Despite some of the annoyances of living on post there were many aspects I enjoyed about it. For me personally many of them were financially related. I recently asked the spouses over at the Army Wife 101 fan page what were some of their favorite things about living onpost. I compiled some of those answers into a list and hopefully this can assist first time PCS’ers or people who have never lived on post in making a choice on where to live.
1. Not having to remember when the rent/water/trash/
2. Not ever having to leave post . Everything was right there. ( This usually depends on how big the post you are going to is).
3. Not having to fix things if they break. Maintenance for the most part takes care of everything.
4. Saving on gas cost because everything is right on post so no driving all over.
5. Seeing my husband more…without gate traffic and drive time he can come home after pt, for lunch, and right after work.
6. Some people mentioned better schools. I agree to an extent but again this depends on the post you are at.
7. The feeling and sense of acommunity especially during deployments and other events.
8. There are always family events happening on post. I enjoyed being close to them.
9. Some bases have movie theatres and movies are usually are less then $3 a person way cheaper then the regular movies.
10. Free Gyms! Many bases offer gyms that are free to join and also free in demand exercise classes such as Zumba, Yoga and more.
What are some of your favorite things about living on a military base?
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Krystel is the mom of two and an Army Wife. In addition to Army Wife 101 she is the Co-Founder of SoFluential.com a digital media agency that connects brands with the military market. She has appeared on MSNBC ,FOX LA and formerly was a weekly contributor to HLN's "Raising America". She has written for various outlets including Sheknows and Lifetime and is a big fan of cupcakes and french fries.
Krystel is the mom of two and an Army Wife. In addition to Army Wife 101 she is the Co-Founder of SoFluential.com a digital media agency that connects brands with the military market.
She has appeared on MSNBC ,FOX LA and formerly was a weekly contributor to HLN's "Raising America". She has written for various outlets including Sheknows and Lifetime and is a big fan of cupcakes and french fries. 16 Comments on Top 10 Best Things About Living Onpost
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I have to say that a sense of security and being safe.
I agree with some of those. Living on fort irwin you stroll have to go off post for a lot of things and having to drive 40 miles yup the nearest town doesn’t help with saving on gas. But I do know that it would cost more to live off post. Also I do love the weather here.
The only problem is certain housing charges electricity now days. Since housing takes all the BAH they should improving the living condition on some houses..such as cutting grass.
In all fairness, I think it would be right to mention a few things about your list regarding living OFF post.
1. Not having to remember when the rent/water/trash/electricity is due. – Rent is usually due on the 1st of every month and some rental agencies allow you to set up scheduled deductions on the date of your choosing. You can do the same with any bills by having the company send you an e-mail and you can pay online.
2. Not ever having to leave post . Everything was right there. ( This usually depends on how big the post you are going to is). – Yes, but most of the time…you WANT to leave post. Post doesn’t have Barnes and Noble, or Target, or Wal-Mart, or Hobby Lobby and they don’t always have the lowest prices or the best products at the PX or Commisary.
3. Not having to fix things if they break. Maintenance for the most part takes care of everything. – So does your rental company or landlord. If you buy, well you are like any other home owner but by living on post you are a tenant as well so my answer is in reflection of that.
4. Saving on gas cost because everything is right on post so no driving all over. – Yes, it makes work commutes a LOT cheaper!
5. Seeing my husband more…without gate traffic and drive time he can come home after pt, for lunch, and right after work. – We live about 20 minutes away, my husband still comes home for all of these, but in this situation…see question 4. LOL ;)
6. Some people mentioned better schools. I agree to an extent but again this depends on the post you are at. – Yes, you really have to check into the post you are going to. Most of the time you will be in the same school district as the city the post is in and trust me…the schools are NOT always better.
7. The feeling and sense of a community especially during deployments and other events. – I can see this, definitely, at some posts. I live at Ft. Hood right now and I’ve never had a problem though, but I believe that’s because it’s so big here. I’ve only, honestly, met 3 friends that aren’t military or veterans. Also, you can involved on post with groups, your FRG, etc. If you are active in helping yourself you will never have a problem.
8. There are always family events happening on post. I enjoyed being close to them. – Yes, each housing community has different family events going on. Let’s be honest though. Communities have this going on too. I went to 5 different egg hunts this Easter, 3 in local communities, 1 military, and 1 church. It’s not something that’s exclusive to your housing community if you are willing to, again, look and ask.
9. Some bases have movie theatres and movies are usually are less then $3 a person way cheaper then the regular movies. – As a military dependent you are authorized to use these theaters and attend any other MWR event just like anyone who lives on post.
10. Free Gyms! Many bases offer gyms that are free to join and also free in demand exercise classes such as Zumba, Yoga and more. – See question 9.
I saw someone mention Safety in the comments. Don’t get caught up in a false of security. You have just as many safety issues on post. In fact, of all the military spouses I know, I know 3 who have had 3 that have had their houses broken into. They all lived on post. 4 have had their cars broken into and 1 had their car stolen. I don’t have anyone who lived off post who have had this problem. Just because they are soldiers (or a dependent) doesn’t mean they don’t break the law…if they were always perfectly stand up and on the best behavior there would be no need for MPS, also, they don’t always have the best choice of civilian friends. You have to remember, when you live on post, you don’t get to pick your neighbors or your neighborhood. You get put where you are assigned. If you choose to live off-post, you get to see the neighborhood and the house before you rent and decide if it’s going to be a fit for you.
Don’t mistake my post here. I’m 100% in support of military housing. I’ve lived on post at times. Some places it’s the best choice. Other places it’s not. But, let’s be honest about all the facts here some of the points are valid, others don’t count. :)
I have to agree with you Amy. We live off post in Hawaii and we are in a great community with excellent schools, a large place, and only 10 mins from post
I plan on doing a post about living offpost because I live offpost now but these are some of the attractions of living onpost :)
We currently off post. Mostly because my husband wanted to “get away” from work. We live about 15 minutes away from the base & depending if he takes the car or the truck, he can come home after PT & such. This is our 1st duty station together, so we’ve never had the experience of being on post. I do see all the positive things about being on post though. It’s all a matter of what’s most important to you. We wanted to save some money. Unfortunately, he wanted to rent the place that had 3 bedrooms & doesn’t know how to handle finances as well as other people, so we aren’t saving. We’ve been discussing moving after our lease is up & I’m contemplating whether it would be better to stay off post or on post. This helped a lot. Thanks.
Mrs.Perry you live off post in Hawaii? May I ask what area? We are pcs’ing to Hawaii and DO NOT want to live on post housing but everyone is telling us it is nearly impossible to live off post due to cost. I am a glass half full type of person so I know there is a way considering not everybody in Hawaii is military and therefore are living somewhere right?! I liked living on post for awhile but i’m so over it now and need my own space and just to not have to be affiliated w/it 24/7 plus my neighbors really are always in my bees-knees!
I meant to say NOT everybody in Hawaii is in the military and are living somewhere*
M, we just recently moved to Hawaii (Schofield), and i understand about not wishn to live on post. I already left a giant comment under the 8 reasons not to live on post article, so i won’t do that here. I just wanted to suggest that you see what they offer, you could be one of the lucky ones to get the new housing (which may help to take the sting outta being too close to your neighbors), and even if you accept the place they offer, you aren’t locked in til u sign the lease and can keep looking off post. Hope your PCS goes smoothly! I also wanted to give a huge THANK YOU to AW101 for creating such a wonderful website, it’s been a great help and support to me. whew…guess i’m gonna have to work on creating shorter comments. LOL
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