There is nothing more wonderful than feeling like your life is completely together. (And that is a feeling I have only rarely… on one occasion. When I was on painkillers after a trip to the ER.) The truth is, life is messy and often, military life exacerbates its unpredictability.
I’m not going to say you’ll solve that with these gadgets and gizmos… But I will say that you’ll be able to make life a little easier and maybe even a little comfier with them.
1. Fireproof, Waterproof Document Safe
As a military family, you’re going to have lots of important documents that need to be accessible, organized, protected, and portable. A document safe will give you all of this! With this, you can keep all your documents in a central location so when one partner is on deployment, the other can still access papers as needed. If you’re in shared housing, like an apartment or on base, a fireproof safe will protect you from the risks of community living. And, of course, when you PCS, you’ll need to collect and hand carry all of these docs anyway– might as well keep them all together and make life a little easier.
2. A NICE Coffee Maker
We all know the military runs on coffee. If coffee is a necessity in your family’s daily routine, ditch the coffee maker you’ve had since high school and opt for one that will make better coffee while making your life easier. This Cuisinart model has a built-in charcoal water filter, so no matter what kind of water your housing has, it’ll remove strange flavors and impurities. Plus, time-saving features like brew pause, adjustable temperature control, and programmable timer help to get everyone coffee they way they like it when they want need it.
3. A High-Quality Iron
Uniforms must be pressed and maintained, so while stains or tears may happen, the last thing anyone wants is to ruin a perfectly good uniform with burns or marks from a faulty iron. And today’s irons aren’t your grandma’s iron, either. Many have digital displays, auto-shut-off, and self-cleaning features. And since chances are that ironing isn’t really anyone’s favorite chore, having a good quality tool to get the job done will make it that much easier.
4. A Good Slow Cooker
There’s no doubt that military families are often busy and budgeting. Once you’ve used a nice slow cooker, few kitchen appliances will ever be as vital for saving time and money while helping you stay organized and planned for the day (or week) ahead. If you’re using that off-brand CruckPet Aunt Carla gave you when she cleaned out her attic, let yourself upgrade to a new slow cooker–you won’t regret it. Look for one that’s got a locking lid–great for transporting–or temperature sensors and auto-stir options. Regardless of the technological controls, make your life even easier with slow cooker liners to make cleanup a total breeze.
5. Low-Maintenance, Air Purifying Plants
Military life can bring stress and chemicals or pollutants from machinery into the home, but plants can combat both of those unwanted environmental factors! Many studies show that indoor plants can reduce stress and improve air quality. Spider plants and Madagascar dragon trees have great ratings for air quality from NASA and they’re pretty easy to grow, too.
6. Stationery That Makes You Want to Write Notes
Chances are that military life will take you away from family and friends. A challenge of frequent PCSing is keeping in touch with those who mean the most to you. Inspire yourself to show those near and far that you’re thinking of them with exciting stationery! Not only will taking the time to write make any distance feel shorter for you, but perfectly adorable note cards that reflect your personality will make you feel near for your recipient! If you’re feeling extra inspired, grab some blank cards and design your own.
7. A Good e-Reader
A good e-reader is loved by on-the-go folks everywhere. So whether you’re managing life with a busy spouse and kids, frequent moves, or an impending deployment, an e-reader could be a your (or your SO’s) new best friend. E-readers are portable, so beyond taking it along to hurry up and wait, it also makes moving much easier; carrying your e-reader is infinitely lighter than a few boxes of books. Plus, e-readers allow you to get more bang for your buck because purchasing e-copies of books are less expensive and many libraries allow patrons to borrow e-books, too.
