One of the best things about the military life is the community full of amazing people and support that comes along with it. No one truly understands the transfers, the headaches, the deployments or the other things your family goes through like other military families do. However, that being said, there’s also something wonderful about not being fully immersed in that community or not being fully enclosed in the “military bubble” so to speak. Here are a couple great benefits I’ve discovered about not being stuck in that bubble:
Choosing to live off base:
Base housing is a wonderful and sometimes necessary benefit for military families. However, when you live in base housing you are surrounded by all military, all the time and if the option is available at your duty station, there’s something to be said for not living in base housing. Living in base housing can make your spouse feel like they’re never off work, especially if you’re actually living on base.
Another benefit of living off base is not having your spouse’s neighbors/”coworkers” know everything about you and your spouse. A lot of military housing has very thin walls, and most couples have a disagreement once in awhile, it’s nice when you know everyone at your husband’s work isn’t going to know about that argument over who should do the dishes the next day.
Another perk of living off base is the chances of running into your spouse’s boss or coworkers while you’re walking the dog in your laundry day sweats are much lower. Always a good thing. It’s also worth not automatically going with Military Housing and instead looking at the cost of housing around your duty station first. You can often save quite a bit of money from your BAH by shopping around and living outside of military housing.
