Deployment Tips

Here is a neat list of 101 items to send a care package to your sweetheart.
Jane's List Deployment Tips

1Q2012 Results for Alfa Sugar

Alfa Sugar enjoyed a robust year of 3,126 hits and celebrates a one year anniversary of blogging.  It's been a pleasure to blog about financial perspective and see that there is an audience for this material.  Finances affects us each and every day of our lives and even in ways we least expect.  I truly believe that if you watch your finances and make improvements, slowly but surely things will improve not only for yourself  but also for your community. 

We continue to have an international audience representing a variety of countries. 
USA, Sweden, Russia, Germany, United Kingdom, India, Canada, Latvia, Singapore, Romania, United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Iran, Brazil, Columbia, Georgia and others.  (all in no particular order)

Our top three articles for the quarter:
1) Out with the Old and In with the New
2) Fraud Alert Called Phishing
3) Concurrent Retirement & Disability Pay for Veterans

Student Loan Costs Are Life-Changing

Would you consider paying $211,000 for an original student loan cost of $74,000?  Of course not.  Unfortunately, when students take on student loan debt and assume that if they work hard to pay it off, then life will be good.  Today's reality offers a different financial perspective here. 

In this article, Student Loan Debt, it is evident that marriage and starting a family is long delayed because of this debt.  Sometimes career advancement is delayed as well.  This article (at the bottom) even highlights a great list of how debt negatively affects students such as difficulty in renting a home because of a high debt to income ratio number. 

The military member is keen on money for education.  Sometimes the GI Bill or other education benefits seem too good to be true.  The reality is some funds are low, and the cost to cover education tuition and fees is not paying as much as aniticipated.  Military are having to take on loans in order to pay for education.  The financial hardship is not recommended.

Many folks offer a solution of working hard and paying as you go.  The increasing popularity of evening college classes is back in addition to online courses.  Hence, you can work a full-time job and obtain your education so some of the financial hardship is avoided.

Interest on the debt is challenging especially when it kicks in.

You cannot claim student loan debt in bankruptcy.  You must pay it off. 

The financial hardship is to mount if students take on more debt.  Recommendation is to delay graduation by working and earning funds to pay for college.  If you are already in debt, then working a full-time job and another part-time job or two will be life for awhile.  It is an enslavement that many wished they never had agreed to doing.  Perhaps view this time in life as an opportunity for character building.  It is during times of financial hardship that you learn things in ways you least expect. 

Self-Sufficiency Can BE In Vogue

Upon reading this morning's article about a family of 20 not in debt and able to be self-sufficient, I truly believe that their fiancial tactical approach to frugality is one to note.  Family of 19 Debt Free article highlights some key points that many folks need to understand.  The importance of paying your bills, not incurring debt and even itemizing bills where sneaky charges must be caught.  Yes, it is wise to NOT assume that your bills are always correct upon receiving them.  Folks struggle with Math so I will doubly make sure that I question any bill that comes my way.

As a military family, you are able to shop at the Commissary and it's nice especially when the sales and case lot sales are put on.  Coupons are good for 6 months after the expiration date.  Also, the coupons are handed out on Saturdays as well as a coupon basket by the bathroom (you can give coupons and take coupons).  You do need to do a food and supply inventory and know your prices but in the end, using coupons and watching what you buy and use in your household will help the bottom line.  Cutting your Grocery Bill in Half is a great book resource as well.

Food is a number one budget blower and with food costs rising, it is even more imperative that folks cook and budget more.  emeals.com is a great tool to faciliate staying on a budget and yet having the menu planned along with recipes.  Keep in mind that you only pay for the dinner meals minus sales tax so it is important to watch your food budget as you supply food for your breakfast, lunch and snacks. 

Be Old-Fashioned & You May Find Out How Cool That Is

It's been awhile since I last blogged...guess life is happeniing in my household!!!!  We took a vacation to the beach and had a magnificent time.  Unfortunately, my husband's blackberry was Murphy in the car and he had to deal with work-related issues while on vacation.  There is a challenge in today's society for folks to truly be away, rest up and enjoy time off from work.  The technology today may be of great benefit to many, but I believe that there is a growing dysfunction in society where few put down the technology and actually talk, be there and be a normal human being with others. Children especially are seeking time and attention from their parents.  April Perry of The Power Of Moms writes a great article that many of my friends are liking called Your Children Want YOU!   Folks are hiding behind their blackberry, their texting, their e-mails or their curtains and are isolating themselves.  If you watch the movie Wally, it shows the funny way that folks get wrapped up in all that technology.  Could it really happen?

We drove down the interstate road and saw lots of DVDs playing in the car.  Yes, we pulled ours out later in the day, but after we made a point to play I Spy, Guess a Number between 1 & 100, Category: Vegetable, Mineral or Animal, and a few other family games.  We were laughing and sharing a special memory making moment without technology interfering with our old-fashioned fun.  We even tracked all the different license plates tags from across the country including Nova Scotia & Quebec making it a geography lesson for my kids.  At the restaurant, we played the game Left, Right & Center and even got GrandPa laughing.  Folks were envious of our fun, that is the ones who weren't distracted with technology. 

There are lots of technologies eager to eat up your time if you allow them to do so.

24/7 TV/Cable TV/Direct TV/Satelite
Internet for Social Networking sites as well as news feeds or online gaming
Texting
E-mailing
Watching a movie
Radio

It's so easy to have access because you just have to push a button.  The nice part is that you can push the OFF button.

Being in the military, it's challenging to connect with folks outside the network.  For one thing, folks don't get what your spouse does for a living.  Yes, they are in the military and they appreciate it but really and truly...theres's an unknown.  It's challenging to find common ground with folks.  Even within the military community, it's challenging to connect with others because of politics, background, living arrangements and (let's be honest) likeability. 

Another issue is relocating, moving, traveling and/or being in different places not knowing many folks.  It's challenging to connect.  It gets lonely even when the family PCSs together. 

It's easy to eat excessively.  Check out our high obesity rate as well as our rise in diabetes.  Rachel Ray's foundation Yum-O! is encouraging to counter this epic problem in our country.

It's easy to watch too much tv or surf the internet.  As one pastor challenged his sunday school class, he said go without the tv and internet for two weeks, and you will see a dramatic improvement in your sex life.  

It's easy to get into activities you would not dream of doing.  Some taboo topics and some unexpected.

It's easy to overdo because you are compensating for what's missing in your life.

Yes, here is where I must plug in that God is exactly what you need in your life especially if you are lonely.  Going to church or the base chapel is difficult at first but it is the best way to not only feel better about yourself, meet and socialize with other, but to seek the One who can  only give you the peace and understanding that you need.

Financially speaking, it's of great benefit to be old-fashioned and to find out how cool it really is.  You will see a big difference in your life.  I can't say that the technologies are bad or that you should not do them.  I am just saying that you need to keep things in balance and yes, old-fashioned values are coming back in vogue in more ways than what you may realize.  The next time you are questioning things....keep in mind that God is my refuge and strength (Psalms). 

By Stephanie Arredondo 2012 for Alfa Sugar