$1 Airline Tickets for Active Duty Military

Hurry! Ends tomorrow!

From a DefenseLink Press Article

WASHINGTON, May 5, 2009 – In honor of National Military Appreciation Month, JetBlue is offering active duty military personnel $1 fares for domestic, nonstop flights, for a limited time, departing from the two JetBlue cities nearest to the nation’s capital: Washington Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Va., and Richmond International Airport in Richmond, Va.

The airline also will donate $15,000 to the Wounded Warrior Project, a nonprofit organization that honors and empowers wounded warriors.

To take advantage of the offer, service members must book between today and May 7, or while seats last, for travel between May 8 and May 31 from Dulles or Richmond to any JetBlue destination in the continental United States served nonstop from those airports. Proof of eligibility is required. The fare is available to active-duty service members only; retirees, reservists and military families are not eligible for this offer.

Upon check-in, military travelers must present a valid Department of Defense common access card and official documentation at the JetBlue service counter verifying authorized leave from duty to show proof of active status. Travel booked with this offer is not eligible for online flight check-in or at an airport kiosk. Failure to present these documents will void the reservation, officials said.

To book the $1 fare, call 1-800-JETBLUE (538-2583) and select Option 4.

A big bloggy WOOT to JetBlue for supporting our troops!

A HUGE thanks to my friend Nancy for alerting me (and you) to this deal.

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Please tweet, stumble, DIGG this post to help spread the word. 🙂

How Does Your Husband Help While He’s Away

How Does Your Husband Help While He’s Away?

Jolyn and her Air Force husband have been married for 14 years and have three children. They have so far navigated nine major moves, one deployment and countless TDYs.* She blogs over at “A Military Family Blog (a life like any other)” about the kids (of course), household projects, financial issues, traveling and cultural observations … and whatever else happens to catch her fancy. She loves to visit The Happy Housewife for inspiration in frugality and fruitful living, as well as practical tips for feeding my family healthier meals.
*TDY stands for Temporary Duty: military speak for business trip.

Early in our young marriage my husband was away on TDY (again) over my birthday. I can’t recall if we talked that day or not (this was well before the internet was everywhere) but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that he called to at least wish me a happy birthday. But when he returned I asked him why he never got me anything, even just a card, while he was gone. He replied that since he couldn’t be around for the actual day he hadn’t seen the point. That went over well.

Since that time John and I have honed the art of coping with frequent separations as though they were second nature. Sort of. Unless, you know, it’s a short-notice trip timed for the day the movers come and you’re seven months pregnant with your third child and just landed in a foreign country. Just to, you know, throw something out there.

Something’s always going to throw you for a loop, but in general we each know our roles: he maintains the cars and works on procrastinated chores from the honey-do list and acknowledges birthdays while he’s gone; I add things to the honey-do list as quickly as he can scratch them off and basically run around like a crazy woman until the moment he leaves when I finally sigh and lean back and make the kids macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets for four days straight while I smugly munch on my solitary bowl of salad until even I can’t stand it anymore.

Separations can be hard, whether you’re military or not. They can be especially hard if you married someone whose job frequently takes them away and you didn’t exactly understand that was part of the package deal. In my case, when I got married I was military, too. I knew the deal. However, it’s one thing to be the one going away – and quite another to be the one left behind.

Let’s just say that even if you didn’t exactly know what you were getting yourself into when you married your frequent flyer husband, you’ve since come to terms with it and pulled yourself up by your own bootstraps, so to speak. What sorts of things help you to cope while your spouse is away? What sorts of things does he do to help?

So far as I see it the challenges boil down into two main issues: communication and finances
— and communication about finances. Problems with these are cited as the main cause for marital discord even in relationships that don’t face the challenges of frequent separations. How much harder is it, especially for a young, newly married couple, when your relationship is tested — and assumptions brought to light — over long distance?

I knew a lovely young woman at our last base whose husband was getting ready to go on a special TDY. It was some high-security mystery business that offered a premium Per Diem — that amount service members get paid to cover daily expenses while they’re traveling. In this case, it was such an exceptional amount that there was no way her husband was going to use even half of it, and depending on how long he ended up being away (that was also a secret) they stood to rack up some serious savings. She was already dreaming about a down payment for a home.

The next time I saw her I could tell that things hadn’t gone exactly as she had assumed they would. The per diem rate was as great as her husband had told her it would be, but he had also spent a greater part of it on his daily expenses, mainly by ordering room service to his hotel. She was obviously very disappointed, but she just shrugged it off. It was probably very difficult for him there, she reasoned.

Listening to her story reminded me of how difficult it can be to be on the same sheet of music as your spouse when you really haven’t been sharing lives together all that long and you’re a thousand miles apart when you discover that you’re not even playing the same song. And though I did not share this story with this young woman, I was reminded of the first time my husband had a prolonged TDY very early in our marriage (again, well before the internet) and he was complaining to me about how sick everyone was of eating fast food all the time and how it was messing up their digestive systems and such. (Only his vocabulary was much more colorful.)

Well, I thought that was just about the silliest thing I had ever heard. “Don’t you have a mini fridge in your room?”

“Um, yea.”

“So why don’t you get a loaf of bread and some lunchmeat and cheese and make yourself some sandwiches? Better for you and you’ll save a bunch of money!” I’m pretty certain I outlined to him exactly how much, too, with nothing but love in my tone I’m sure. At least I didn’t have any grand notions of starting a down payment for a house.

The idea of going to a grocery store had seriously never occurred to him, nor to his roommate, nor to all the other knuckleheads he was hanging out with. Some time later we talked again, the night before he was scheduled to leave.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“Oh, I’m just sitting here trying to eat a dozen sandwiches and a bunch of other stuff that I got at the store last night.” Yes, two days before he was scheduled to finish a four-month (or was it six?) TDY he decided to take my advice. It was a good thing he was so cute and we were so in love and he was a thousand miles away or I might have had to bop him one on the head.

It really is a misnomer that you can make money on a TDY.
If you are very frugal you can come out ahead, but probably just enough to make up for the extra expenses that appear out of nowhere, like the pizzas you ordered out with the kids as special treats while dad’s away, or the car repair you had to pay a shop for because your “mechanic” wasn’t available. And the car will need work while your husband’s gone, it’s a guarantee. If you happen to be mechanically inclined yourself, God bless you.

But I am very grateful that my husband does try to cut corners where he can when he’s away, which mainly means that he limits his eating out as much as possible or limits his alcohol intake when he does. Not a small thing — I have a friend whose husband regularly eats in steak restaurants and consumes indiscriminate amounts of alcohol on his TDYs while she’s at home dining on PB&Js with the kids. She shrugs and says she’s given up trying to talk to him about it and simply plans accordingly.

When scheduling his hotel accommodations, my husband has learned to try to reserve rooms with a mini fridge and even a microwave when possible, and he has learned to make sandwiches. I appreciate this tremendously. These are such little things, but they show that we are now on the same sheet of music. We are singing the same lyrics. Granted, sometimes we are not singing in the same key, but that’s what email is for. God bless the internet.

I would love to know what things you and your husband have found helpful to you while he’s away. Even after fourteen years, it is still a learning curve for us — mainly because the military keeps changing the rules. And those pesky kids — why do they have to grow up and lose that short attention span?

I for one can cope quite well on my own when my husband is away, thank you very much. Except when I can’t. Those are the times when a few words of appreciation from him or a note of praise can go so far — they can even breach a thousand miles. Especially when it’s my birthday.

H & R Block Free Online Tax Program for Military

For the past several years Military One Source offers free tax consultations and free e-filing for active duty, Guard, Reserve and their family members. We have taken advantage of this deal for many years. To find out more go to the Military One Source website.

H & R Block is the company offering the free service via Military One Source, so if you filed through them last year they should still have all your information. You must go through Military One Source to get this deal, so don’t sign in to H & R Block until you have logged in to MOS.

If you are not familiar with Military One Source, I highly recommend this website. They are almost always the first ones to publish many of the military discounts and deals available to our servicemen and women.

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Don’t forget to enter my Motivated Moms 2009 Planner Giveaway! Click here for details.

Hope

Kristi asked for an update on my husband, sorry it took me so long, things have been busy around here!

Many of you who read my blog know that my when I started writing this blog my husband was recovering from an injury that occurred during a deployment in 2006. It is difficult to explain his injury, but basically he suffered a bilateral infusion of his inner ears during a rapid decent on an aircraft.

The immediate results of this injury were severe ear pain, hearing loss, and headaches. This was a big deal, but because he was deployed he worked in spite of his injuries. Over time, and as his ears began to heal the real problems started. Apparently the injury caused his ears to “stop working.” Since the human body is so amazing his eyes compensated for his ears in areas such as balance, and perception. As he healed his eyes kept working overtime, even though his ears were doing their job again. The result of this was constant vertigo, balance issues, ear pain, tinnitus, and blurred vision. As time went on his ears got better and everything else got worse. It became so bad that he was unable to drive, read, and sometimes even stand up.

The doctors were baffled by his case for many months. Over time they tried many different medications as well as every test in the world to try and figure out what was wrong. The medications were very powerful and many of them left him unable to get out of bed.

We were finally referred up to Maryland to see the world’s expert in dizziness. He suggested some very simple things; ping pong, Tai Chi, badminton, and vestibular rehabilitation. The goal was to stimulate his brain to help everything work together again. To be honest we were a little skeptical at first, but we had nothing to lose. These activities with the combination of some more high powered drugs (that were supposed to reset his brain) actually worked.

Well, I should add there was a whole lot of prayer going on too. Last summer he started driving again. Thankfully we live very close to his work so he was able to ease back into driving. He was given a job in June (for the first time in over a year) and has no problem reading, driving, or doing normal activities.

To test his new dizzy free life he rode every roller coaster in the parks on our last vacation with no ill effects. He truly is better! I am thankful for everyone’s prayers, those who know us and those who do not. During this entire ordeal every doctor told us there was very little hope for him to fully recover. Thankfully my hope is not in doctors, although I do appreciate their hard work.

As for now we have resumed a normal life. I am not the only driver anymore, thank goodness, although we are preparing for our oldest to drive soon so more prayers will be needed! Our journey through this trial helped make us weaker – and more dependent on God. I thankful we were given this opportunity to show joy in all circumstances and keep our focus on Him.

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For more Gratituesday visit Laura.

Disney on a Dime

I have so many things to be grateful for this week, a safe trip to Florida, the lady in the gas station restroom who offered us her kleenex when the stall was out of toilet paper, happy travelers… but most of all I am so thankful we are able to take advantage of Disney’s Armed Forces Salute, which will cut our Disney cost in half for this vacation.

Tomorrow we are headed for our first day with the Mouse and I am surprised the kids were even able to fall asleep tonight.

Hopefully pictures and lots of fun coming tomorrow.

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For more Gratituesday visit Laura.

Disney’s Armed Forces Salute ~ Free Admission!

Disney ran this offer a few years ago. We were able to take advantage of it and unbelievably this offer comes the day before we are scheduled to leave for our Disney World vacation. I am so glad I waited to purchase tickets!

I just spoke with a representative Disney World and confirmed this information with guest services.

Free 5- Day Park Hopper Ticket for active duty service member. $99 5-Day base ticket for up to 5 guests.

Anyone on active duty- Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard
Retired military personnel
Federal/State National Guard and Reserves (with active papers dated 1/1/08-12/23/09)
Dept of Defense (CIA, FBI, Secret Service) and Coalition Forces are excluded

The military service member will receive one Complimentary 5-Day “Disney’s Armed Forces Salute“ Ticket with Park Hopper and Water Park Fun & More – this ticket is not upgradeable.
Up to 5 of their guests can purchase for $99 a “Disney’s Armed Forces Salute Companion” (5 Day Base) ticket and can add on the Park Hopper or Water Park Fun & More option for $25 each (which is 50% off the normal price); however, these tickets may also be upgraded to Premium, Annual and Seasonal Passes. Seasonal Pass upgrade requires proof of Florida Residency. No other upgrades, such as adding on additional days or the NE option, are available.

This promotion will begin on 1/4/09 and end on 12/23/09. Tickets will expire on 12/23/09 and have no block-out dates
Tickets may be upgraded anytime between January 4th -December 23, 2009 as long as there is usage left on the ticket.

You may purchase tickets

  • At any Vacation Planner or Guest Relations Window
  • They can purchase an exchange voucher at Shades of Green (ticket is tax free)
  • They can also purchase an exchange voucher at their Base (ticket is tax free)

The entire party needs to be present for purchase (Spouse or military dependents can receive the companion discount without the military service member being present as long as they have their military ID).
The military service member will need to show ID; Cast Member will ask for their Base’s name, and the State where the base is listed.

This offer is only available once per service member.

This is a great deal for military members, especially if you live near Disney and don’t have to travel! Please pass this information on to any military family you know, active duty or retired. I hope many families are able to take advantage of this offer.

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Anheuser-Busch Adventure Parks Salute to Heroes 2009

Hats off to Anheuser-Busch Adventure Parks for continuing their Heroes Salute in 2009.
In 2009 Anheuser-Busch Parks are offering:

  • Complimentary admission for active duty military representing all five service branches, active members of a reserve or National Guard unit, and/or up to three direct dependents.
  • Valid for one complimentary single-day admission per person, per year, to one of the following Anheuser-Busch Adventure Parks:
  • SeaWorld Orlando, San Diego, or San Antonio
  • Busch Gardens Tampa Bay or Williamsburg
  • Sesame Place
  • Adventure Island
  • Water Country USA

* Offer valid through 12/31/2009. Operating days and hours vary by park. Please check with specific park for current operating schedule.

To fill out the registration form visit the Salute to Heroes website.

We have taken advantage of this deal for several years. We always have a great time and we plan to go again this year.

Great news, Anheuser-Busch has continued its Hero’s Salute program for 2010!

For the price of a stamp!

Long time readers of my blog know that I run a coupon program which sends coupons to our troops overseas. Certain bases accept coupons that are up to 6 months expired, while other bases accept only current coupons. For the price of a stamp you can send your unwanted or expired to overseas bases. The postage rate is the same as mailing letters and packages to a stateside address. The prices at overseas commissaries and exchanges are significantly higher than those in the states. Many military families do not make very much money to begin with, and the money they save with coupons really makes a difference. Below is an email I received today from someone who receives coupons from this program.

Oh my … do I have a story to share with you and your bloggers!  Six ladies from Singapore, 2 Air Force and 4 Navy wives, loaded up at 5:15 am Friday, November 14 for a MAC flight to Yokota AFB, Japan. We arrived successfully and hit the ground running!  Our goals were to Christmas shop, BX shop and Commissary shop. (Not only is food a challenge in cost but also selection of traditional holiday foods can not be found in  Singapore)  Clothes (Singaporeans are short and stick skinny), makeup (no need to explain) hair color (still no need), shoes (largest size for men is size 9)… do I need to go on?!  I shared the Coupons for Troops on the flight where we sorted and organized.  To make a long story short… 6 ladies total coupon savings $202!  All we used were the coupons sent to us by your generous, thoughtful Coupon for Troops participates.  The Commissary at Yokota boxed up our items and will MPS them to us free.  We boxed up the BX and BX Extra shopping ourselves and the post office will MPS them free. The MAC flights were free and lodging was $19 a night.  We boarded the 4 am flight on Monday, November 17 for Singapore weary, successful, proud and grateful!  Grateful for the support of you and your bloggers.  Seems like a little thing, to clip a coupon, but it sure adds up over time and blessed us all.
Thank you again so very much!

It is hard to believe something as simple as passing on your unused coupons could make such a big impact in these families lives, but it does! If you want more information on how you can participate in this program send an email to, coupons4troops@comcast.net.

Military Shipping Deadlines

Christmas Card Design , c.1956-1962 by Andy Warhol

Christmas is coming… here are the shipping deadlines for shipping mail to overseas military bases.
Military Mail Addressed To Express Mail® Military Service (EMMS)1 First-Class Mail® Letters and Cards Priority Mail® Parcel Airlift Mail (PAL)2 Space Available Mail (SAM)3 Parcel Post®
APO/FPO AE ZIPs 090-092 Dec-18 Dec-11 Dec-11 Dec-4 Nov-28 Nov-13
APO/FPO AE ZIPs 093 N/A Dec-4 Dec-4 Dec-1 Nov-21 Nov-13
APO/FPO AE ZIPs 094-098 Dec-18 Dec-11 Dec-11 Dec-4 Nov-28 Nov-13
APO/FPO AE ZIPs 340 Dec-18 Dec-11 Dec-11 Dec-4 Nov-28 Nov-13
APO/FPO AE ZIPs 962-966 Dec-18 Dec-11 Dec-11 Dec-4 Nov-28 Nov-13

Veterans Day Discount at Home Depot and Lowes

The Home Depot and Lowe’s, the world’s largest home improvement retailers, once again are offering a 10 percent Veterans Day discount to active-duty service members, reservists, retirees, veterans and their immediate family members.

The Lowe’s discount is available Nov. 6 through Nov. 11 on purchases of up to $5,000 in U.S. stores from merchandise in stock and special order. The maximum discount would be $500.

The Home Depot discount is available Nov. 6 through Nov. 12 on purchases up to $2,000, for a maximum discount of $200. The discount is offered at The Home Depot stores, The Home Depot Design Center locations, Yardbirds and EXPO Design Center locations. To get the discount, you must provide proof of military service when checking out, and the discount will be applied at the register.

I know that some Lowe’s offer military discounts year round, but not all of them do. I am sure there are many other Veterans Day discounts so if you know of any email me and I will spread the word.

Thanks!