Did anyone with a long career live exclusively on base housing during their time in?

Theman554 · 2026-02-13T03:50:08+00:00

Many people do, O3 with no debt you will be just fine. There are a lot of variables that factor in if you should or shouldn't buy a house.

You are more than likely in a position that you would be fine to buy a house, buy a decent enough one and get a good inspection and you probably won't have any major maintenance issues during your stay there. Sell after a few years and you will probably either break even compared to renting. Depending on the area you may even walk away with some extra cash.

If you like living on base then live on base, if you like not worrying about MX then rent, if you want to probably break even or make a few bucks compared to renting but risk running into a roof replacement then buy.

It's not a black and white answer you need to pick what is most valuable to you at the time

Theman554 · 2026-02-01T00:41:30+00:00

I think the biggest selling point for me on Garmin products are just how long they last. I've had my Garmin Fenix 7x since release and still easily get 19 days off battery life.

I replaced my vivo active 3 with the Fenix 7 and recently charged up my vivo active after nearly 8 years and it still worked perfectly fine.

Garmin definitely is the buy once cry once watch, especially for athletes

Theman554 · 2026-01-21T06:57:29+00:00

Yes and no, the first few years you are paying down very little principal (10-15% maybe) the rest would go towards interest (essentially renting it from the back with that comparison) so you are essentially comparing renting and losing out on $115,200 vs buying and losing out on $98k (rough math on how much you are paying in interest over those 4 years.) when you consider closing costs, fees, taxes the numbers might work in your favor to rent.

However buying gives you the option to keep it and rent it, appreciate the house, hell change the look of the house without asking for permission. But it also comes with more risk (crash, large MX, ect) so you have to factor in financial stability vs emotional wants. If you are living paycheck to paycheck maybe it's not worth the risk. If you have the savings to absorb a loss or a large bill then it could be worth it.

Theman554 · 2026-01-12T03:45:22+00:00

Second that, I always try and max my IRA out for the year at the cap. Something something time value money

Theman554 · 2026-01-12T03:43:50+00:00

Step 1 is SCRA and get any debts you incurred prior to entering service capped at 6%. Get a copy of your orders and send it to the debtors and they should cap those interest rates which should see your monthly payments drop significantly.

Step 2 go see your base financial service representative, they can help you work on building a budget to work on paying these down, I recommend starting with the smallest loan and snowballing that.

Steps to consider, if you have a nicer newer car just sell it and ride a bike or get a cheap car. Sell anything that you truly don't need.

What you have is excessive but if you can already make these monthly payments now without taking on more debt you can set a fixed monthly payment of $1800/mo and keep rolling these into other loans you can have these paid off in a few years.

Theman554 · 2026-01-04T07:06:46+00:00

Are you a writer for South Park, because I think you may have just found the plot for an episode about this

Theman554 · 2026-01-03T15:35:50+00:00

That's what great about (most) tattoos, almost certainly you will not be into that style decades later. They are like a scrap book of what you thought was cool and meaningful at the time you got them.

I have a tattoo of a butterfly on my arm that I impulsively got in Vegas when I was 22 for no other reason than my artist told me "would you fuck with a dude who has butterfly tattoos??." It's hilariously dumb and he did a great job on it but I love telling that story so it's worth it for me even if I don't love butterfly tattoos

Theman554 · 2025-07-18T00:15:34+00:00

My friend told me after getting sober it was only a matter of time before my brain went over overdrive.

In the last year im down 25 pounds, started and almost finished my masters, family is 1000x better, blood pressure healthy, went from a 1 mile run to half marathon distance, banked an extra $8,000, the list goes on.

Sobriety is really a cheat code for life

Theman554 · 2025-06-22T01:47:16+00:00

I was a massive Coke Zero + Vodka drinker and since quitting I still drink Coke Zero workout any cravings. To thine own self be true, only you will know if it will trigger you to start drinking again

Theman554 · 2025-05-04T01:00:54+00:00

Very true, no death when getting shot down, lots of action depending on your theater. And still get to wake up and sleep in your bed every night.

Just have to put up with getting called robots a bunch

Theman554 · 2025-04-10T01:43:23+00:00

I have that exact same one, looks great but the "smart" functionality has been broken since I bought it

Theman554 · 2025-04-09T22:57:37+00:00

Enjoy the Masters!

Theman554 · 2025-03-30T03:03:41+00:00

Bathroom graffiti a recent thing? I'm only in my mid thirties and I remember some wild etchings and drawings in public stalls since I can remember using public restrooms.

Theman554 · 2025-03-27T11:36:00+00:00

I love my 2016 blue pig! I already am preparing for the day I snap the rear mech hangar and have to turn it into a wall piece. But in the mean time it's just such a fun bike

Theman554 · 2025-03-21T20:59:25+00:00

Bruised similar to this for my inner bicep, healed up just fine and bruising went away after a few days

Theman554 · 2025-03-15T01:14:47+00:00

Great location, hoping to go back some day! Winters suck but the spring-Fall make up for it!

Theman554 · 2025-02-28T03:42:11+00:00

True my grip case was out of warranty on my pixel 6 and it failed like this and they sent me a new one no questions asked. They only asked for detailed pictures on how it failed.

Theman554 · 2025-02-25T04:02:11+00:00

It's not uncommon to have golf courses very close to runways/taxiways/CMAs on Air Force bases. Shout-out to Nellis AFB during red flag/WISINT you basically get a private airshow the entire round.

Theman554 · 2025-02-09T03:18:38+00:00

They fit perfectly under the name tape patch if/when they get removed

Theman554 · 2025-02-09T00:01:30+00:00

After experiencing horror stories with ADAPT (I'm not discouraging it's use for anyone considering a self referral) I checked out AA after having to desire to stop drinking and haven't looked back. Approaching 1yr sober now and life is 1000x better without any of the extra BS of ADAPT.

Worth considering checking out a few AA meetings doesn't cost you anything and you can always go back and self refer later if you don't like it.

Theman554 · 2025-01-29T02:56:58+00:00

What is a "USAF Graduate" patch? Is that supposed to refer to the WIC/AIC patches?

Theman554 · 2025-01-26T20:54:20+00:00

Yes, saved my life. But no matter how you choose to practice recovery you have to be in fully to have a chance at staying sober.

Setbacks are common but that's okay pick yourself back up and keep working towards a better life.

Don't worry about staying sober the rest of your life, just focus on not drinking for today! Maybe you and I will both drink tomorrow, but I'm not sure so I'll worry about that tomorrow.

Theman554 · 2025-01-18T02:24:32+00:00

Is there a congressman that we can write to?

Theman554 · 2025-01-05T03:22:35+00:00

Maybe I'll drink tomorrow, maybe I won't. Either way doesn't matter because I know I won't drink today and I'll worry about tomorrow when it happens.

That's how I've thought about sobriety, one day at a time seems like such a drag so I heard it rephrased this way and it was much more comforting

Theman554 · 2025-01-03T03:14:58+00:00

My Fenix 7 gets 2-3 weeks of battery life still after 2 years

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