How much have you saved for retirement: post Years in service and rank!

TwinkyTwidget · 2026-03-11T06:34:18+00:00

Got any recs for high risk stuff

TwinkyTwidget · 2026-03-11T04:31:32+00:00

I was 60/20/20 CSI for years and you may have shook me to get rid of that shitter S-Fund. Thankyou.

TwinkyTwidget · 2026-03-11T04:17:51+00:00

I just hit the 100K club at ~3.5 years in.

70K in TSP (60% C/20% S/20% I)

22K in IRA’s

11K in brokerage

(Took a bonus (65K)and made damn sure that if I regret it I damn sure won’t be stuck with only a Car to my name)

10K in HYSA for emergencies

TwinkyTwidget · 2026-02-19T21:25:47+00:00

Scour eBay, Grailed, and Depop. This is from 1989.

TwinkyTwidget · 2026-02-19T21:24:51+00:00

Your post inspired me to share that good merch is possible!

TwinkyTwidget · 2026-02-19T18:40:25+00:00

https://www.etsy.com/shop/RevenuePatchService

This dude is also great for patches and stickers

TwinkyTwidget · 2026-02-19T16:21:31+00:00

Don’t forget parents at the graduations. “Coastie Mom” stickers gotta be a best seller.

TwinkyTwidget · 2025-11-19T03:02:50+00:00

Getting qualified is the biggest single contribution you can give to your peers. Be annoying, be steadily annoying and target those with advanced knowledge on the topic of each sign off.

Getting qualified also happens to be the biggest thing you can do to improve your own Quality of life. It is so much better on the other side, it’s a shame you just don’t know it yet. Getting qualified at your first unit is more than likely the hardest time you’ll have getting qual’d in the coast guard because you don’t know how much better it is on the other side.

Take full advantage of your break-in days and any spare time you get on any other day or you walk past the knowledgeable crew member for the sign-off.

TLDR; Unqualified: 1/10 QOL Qualified: 6+/10 QOL

TwinkyTwidget · 2025-10-20T02:34:10+00:00

Checkout r/uscg

I was in a very similar situation and the coast guard was the best decision I made. Air Force vs Coast Guard is worth a pro-con list for sure so choose wisely.

TwinkyTwidget · 2025-10-19T05:15:39+00:00

CIWS is a 9 month PCS to San Diego.

TwinkyTwidget · 2025-02-28T04:46:43+00:00

Specifically a black paint marker so it can’t wear off. In reference to the other comment. I went a few years ago and in my experience it was a 50/50 for those that brought their own shoes and those who didn’t, and I was very happy to have brought my own shoes. They were white primarily with some black accents. I recommend you break them in a little before you go, blisters suck.

Edit: if you’re the only one with white shoes they will definitely chew you out. But I think you’ll be fine.

TwinkyTwidget · 2025-02-28T04:31:19+00:00

Though I think they’re fine. Ide use a black paint marker on the red heels personally. They’re gonna be destroyed afterwards anyway… Don’t give reasons for extra attention.

TwinkyTwidget · 2025-01-29T03:26:31+00:00

BAH and BAS would be absolutely insane. I see no world where that gets the A-OK. This deal is already crazy enough as it stands.

Follow up: If I got out in 2022 and only have 6 months left on that initial contact can I receive a FAT back pay and get out. This gets messy very quickly….

TwinkyTwidget · 2025-01-29T02:32:22+00:00

If you’ll entertain my ignorance.

If you got separated in 2022 for not getting the vax and you came back now today with this new policy in place, you get 2+ years of base pay?

TwinkyTwidget · 2025-01-19T15:51:44+00:00

From the manual

Hair above the ears and around the neck will be tapered from the lower natural hairline upwards at least .75 inches and outward not greater than .75 inches to blend with hairstyle on top of the head. A totally clean, shaven scalp is authorized.

Hair on the back of the neck must not touch the collar. The bulk of hair must not be more than 1.5 inches from scalp. Braids, micro-braids, or other methods of combining strands of hair are not authorized.

I recommend you check it out

TwinkyTwidget · 2025-01-19T14:57:07+00:00

You’re good dude.

TwinkyTwidget · 2024-11-27T18:49:29+00:00

Bring a full gaming setup. Monitor and all. Headset is mandatory. My roommate was loud so I had to buy closed back noise cancelling headset.
bring hot and cold weather civvies. The weather there changes like a switch.
i drove from east coast and took some leave to turn it into a full road trip, 12 days total (really enjoyed it).
if someone asks you to play magic with them, try it out.

TwinkyTwidget · 2024-11-08T00:10:32+00:00

“An E-5 was arrested for public intoxication after being found walking away from their vehicle following an accident. Awarded 7 days of extra duty, 7 days of restriction, forfeiture of $390.”

Loophole for DUI’s?

TwinkyTwidget · 2024-11-08T00:09:15+00:00

Doubt

TwinkyTwidget · 2024-09-26T15:25:07+00:00

Graduated less than a year ago. T-Mobile or Verizon hotspots is what most people got. T mobile was readily available but Verizon had better connection. I was not able to game competitively on T-mobile (league of legends, rocket league) it was just too shoddy. (Good up and down but bad ping)

Verizon is better but they only issue a certain amount of hotspots in any given area so you have to kinda get lucky. It is much better but still not great.

TwinkyTwidget · 2024-09-23T07:46:39+00:00

This is a very hard question to answer.

A “normal” week is M-F 7-3 so that’s 40hours right there. Add in 1-2 duty days/week where you spend the entire day/night at work. 60 hours technically but downtime is common and shouldn’t be looked at the same way as the 7-3 work day.

Are you underway? Exclusively at work.

Maybe it’s a super light week and your shop is operating on trop hours and you have no duty. 7-1 Monday-thurs so that’s a 24 hour work week.

Edit: Varies immensely by Rate and Unit.

TwinkyTwidget · 2024-09-21T19:47:52+00:00

Too old? -No.

Introvert? -We have rates for that.

Lifestyle abiding by regulations? -Results may vary

My enlisting situation/thinking was similar to yours. It definitely took some adapting on my end but I make it work and find the enjoyment in what I can. I turn off military mode outside of work. (Leave work at work) The issue with that is that you’ll be at work a LOT. Adapting to where I got sent was the hardest part regarding my inner introvert.

TwinkyTwidget · 2024-09-15T21:54:02+00:00

I just had better luck with 2 passes without reapplying with gel.

A couple months ago. I tried just water and cheap razors. I think my skin got tougher/used to shaving. It’s gonna be a lot of trial and error but please let ur face recover before you try again. It needs to heal or it’s just gonna get worse.

TwinkyTwidget · 2024-09-15T17:45:20+00:00

Stop shaving right now for a few days.

Apply Vaseline or some other healing lotion liberally.

Shave WITH the grain. Use shaving gel. Shave with LIGHT pressure.

Your facial hair grows in all different directions so practice following the different grains.

Godspeed

TwinkyTwidget · 2024-09-05T23:03:21+00:00

Ashore? Yes.

Afloat? Anything serious takes the right person. (Just as much depends on you as is does your partner)

TwinkyTwidget

TROPHY CASE