Should You Live on Post?
Military families are always asking if it's better to live on post or off post, but the answer depends on some key traits of the person asking.
The Commissary
Every time I think of the commissary, I think of Akon’s song “Locked Up.” It says “Commissary’s gettin empty. Cell mates gettin food without me.” This isn’t the same kind of commissary. And they are never empty even though they never have fresh basil. The Commissary is the grocery store on post. It’s not a primitive trading post, and they don’t sell government commodities, MOM. It’s a regular grocery store, for the most part, and it’s exclusive to military i.d. holders. This Army post has two commissaries that are basically the same but are laid out differently. First of all, the commissary is usually connected to or in close promixity…
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Should You Live on Post?
2015 Military Top Ten
Military Top Ten Ten of the most notable things about being attached to the military for me in 2015. 10. Commissary This is the grocery store on post. Sometimes it’s a beating to go because it’s huge and busy, but it’s usually nearly the cheapest prices and the largest selections. I still ship at Aldi, but the Commissary is a full grocery store. We don’t pay tax, but we do pay a surcharge, which seems like tax to me. 9. The Xpress These on-post convenience stores and gas stations are large, clean, visually appealing with basically any candy I want and fountain drinks and icees in nice cups for a…
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Should You Live on Post?
A Day in the Life
The alarm goes off at 5:30. I usually don’t hear it, but my husband eventually gets up and gets his little PT outfit on– black Army shorts and black t-shirt, girded with a yellow, reflective belt– and reports to wherever it is they are meant to work out, by 0600. They work out and Spencer makes it back home around 7:30 or 7:45. He eats cereal, showers, and gets back in bed. I used to wake up to cook him a hot, nutritious meal, but my husband prefers cereal. He prefers cereal. I usually get up around the time he gets back in bed and head to Crossfit at about…
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Should You Live on Post?
Life on Base/The Real Life Dharma Initiative
I live in a Fort. I had imagined it as two sheets strung up between a couch and a chair with a fan blowing the walls out, but it is actually a permanent fixture. I live on an Army base. It’s really referred to as “post,” as “base” refers to Air Force installations, but we are all too ignorant to know that. To gain access to the base, one must present their military ID and pray they look natural enough to avoid a “random” car search. Actually, I think they are random. My initial impression of the base was that it was drab. Basically all browns, cream, and green. The…
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Should You Live on Post?
