It seems that recently, I've found myself caught in discussions about living on a military installation versus living off. In recent years I have just tried to leave that alone because it seems that many can't respect others choices and it's not worth the effort of trying to explain one reason to another.
This choice is a personal one, that each military family has to decide for themselves. They have to weigh the pros and the cons.
That is what we do, we also take it to the Lord and we pray about what would be best for our family. We are not at a point where we feel like purchasing a home. When we moved here to Fort Leonard Wood, we prayed and fasted about where to live. Even when it proved to be stressful to wait for housing on post, we knew that was where we were supposed to be.
Lots of people say that living on post is not worth their Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH). We are fortunate in the military that we receive this allowance, based on your rank. You have the choice to receive this allowance and rent/purchase off post OR you can give it up and live in government housing. I can totally see why people say that, I really do.
For us, we feel good about living on post. In over a decade we have not had the luxury of spending lunch time together or the boys seeing Kevin before work. I love that we live about a quarter mile from Kevin's unit and he can be home in less than 5 minutes. You can't put a price on quality time. That is the best thing for us. He can go to Daniel's school which is maybe 5 minutes from his unit as well. There is no crazy traffic to contend with after work.
The choice on where to live when you are a military family can be stressful and it is very individual. You have to do what is best for you.
For us, as I already mentioned, you can't put a price on time..and we don't. This house is worth our BAH and it's beyond the walls and the floor plan. We feel blessed.
2 comments:
Amen Nay Amen!! We have lived in housing since San Diego (our 2nd duty station) and we too have thought we could make some $$ off living out in town, but the same reasons bring us back to living on base. Not just the time for the family but the connection we can have with wonderful military neighbors...well most of the time ;)
As always, I love reading your posts because of your amazing attitude and positivity (is positivity a word?). Thanks for this. I love living on post when we can and am glad the Army is renovating so many homes to be more equal to the homes off-post. We're off-post now because the waititng list was so long when we originally got here (five years ago!!) and now we're simply settled where we are. We always take both options seriously when we move, though, and have enjoyed both options as well.
Post a Comment