• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Soldier's Wife, Crazy Life

  • Home
    • My Disclosure Policy
    • My Privacy Policy
    • Contact Me
  • Advertise With Me
  • The SWCL Shop
  • So Your Spouse Just Deployed, Now What?
  • Duty Stations
  • Surviving Deployment
  • Military Life
    • Movies & TV
    • Disneyland
    • Books
You are here: Home / Military Life / 25 Tips For The Brand New Military Spouse

25 Tips For The Brand New Military Spouse

September 22, 2017 by Julie

The brand new military spouse

25 Tips For The Brand New Military Spouse

Your husband of two years just left for basic training.

Your boyfriend is on his way to Ft. Benning, fulfilling his dream.

You are getting married, and then a week later, you and your new husband are moving to Ft. Bliss in Texas, a state you never even thought about visiting let alone moving to.

Welcome to the military, as a new spouse, you are for sure feeling overwhelmed. Your life has just done a 180, and you are a bit lost.

When my husband joined, and we were at our first duty station in Germany, I remember standing there watching a group of soldiers march by. Was this my life now? What did I get myself into? There was so much I didn’t understand.

So if you are brand new to this life, here are 25 tips to help you start your military spouse journey:

1. Learn about TRICARE

Learn what you can about TRICARE. Spend some time on their website. There is a lot to learn, and things can change quickly. But knowing where to go to find that information is necessary.

2. Bloom where you are planted

Remember that no matter where you get stationed, you can bloom where you are planted. You can make the best of a horrible duty station, no matter how bad the negative reviews are. Make sure you are working towards enjoying where you live, every day.

new military spouse

3. Deployments happen

Deployments will happen, and not always at the best time. You can’t plan for them, and they can be disappointing, but they are a big part of military life. Luckily there is a lot of deployment support out there.

4. Not everyone is trustworthy

Sadly, not everyone you meet is going to be trustworthy. Keep this in mind but also know that there are plenty of amazing military spouses out there too.

5. Try your FRG, at least once

Give it a try, just once. What would that hurt? If you hate it, don’t go back. But if you go, there is always the chance that you ended up in a good FRG and being a part of that will help you in your military spouse life.

6. Explore the Commissary

When you first get to your duty station, explore the Commissary. Figure out how long it takes you to get there and do your own price matching so that you can see if shopping there will save you money. In some places it does, in others, it doesn’t. And try not to go on payday, trust me on that one.

7. Befriend your neighbors

Say hi to your neighbors and befriend them, at least with a smile. Getting along with your neighbors will make for a better experience, whether you are on post or off.

8. Remember OPSEC

OPSEC is so important. Learn what it means and lean on the side of not sharing that info if you are not sure.

9. Practice PERSEC

PERSEC is more individual. Talk that over with your spouse, so you are on the same page. If he doesn’t want his photo on Facebook, don’t share it.

10. Don’t overshare

There is no need to overshare details on social media. Stay as vague as you can. You can still get your point across without sharing such personal details.

11. Respect your marriage

Always respect your marriage, whether they are home or overseas. Respect your spouse online. They are going to piss you off; you don’t always have to share when they do.

12. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there

Putting yourself out there can be difficult, especially if you are more on the introverted side but doing so can be worth it.

new military spouse

13. Help others when you can

If you see someone you can help, do so. If you can’t personally help in their situation, you could direct them to someone or a resource who can.

14. Say no to things

You don’t have to say yes to everything. When you get involved in your community, there will be a lot of things you could say yes to. Don’t burn yourself out and know that sometimes, it is okay to say no.

15. Buy a journal

Buy a cute journal and when you are stressed, write in it. When you are missing your spouse, write in it. Not only will that help you in the moment but reading back in the future can help you too.

16. Find the deployment tips that work for you

There are so many deployment tips out there. Not all of them will work for you. Figure out which ones work for you and your family.

17. Don’t be overwhelmed by the acronyms

There are so many acronyms in the military world. There is no way to learn them all. The good news is that they are pretty easy to figure out if you look them up online.

18. Live on post at least once

Give living on post/base a try. If you are new, doing so can be a good way to get to know military life. If you don’t like it, live off in the future.

19. Don’t overspend when you get extra money

There will be times when your spouse gets extra pay. Don’t overspend when they do. You will kick yourself later.

20. Have a plan for deployment pay

Before your spouse goes anywhere, have a plan for any extra deployment pay and be on the same page about what you will do with the money.

21. Make plans, but put them in pencil

You can make plans when you are a military spouse, just make sure they are in pencil. They might have to change at a moment’s notice.

22. Join new clubs

If you are feeling lonely and fear you won’t ever make any friends, try something new. Go to MOPS, PWOC or a regular playdate with your kids. Get out of the house and meet new people.

new military spouse

23. Cry if you need to

If you need to cry, do so. Some people cry more than others; it’s just the way they handle stress. Don’t listen to anyone that tells you not to cry.

24. Don’t let someone else’s bad experience become yours

We all have our own experiences, especially about duty stations. Don’t let someone else’s bad experience ruin things for you. Keep what they said in mind but don’t automatically assume you will have that same bad experience that you have.

25. Find extra help if you need it

If you need extra help, don’t be afraid to find it. This could mean hiring a babysitter on a regular basis or setting up time with a counselor. Don’t be afraid to reach out when you are feeling lost or not sure how you will make it through.

What are your best tips for the brand new military spouse???

(Visited 5,758 times, 1 visits today)

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print

Filed Under: Military Life Tagged With: military life, military spouse, new military spouse

About Julie

Owner of Soldier's Wife, Crazy Life. Writer, reader, coffee drinker. Mom to three boys, wife of a National Guard soldier. Living life in Tennessee.

I wanted to let you know about the InDependent Wellness Summit, March 1-6, 2021! 

It's all virtual! And you can either sign up for Free General Admission or receive 30% off of their VIP All-Access pass using my link! 

Previous Post: « Thank You For Your Service
Next Post: On Being Brave As A Military Spouse »

Reader Interactions

Trackbacks

  1. 5 Things to Remember if Your Spouse Has To Deploy To A Dangerous Place says:
    February 26, 2018 at 2:00 pm

    […] are not the only military spouse having to send their loved one to a dangerous place. You are not. There are so many others in your […]

Primary Sidebar

About Soldier’s Wife, Crazy Life

Soldier's Wife, Crazy Life

Welcome to Soldier’s Wife, Crazy Life! I am so glad you are here.

My name is Julie and I have been an Army wife for almost 15 years now.

My husband of 18 years has served in the active-duty Army and now the Army National Guard. We have lived in Germany & Tennessee during our time as a military family.

We have three boys and have been through four deployments together.

I hope that you can find support for your own deployments, pcs moves, or anything else military life brings you 🙂

~Contact Me~

Sign up for your FREE Guide to the First 30 Days of Deployment!


Thank you!

Check your email for confirmation! 

.

Top Posts!!!

  • To Love a Soldier
  • I Can't Cope Without My Husband But I Am a Military Spouse So I Have To
  • Why You Should Break Up With Your Military Boyfriend
  • What You Should Do When Your Boyfriend Wants to Join the Military
  • 14 Tips to Help You Survive Basic Training When Your Spouse Joins the Military
  • Living in Rota, Spain
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

Footer

Archives

Copyright © 2021 Soldier's Wife, Crazy Life on the Foodie Pro Theme

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.