we opened my husband a checking account JUST for deployments. I can go into the account and add money on his card every payday. That way, he isnt using our card and messing up my budget when he uses it and I need the money. It has been great because I just watch the account and when he gets low, I just transfer more money on it. He is forbidden from using the eagle card because it comes out of the joint account. They do need money to buy things the soldiers who are redeploying will be selling (TV, micro, etc as someone already said). Also, they do get sick of DFacs (dining facilities) and want to eat at burger king, taco bell and other fast food restaurants at the FOBs (base where they live and work). If he smokes, he needs money for that. Unless you send him his personal hygiene items, he needs money to buy his hygiene items at their PX. The PX just doesnt have a huge selection. Personally, that is how I take care of my husband, make sure his hygiene needs are met. They also need haircut money. Ohhhh and husband always likes extra money so he can buy us stuff and send home. My husband is a truck driver and travels alot between the FOBs so he tries to pick up stuff when he travels.

I would say, on average, my husband gets around 150-200 every month. Sometimes more, sometimes less. We try to save all we can while he is deployed, but my husband is in a warzone, and pretty much whatever he wants, he gets, and that can be expensive. But I figure for his sacrifice, he can have his toys.

You are doing a good thing by getting all the loose ends tied up. I promise it will be much less stressful on you if all this is done. Dont forget to get your power of attorney from JAG. You will probably need more than just the general. There are specific power of attorney for finance, housing, etc. Good luck to you, and if you have any other questions, feel free to email!

Edit : Cant believe I left this out...money to use the internet. While there are MWR computers, you can only use them for 30 minutes at a time and no instant messenger. So pretty much all they can do is email. At other internet cafes, they have to pay anywhere from $5/hour on up. Some FOBs have internet in their rooms, and I think that is around $50/month for that.

Answer 2

You can out the cell on a military hold.
As for money, tell him to make sure he gets the eagle cash card before he goes, there are no atm's here. About how much money? Well the food is free, so he will not have to pay for anything, but the place is boring he is gonna wanna buy a TV, movies or a game system.. but at the same time, he will still save alot of money, also tell him to bring some cash with him, the unit he is replacing will be selling their TVs, refrigerators, DVDs..anything they cant bring...

Answer 3

the phone: by all means see if you can take his name off of the plan for the year he is deployed. even a reduction in the monthly rate of ten bucks is still over a hundred dollars and that's a bill payment, easily.

now as for play money: pick a budget you can both be happy with. send that money by allotment to a separate account and once it's gone each month, it's gone. he can easily get by with not spending any money if he wanted to. he won't want to. there should be opportunity to buy local cuisine and goods( and you want pressies, right?!)

Answer 4

Hey, me & my hubby are now going through our first deployment. My husband's been gone for 3 months now and I had to go through everything your fixing to go through now. For starters, We had the family plan and yes you can down-grade. You will be given papers stating he can have everything shut off it you want it shut off, if you don't want to down-grade, you don't have to either because he will still be on the plan even though he won't have a working phone (they do that for deployed marines-let you keep your family plan) Also, we started out with him having 100 every 2 weeks and I found it to be much much easier to just keep money in the checking account and let him swipe the card whenever he needs to. (He knows we're trying to save money so not to go overboard and plus, there's nothing worse than needing something and not having the money to get it) According to my husband, the expenses are limited. Deodorant -basic needs as far as what he will need to buy, also if he has a smoking or dipping habit, or if he wants to be able to have money to buy you something.

You can e-mail me anytime, I know what your about to go through and it hurts like hell.

-Marine Wife
[e-mail]

Answer 5

I'm no expert, but I would have say quite a bit. While the army will provide for your hubby, it's always a good idea to keep a good reserve of cash on hand--so you can send it to him when needs a little extra spending money.

As for your cell phone plan, I wouldn't worry about it. Your service carrier will not cut you off simply because your loved one is serving overseas.

Answer 6

the eagle cash card drafts funds out of your account like a debit card. he Will need one, cash is hard to come by, (lack of ATMs) and regular credit/debit cards may not be accepted. i advise him to take both. if one system is down, then he has the other card to cover his glutes.

depending on where in Iraq he goes, he may need an online payin method to order the things he will need like hygine stuff; the PX is always out of what you need, and has tons of crap you don't. (convoys supply most of the sotckage, so when they run slow/late....you get it?) i shop for all my junk from drugstore.com they ship to APOs and have a quick turnaround.

so does amazon.com (although a few vendors on amazon may not have the ability to ship to apo, for the most part, the site is real good at shipping out here.)

so long as he's not trying to hook his Pod up with a flat screen, xbox, wiee, playstation and all that other crap he realy will be lucky to have time for, his living expense here should not be much more then at home. DEFAC is free eating, cause he's deployed. there are food courts in most locations, so thay could be his reward and brake from army chow-just stress saving $$ so it does not become the norm! ^.^ not to mention the extra pay you get out here!! family separation allowance, hostile fire pay, safe pay etc etc..

oh, the phone company, they should have a military hold for servicemebers! if you still need to use that service, know that you will save $$ by not using the extra phone (have him brign it with him, so when he takes mid-tour, he's got it on hi m already once he gets off he plane) you can also talk to the provider, and see if they will alter the plan on it to lower the cost w/o having to cut off service and change phone no's and all that jazz.

tell the cell phone provider he's deploying (may need a copy of his orders to give them) and they should be more then willing to cut a deal. w/my phone plan, i have it on a military hold; as soon as i landed state side for mid-tour leave, i pressed a few keys, and had them re-activate it for the 2weeks i was home. called again b4 boarding the plane goin back, and it was switched off b4 i cound enter the airport! (T-Mobile) most companies understand.

my battle out here has the family plan, she just kept it on the whole time. minimum payments due to not going over minutes (duh! lol) and shes able to turn the phone on once she hits ground and has service already. (one phone was still state side methinks, and so it worked out well for their plan)

blah blah, i hope this helps some!! oh, get w/your units financial advisor, they should have a budget worksheet you can use (classes, too! ^.^ free, me likes free stuff) if your hubby's unit has no rep, then ACS will have the financal classes avalible to you. (your dependent status gives you rights to the ACS and AER etc/etc programs weather he's home or not.)

ok, hope this novel helps some...

oh, budget in some last minute items like field gear. if he's not in a high speed unit, he may need to pick up a few odds and ends to spiffy up his equipment along the way. (new rifle slings, butstock mag pouches, gloves, eye pro, etc