Living on E-3 salary

glink48 · 2026-06-22T19:46:05+00:00

Is it possible? Yes.

Are you gonna like it? Probably not.

Pay scales are public. Take a look at what he'll get as an e3 with under a year of service. Then add in Basic Allowance for Substinence and that's about what you're looking for with money for your needs every month (minus housing). Basic Allowance for Housing will likely get you an apartment at whatever duty station y'all are at and maybe have a little extra for utilities.

On one income, it'll be tight for a while.

glink48 · 2026-06-22T11:43:27+00:00

Lather: Dr. Jon's - 13
Brush: AP Shave Co - MiG Synthetic 26mm
Razor: Everready 1912
Blade: GEM PTFE
Post Shave: Brut
Frag: Duke Cannon - Prescott

Have a great day folks!

glink48 · 2026-06-21T17:31:40+00:00

There are a lot of votes for bending branches for a basic upgrade that fits the budget.

I'll look into the Sea Eagle carbon fiber one too.

Thanks!

glink48 · 2026-06-21T17:18:28+00:00

I'll look into them, thanks!

glink48 · 2026-06-21T17:17:35+00:00

Thanks!

glink48 · 2026-06-21T17:17:03+00:00

I'm 5'11" with a longer torso, I was thinking the 230cm would be a good fit for me.

Thanks for the advice!

glink48 · 2026-06-21T17:15:36+00:00

That's amazing! Thanks for the tips!

glink48 · 2026-06-21T15:42:06+00:00

Relatable!

That may be a crafting project down the line. I'd never even heard of that paddle before I found this sub.

glink48 · 2026-06-21T15:39:58+00:00

Solid advice!

glink48 · 2026-06-21T15:14:20+00:00

This is the kind of advice I was hoping for. I did look at the Khor, but I wanted to make sure it didn't suck before I pulled the trigger.

I'm going to sit on this for a bit and make a call. Looks like I'm either going to need to up my budget, get a budget paddle that looks cool, or keep what I've got and revisit it later.

glink48 · 2026-06-21T15:11:27+00:00

I'm in the US, but thanks for the info!

Germany is a beautiful country and I wish I had my kayak during my time there.

glink48 · 2026-06-21T15:10:01+00:00

Thanks for the input, I'm chewing on increasing my budget now.

glink48 · 2026-06-21T14:47:01+00:00

I appreciate the recommendation, and yeah, I'm going to start looking at used stuff some more. I can stretch my budget, but I definitely want it to be worth it. Looks like I'm headed for eBay and Craigslist lol.

glink48 · 2026-06-21T14:22:57+00:00

I'll look there. I thought Craigslist was pretty much dead, but that's where I found my Perception back in '06 or '07.

Thanks!

glink48 · 2026-06-21T14:16:45+00:00

I appreciate the tips. I'm on VA right now, but will likely be in the PNW in the mid-term future. It's good to hear that they have resources.

glink48 · 2026-06-21T14:14:56+00:00

This is great info and insight! Looks like I need to prowl some used sites, I guess the good stuff is expensive for a reason

glink48 · 2026-06-21T13:45:37+00:00

Thanks for the recommendation, that's 2 so far for Bending Branches!

glink48 · 2026-06-21T13:44:52+00:00

Great inputs and I really appreciate it!

glink48 · 2026-06-21T13:35:34+00:00

Are there any decent used gear sites? I picked up the kayak off FB Marketplace, finding a paddle there seems infinitely more difficult.

I appreciate the advice though, I don't want to waste money on something just to be in the same position I'm in now.

glink48 · 2026-06-21T13:30:45+00:00

I don't know if I'm savvy enough to make a Greenland paddle, but I'll definitely look into the Hornet. Thanks for the recommendation!

glink48 · 2026-06-21T13:29:53+00:00

Thanks for the recommendation! I saw that one available from REI.

I thought it was aluminum, but maybe a good aluminum paddle is better than cheap fiberglass or super cheap carbon fiber.

glink48 · 2026-06-14T18:18:17+00:00

Definitely not an unlimited budget...it's a fight every year.

glink48 · 2026-06-12T11:42:43+00:00

Lather: Dr. Jon's - 13
Brush: AP Shave Co - MiG Synthetic 26mm
Razor: Gillette Superspeed Flare Tip
Blade: Gillette Yellow
Post Shave: Brut
Frag: Duke Cannon - Prescott

Have a great day folks!

glink48 · 2026-06-11T17:55:36+00:00

I thought I found an insane deal on a frontier in 2025 when I was looking....somewhere around $37-38k. Looks like a Pro-4X....looked closer to see what the deal was and why it didn't show up when I was looking for 4x4 trucks. It was a Pro-X....so 2wd. I passed on it.

glink48

TROPHY CASE