Do you live in another area from your husband in the military?

Due to financial reasons?

Where he got stationed is a miserable area an the cost of living does not even meet his income.

I am curious if anyone has experienced this and if they chose to separate from one another in order to "make it".



When i say separate i don't mean a marital separation i meant like moving.

Do you live in another area from your husband in the military?
When my wife went in to the Air Force years ago I could not afford to quit my job and move to her first base to be with her and still be able to pay all our bills due to the low pay for her rank. So I spent a while at our old place while she was given a room in the Airmen's dorms. Even though she was in the dorms she was also paid the housing allowance for where I was living. It wasn't till later that we were able to afford for me to leave my job and join her at her base. It was tough at times but now she is happy in what she's doing for the Air Force and that itself has made it all worth it.Do you live in another area from your husband in the military?
I haven't personally gone through that particular scenario but I do know a few married couples that have. I have known many service members that prefer to live on base rather than off base in an area with a low "cost of living". It is a bit more economical than living off base, when the area military personnel are stationed at isn't paying the best BAH Do you live in another area from your husband in the military?
It does happen but there are some issues that you will have to seriously consider first. Financial concerns are not going to be solved easily with this route. Since you are choosing not to accompany your husband, he will still have to serve the full assignment...generally 3-4 years since it will still be considered an accompanied assignment..and depending on the where and what he does, it is not unsual for people to remain at bases even longer now. So you could be looking at up to 5 years of this living arrangement. BAH will be based on where he is stationed and where you are supposed to be..again, since it is voluntary, they will not change it to where you end up actually living. But here is the problem...from that single amount of BAH you will have to support the cost of two seperate homes (your's and his if he ends up living off base in an apartment) OR if his rank is low enough that they won't approve his living off base without his dependents present, he may not even get all of that. Since the seperation is voluntary, he would end up getting only differential BAH...basically the difference in the amount of single rate BAH (which he would be "paying" to the military to live in the dorms) and dependent rate..and that generally equals only a few hundered dollars a month...definitely not a lot of money. Addtionally, you will not be eligable for seperation pay since you are apart by choice, not by military order or necessity.



You are facing a dilema that many military families face (especially the lower enlisted). We currently live in the DC area and many families here, regardless of rank, face that struggle...high cost of living is even higher if you want to live in a district with strong schools. Most spouses will tell you there are enough seperations that you have no control over and not to add any in. Living apart is tough on the relationship and your pocketbook. Most likely, it will mean you're having to work full time as well..and if that is the case, you may as well do it back with him and use the extra money to move to a decent neighborhood within a reasonable drive from base. Try it for a year at least...if it doesn't work, then sit and talk about all the options and look long and hard at the costs..including how much it would cost for you to be able to see one another every 4-6 weeks at least. I have considered it at one point but after really looking at figures and fall out, decided it was not worth the stress it would put on our bank account and our marriage.