The last 2 places that we have lived (Fort Bragg and Fort Huachuca) we had lived on post. We had good experiences at both places but sometimes felt like people took advantage of it and thought they could get away with more because they lived on post among other military.
Now that we live off post I don't think we will ever go back to living on post. Unless we absolutely have too of course. I love living within the community and getting to know more non-military people. I know Kyle is going to love coming home after work and not being on post. One of our biggest factors to living off post was that we figured out we could actually bank some of our BAH (basic allowance for housing). Who would have thought that it could happen, but it definitely can.
I am also loving that I don't have to show my ID to go home. I hate fumbling around with my ID card, it's even worse when you realize that you left it at home. Now I can leave my ID at home and not worry about it. We have met a few of our neighbors and they are really nice. Everyone is really friendly, they wave even if you are taking your trashcans out. How awesome is that?! I'm loving it! Now I'm not saying that everything will be roses all the time but it's sure getting off to a good start.
Our house in the northeast part of town, and right now it's not busy at all. Of course more things will be built over here but the quiet is amazing! Everything we need is close (within 15-20minutes even New Mexico) and for some reason I feel safer living off post than I did on. I can tell the next 3-4 years here are going to be amazing.
Have a great day!
This is the first place I've ever lived on base and that was because we weren't given a choice. We now live off. We both like it so much better off base. It is very possible to bank some of your BAH. We have a house in the states. We were well under our BAH. It was reasonable enough that we can afford to pay our mortgage now, even if we don't have renters.
ReplyDeleteWe love living off post as well. Fayetteville can be do dangerous so we moved about an hour away from post to Sanford.. We bought our house & wouldn't have it any other way. So glad you are loving it. I know moving can be hard. Looks like you could go pro by now tho! HNY!!
ReplyDeleteThats too funny I just blogged about this today and how we are going in the opposite direction...I am so worried to live in post but I think we can suck it up for just 6 months
ReplyDeleteThat's great. And I'm not from a military family, what's BAH?
ReplyDeleteP wants to live off post next time too. It makes me so nervous to go over on bills. We lived off when we first got married and just lived in a townhouse near other military members and I still felt unsafe and barelly slept. On post I sleep amazing, but I know it really irritates P to see all his BAH go away when someone next door is lesser rank and paying less then him to be in the same house. This at least made me feel a little better about doing it. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad your neighbors are being friendly! Yay for no more bad neighbors!
ReplyDeleteI love friendly neighbors (and peace and quiet). I'm glad everything is working out well so far!
ReplyDeleteI have always thought I would feel safer on base, but my BF refuses so I dont think that will ever happen. I'm glad you like it :)
ReplyDeleteAww yayy! Glad you like it better!! :)
ReplyDeleteYou made the right decision in moving, especially if you are saving a little extra money! It sounds lovely where you are--post some pics of your neighborhood when you get a chance!
ReplyDeleteWe have never wanted to live on-post, which I guess makes us weird, but we love living in the city here. We have great neighbors, and even the "weird" ones keep to themselves. Wait till the summer - people hang out in their garages with music playing and kids running around until dark, because everyone is outside hanging out so it doesn't feel unsafe. I also love that it forces us to be part of El Paso, not just Ft. Bliss. The city is so colorful and the people are so nice. We love it :)
ReplyDeleteSo glad you are loving the new home and station so far!
ReplyDeleteThat is nice. It is nice to come home to a non-military area. Makes you feel that you did not bring "work" home. So glad your first impressions have been a good one! Also, thanks for the comment on my blog post! I LOVE COMMENTS!! You Rock!
ReplyDeleteYay! I'm so glad you're loving it! We will never live on post unless we absolutely have to. Most of our neighborhood is military anyway, but it's so nice being away and hubs not feeling like he's still at work when he goes home. Living on post definitely has it's perks like being closer to everything, but for us it's definitely not worth it. And I'll never understand the false sense of security with living on post. I also feel much safer off post in our quiet little community. All of the crazies are concentrated on post and in the immediate surrounding areas.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on a new place in a new location! Sounds like the start of a new, wonderful chapter :o) Enjoy it to the fullest!!
ReplyDelete- Christina Xo
My experience was actually reversed. We lived off post at Fort Bragg for 3 years. We moved onto post more than a year ago and we love it and we save more money living on post. That's because we don't spend as much gas as we use to. Hubby comes home after PT and I see him at lunch. Love it so much more. I think going forward I will always live on post.
ReplyDeleteAs for the bringing in the extra BAH... I'm right there with you!!! Pay so much off so fast! But then there are always those moment when something goes wrong with the house or appliance and that's out of pocket. Save up for that! We might get to Cali this year, if that's the case we will not live off base because of the cost of living there! Enjoy it all hun you deserve it! (BTW I hate having to find my ID too!)
ReplyDeleteYay! This all sounds awesome. Honestly, I really don't know anything about Army life, so I love reading your blog and learning more about it and what you are going through. I am so glad you are happy in your new place. And how fun to have neighbors who are actually friendly! :)
ReplyDeleteSo happy everything is working out for you two! The quiet sounds amazing! :)
ReplyDeleteThis is our first duty station and I certainly like our house but we decided we are for sure living off post when we move and part of me really wishes we would have lived off post here as well. I feel like I missed out on really being a part of a community here in Hawaii by living on post.
ReplyDeleteWe love living off post! Hubby wants to keep his work and home life separate, and you are right about saving money. Our BAH is $1100 and our rent is $750. I refuse to use all the BAH and have to pay utilities and the like on top of high rent.
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