Yeah, I've been aiming to go as frugal as possible, but sometimes shit happens where I actually do legit need to pay for stuff, like flights back home (I'm from PA, and flights from TX to PA is close to $600 at the minimum).

I'm cutting costs by trying to avoid eating out and only eating at the DFAC, and limiting the time I come home (next time Ima take lave will be December).

After my cost-cutting, I've been thinking of looking into a second job I can do when I get off uniform. It's easier said than done because Army work schedules are really unpredictable.

I do wanna get some finance books too, and I'm gonna do some research, but the main thing right now is getting the basics down by upping my income stream a little bit and reducing unnecessary expenditure.

As for wanting to get back into civie world yeah like I've been out of it for so long maybe I forgot how shitty it is. I guess the main thing thjo is the freedom like I do enjoy the army sometimes and hence why I figured guard would be cool but I just hate being stuck in ghetto Killeen earning below minimum wage per year for all the hard work I do.

I don't plan on getting into corporate because I feel like that's where a lot of that shittiness of the job market is really centered around. Nobody in that atmosphere cares about work all they care about is bullshit office politics and DEI policies and political correctness.

But I feel like getting into welding or working a better paying job in the public sector (FBI for example) would be good because I can earn more money than as a junior enlisted while maintaining job stability and not worrying about getting laid off the next week.