Stories & advice that feel like coming home.

Great ideas for coffee care packages for deployment and college boxes!

Does the Post Office Really Offer Free Care Package Supplies?

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If I've gotten an email or message about it once, I've gotten them five hundred times: "Dear Jo, I went to my post office and no one's heard of the free Military Care Kit. What do I do?" "This isn't a thing anymore. Just wanted to let you know." "You don't know what you're talking about. The post office doesn't give out free care package supplies."  But here's the thing: the United State Postal System absolutely does give out free care package supplies. In fact, they do it in a few different ways. It all depends on what you want and where you make the request. (But honestly, it's Keep Reading...

Amazon Prime Day deals that make military life easier.

These Amazon Prime Day Deals Are Perfect for Military Life

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Y'all, Prime Day is upon us. And it's two days long this year! Even if you don't have an Amazon Prime account, it might be a great time to try it out for free. Amazon ships APO/FPO (just watch out-- there are exceptions, depending on the products). If you're cracking those textbooks open, remember that Amazon offers Prime at $6.49 a month for students--and that's not a Prime Day deal. That stands anytime. (You can also try it out as a student as a six-month free trial.) But first, two pro tips. Pro tip 1: You can save even more by using Rakuten (formerly Ebates). Amazon is a store Keep Reading...

Wedding dresses can be expensive, and the costs of a wedding can be crushing. These organizations are helping to reduce the financial stress for military brides and military couples by offering free dresses.

Here’s How Military Brides Can Get Free Wedding Dresses

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I did not have a "say yes to the dress moment." I had a lot of, "oh my gawd, no" moments, but when I put on the dress that I would eventually pick for our wedding, I didn't cry or get choked up. I didn't proclaim to my assembled family that this was "the one." Don't get me wrong-- I felt absolutely beautiful in it. I love the pictures from the day. I still love my dress. But I didn't have a visceral, heart-stopping moment. Not until I looked at the price-tag, at least. It was... pricey. It wasn't an outrageous amount, but it was above my initial budget. Maybe I should have expected Keep Reading...

How to Get Free Stuff for Your Next Care Package

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Care packages are expensive. With a capital E-X-P-E-N-S-I-V-E. Between the contents of the package and the shipping costs, it's easy to rack up a bill that is ridiculously huge. I mean, colossal. Especially if you might send care packages on a regular basis. Or weekly. Not that I know anyone who did that. (It's me. I'm anyone.) For me, care packages were a tactile way I could send love and -- dare I say it?-- care to John while we were apart. It gave me something to focus my attention on, rather than just worrying or being upset. And it gave me a creative outlet, too. I knew that when Keep Reading...

27 Candy Swaps That Won’t Melt in Care Packages

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June. That's when John stepped off the plane and onto the Bagram tarmac during his year-long deployment. June and it was already blazingly hot. Another service member was there to greet him... with a care package I had sent that beat him to Afghanistan. (It was this one!) I'm not joking. I had sent it two weeks before he deployed, sure that it would take at least a month for him to get something from me. Turns out, the mail was running exceptionally fast. And the care package that I had diligently sharpied "I love you!" onto the sides had been there, waiting for him. The service Keep Reading...

3 Online Careers Military Spouses Can Build

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Today, Brenda, a military spouse and writer, is sharing her advice for work-from-home careers for military spouses. As a military spouse, you face challenges that most civilian families never have to worry about. While your spouse is working long hours, you are often left responsible for cooking, cleaning, paying bills and doing everything else necessary to run a home. If you have kids, you find yourself living like a single parent when your partner is deployed. Chances are, you don’t live anywhere near your family and lack a solid support system. On top of all that, you likely find Keep Reading...

Here’s Why I Don’t Care How You Spend Memorial Day

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This is a guest post from Randi Cairns, a fantastic writer whose words I am excited to share with you again. Memorial Day approaches... With its sales circulars and commercials promising steep discounts and cheap mattresses. Recipes offering the best ribs you’ll ever eat and Smack Your Mama sauces. “Happy holiday” from the sales clerks and Wawa cashier. And I pass no judgment on how you choose to spend your long weekend. Because yes, they fought for democracy. They fought for freedom. And they also fought for your right to not give a damn about any of it. And who doesn’t Keep Reading...

Worried About Veteran Suicides? Here’s What You Can Do

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This post is sponsored by the SHARE Military Initiative at Shepherd Center. All opinions and work are my own. Every few days we see the headlines: another veteran suicide. This spring has been especially brutal with huge news stories covering veterans completing suicide near or at VA hospitals. While the headlines are always horrific, we don't hear about every military-connected suicide. We couldn't. Sadly, there would be too many to keep up. It's an issue that is not only gut-wrenchingly sad, but it's also one that is personal for people in the military and civilians alike. While it Keep Reading...

Nominate a Military Mom to a $1,000 Shopping Spree

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This post is sponsored by OM Media and Verizon. All opinions and work are my own.  Caring for twins during deployment. Taking a Facetime call at midnight. Driving the kids to soccer-basketball-Scouts-swimming and back again. Grocery shopping with one arm because the other is occupied by a brand new baby. Is there anything military mothers can't do? (No, no, there's not. I'm in awe of them!) That's why Verizon wants to honor 15 military mothers across America with a $1,000 shopping spree at their local Verizon store. Yes. $1,000. $1,000 to be used how they'd like to use Keep Reading...

heres to the military spouses everyone forgets

Here’s to the Military Spouses Everyone Forgets

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For the vast majority of military spouses around the country, today-- Military Spouse Appreciation Day-- feels just like every other day. There are things to do, Facetime calls to wait for, PCSes to plan for, children to walk to school, jobs to search for. No awards. No brunches. No goodie bags. No meet-and-greets with famous people. No flowers. No thank you. All of those things-- from the discounts to the magazine covers to the social media posts-- are lovely and wonderful. It is important to set aside time to celebrate people who are making the community better. I am Keep Reading...

Military Spouse Appreciation Day isn't for military spouses. Not really. Here who it really is for.

Military Spouse Appreciation Day Isn’t for You, Milspouse

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This morning, I was scrolling Facebook when I saw a post from my friend, Randi. Now, you must understand that to know Randi is to love Randi and her writing. She is brutally honest. She is incredibly empathetic. And she writes with a fierceness that few do. She is witty, devastating, and uplifting. And I wanted you to read her words today because I know they'll resonate with you. Tomorrow is Military Spouse Appreciation Day and here’s how it will go down. We’ll all (active duty, Guard/Reserve, veteran spouses, ex-spouses, etc.) love on each other. We’ll tag our village, sing praises, Keep Reading...

5 Vital Questions Military Couples Need to Ask Before Starting a Business

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Navy Federal Credit Union. All opinions are 100% mine. John and I stood inside our coffee shop. It was just the two of us. In just a few minutes, we were going to walk out onto the porch and begin a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open our business. "Do you think there's anyone out there?" John said to me. We couldn't see anything. And we couldn't hear anything. At the very least, we knew that our parents and siblings were on the sidewalk. If there was a reporter there covering the opening, maybe our families would pretend they didn't Keep Reading...

Here’s How Military Members Can Win a Resort Vacation

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Sunglasses on. Towel off. Toes in the sand. On a tropical island. It sounds like a dream, right? For 31 nurses, teachers, moms, and/or active or retired military personnel, it won't be a dream this May. It will be a reality through their Maycation Sweepstakes, where they'll be celebrating (deep breath) Mother's Day, Military Appreciation Month, Teacher Appreciation Week, and National Nurses Day. If you are a nurse, teacher, mom, and/or an active or retired military member-- or if you know someone who is-- Sandals wants you to nominate yourself or them to win. And what Keep Reading...

These unique military connections to the Cathedral of Notre Dame are interesting

7 Military Connections to the Cathedral of Notre Dame

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Notre Dame is on fire. It was a five-word text my sister sent out to our family. At first, I thought that she was talking about the university. Was March Madness still going on? Maybe they had a winning streak? Or something? But, of course, that wasn't it at all.  Watching the coverage, my heart broke. We had just visited the cathedral two weeks ago, witnessing an evening mass with an organ recital afterward that was captivating. Truly, I'm struggling to string the right words and phrases together to accurately describe the experience. It's no wonder that people around the world Keep Reading...

Here's how you can get a military discount at Kohl's a save big.

Here’s How to Get a Military Discount at Kohl’s

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I absolutely love it when I find out about new discounts or shopping tricks. It's like solving a puzzle-- how to get the best stuff for the cheapest price. And one of those places I love to frequent is Kohl's. Between their loyalty program, Kohl's Cash, and regular sales, I pride myself on being able to get a good--and sometimes amazing-- price for things that I'd normally buy (and sometimes I wouldn't). This winter I managed to score a Dyson vacuum for nearly half price during Black Friday Sales at Kohl's. (And then there was Kohl's Cash on top of that, which I bought Christmas presents Keep Reading...

6 Free Events and Contests for Month of the Military Child

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While April has been designated as Month of the Military Child since the mid-1980s, it seems like in recent years, there's really been a surge in excitement and support for this observance.  And there are a lot of really cool things happening locally and nationwide for military kids. From purple buildings to free food to contests for all ages, there's something for every military kid to take part in and feel a little special during their month.   Check it out-- 1. Free food for milkids On April 13, AAFES is celebrating military kids with free food at a variety of restaurants Keep Reading...

Help a Veteran Entrepreneur Win a National Grant

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When John left the military, we had a clear idea of what he wanted to do. That's because he'd been dreaming of the next step in his career, even while he was deployed to Afghanistan. When he transitioned out of the Navy, we knew that it was our chance to make this huge life goal happen: we were going to open a coffee shop. Since opening nearly a year and a half ago, we've seen tremendous changes in ourselves and in our community. We made the choice to open the coffee shop in my rural hometown and to be part of a driving force to revitalize and draw more business and cultural Keep Reading...

This Cooler Company Offers a Military and Veteran Discount

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I received product from Patriot Coolers in exchange for a blog post. All opinions and work are my own. In September 2016, John and I embarked on one of our bucket list goals: a 6-week cross-country road trip to celebrate his transition from Navy life to civilian. We had begun planning it at least a year prior, when John had made the final decision that no, he would not reenlist. One cool, misty late-September day, we packed our car full of stuff--including a cooler-- and we drove west from Quantico, ready for one of the biggest adventures of our lives. As the East Coast melted into the Keep Reading...

21 Financial Assistance Resources for Coast Guard Families During the Shutdown

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It looks as if January 15 will be the first pay period that Coast Guard families will miss due to the 2019 Government Shutdown. You can read more about how and why we got to this spot here. But the facts are, more than 40,000 members of the Coast Guard will not be paid on time for their January 15 paycheck. USAA loan option USAA has rolled out a new loan product for military families affected by the shutdown. With government shutdowns becoming increasingly likely and prolonged, USAA has reevaluated and revamped their loan options to give military families more flexibility. In the past, Keep Reading...

UPDATED! Government Shutdown: What Coast Guard Families Need to Know

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Well, folks. There's a government shutdown... again. For the third time this year (which is unprecedented, btdubs), the US government has come to a grinding halt and military families have worried about getting paid on time. John and I lived through the 2013 government shutdown as newlyweds when I didn't have job; we were nervous wrecks. I get it. It's scary. There are a lot of rumors. And there's a lot of ulcer-inducing fear to figure out how you're going to pay those bills in the event the government does not pay out on time. I've collected as much information as I've been able to find Keep Reading...

Jo, My Gosh! Has Been Featured On…

Jo, My Gosh! Has Been Featured On…

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