Money,
money, money...it all come down to the Benjamins, truth. Seriously, we need to
talk about saving money, giving yourself a buffer so that you are not living
month-to-month on your Post-9/11 housing stipend. Remember that the housing
stipend is pro-rated and paid in the rears. This means that you will not
receive the full amount of the housing stipend on many months over the course
of the school year. Why, you ask? Because you have to have your butt in a seat
to get the money, and if school is not in session, think holidays and semester
start dates that are not on the first of the month, then your butt is not in a
seat. Follow these steps for an example:
·
Go
to the GI Bill Comparison Tool,
and look up University of Florida (UF)
·
The
housing stipend is currently listed at $1,427 (Post-9/11 housing stipends update
every year on August 1)
·
Go
look at the academic calendar for the year 2018 to 2019 for UF (you can find it by Googling your school's name, the calendar year you
are looking for, and the words academic calendar
·
Here
are the dates for the year:
o
Fall:
August 22 through December 14
o
Spring:
January 27 through May 3
·
Notice
that the semesters start late and end early in the months. So, you are only
eligible for the housing stipend on the days listed for class. You will get a
pro-rated amount for the beginning and ending months of school.
·
That's
not all, there are holidays in the middle of some of the months. Think
Thanksgiving, Christmas, and spring break. These months will be pro-rated as
well, but your rent won't be.
·
Repeat
this exercise for every school you are thinking of attending so you can see
where your gaps in pay will be.
Now, not everyone has a home that they can go back to and pay little or no rent. But, if you do, consider going home, getting a part-time job, and saving your first semester's, maybe even your second semester's, housing stipend. This will enable you to build a little buffer in your bank account in case you run into trouble later on. Sometimes, it isn't even trouble. Maybe you have a particularly difficult semester of classes and need to take a break from work in order to stay on track with your academics. Maybe you heard about the Warrior Scholar Project (I'm obsessed with it!) and you want to attend over the summer but you need $$$ for your flight (Everything else is free). Maybe, you forgot to sign up for VA health care (Why would you forget to do this???), and you had an accident while driving your motorcycle too fast (What! Who's crazy like that?), and now you have a hospital bill to pay (Madness!). The point is...you need to save $$$ just in case...
Have I had service members do this? Of course! In
fact, I have two former corporals in the Corps who moved in with grandma and
grandpa. Seriously, the one corporal took his buddy, another corporal, to meet
his grandma and grandpa long before they separated from the service. Grandma
and grandpa live about 20 minutes from their university. I asked the corporal
how he felt about living with his buddy's grandparents. His answer, it's free,
and they are cool, so he was more than fine with it. Grandma even cooked for
them. The university is located in the northern part of California where the
housing stipend is very high (Currently set at $3,680). Can you imagine putting
yourself in a position to make around $3,680 per month (Remember the housing
stipend is tax free) and not having to pay rent? That's roughly $14,000 for the
first semester! In the words of the great David Wooderson, "Alright,
alright, alright!"
If you don't have a parent (or grandparent!) to live
with, consider other options for housing. Read my post on resident advisor positions. Also, if you are still on active duty, try to find
another veteran to go to school with and be your roommate. Getting a two-bedroom
apartment is often less expensive than a one-bedroom. Plus, then you have peer
support, which is an important buffer in decreasing any potential transition
issues that you may face. Start searching for apartments long in advance so
that you have time to compare options. I usually use rent.com as a reference
and starting point. Ask the staff in the veterans department if they know
anyone looking for a roommate. Some coordinators take names and pass them along
to other vets looking to rent out rooms, etc. And look into the dorms (gasp!).
I realize that sounds like crazy talk, but if it's way cheaper than an
apartment you should at least consider it.
Photo by Mathieu Turle on Unsplash
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