Army~Navy~Air Force~Marines~Coast Guard :: Empowering Us...Begins With Us

Groceries, Off-Post Utilities, and Housing Waitlist

We're working out a budget for our PCS from Schofield Barracks, HI to Ft Bliss in January/February. I'm wondering, on average how much do you spend on groceries and how many people are in your family? Also, if you live off-post how much are your utilities each month?

For those of you who live in on-post housing how long were you on the wait list? If you got on the wait list before you got there, how far in advance and how soon after your arrival did you have a place? We are already on the waiting list and currently at number 220ish out of 265ish. Like I said, we won't get there until the beginning of next year and we really would prefer to live in military housing than renting from the civilian sector.

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Permalink Reply by Debbie on October 17, 2009 at 10:22am

We spend 3-400 every 2 weeks for a family of 6 but that includes dog food, cleaning supplies,pull-ups etc. I also buy a lot of fresh fruits and veggies, whole grain foods (whole grain pasta,quiona, steel cut oats) etc.

We live off post as well, Water and Trash are $60 a month, $40 for gas, $170 electric. This isn't an average though, just our first bills (been here 2.5 months).

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Permalink Reply by nikki smith on October 26, 2009 at 11:50am

We spend around 200 dollars every 2 weeks for groceries for 2 people. Our utilities combined are around 50-80 dollars a month for a 523 sq. foot apt.

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Permalink Reply by Jen Eagan on October 29, 2009 at 2:03pm

My utilities are probably the same as Debbie's, and we spend probably $250 or so every couple weeks for groceries for 5 people, plus pets. We could easily spend more, but we can't afford it, and often have to go without a lot of things to make ends meet.
As far as the wait list goes- it depends on how big your family is. I know the wait for 2 bedroom and 4 bedroom are both pretty long, but 3 bedroom is not long, if there's a wait at all. It fluctuates a lot. Problem is- you can pretty much count on it being a year to move in, if there isn't one available when you get here, because just about every place requires you to sign a 12-month lease, so even if you get housing sooner, good luck getting out of your lease.

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Permalink Reply by Mayaniaamari on November 16, 2009 at 1:03pm

We spend $200-250 every 2 weeks for a family of 5 not to mention the many trips to Super Target which is around the corner for extra stuff. We have a 4 bedroom home roughly 1500 square feet and we spend about $50-70 on water, gas $20 but higher during winter around $80. Electric is usually around $80 and goes up a bit during the summer. Then you have phone which depends on features, I have landline, cell, wireless internet so my bill is quite high.

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Permalink Reply by Tiffany V. on November 17, 2009 at 8:44am

We moved here in July and were forced to live offbase because of no housing. It was an 8-10 month wait for us. It is not December and a house opened up for us but we were stuck in a year lease so now we are fighting to get out of it. PLEASE make sure you consult a military lawyer before renting offbase. If you do sign a lease MAKE them put in that lease that if a house opens up on base you can get out of your leease, people will do it if you ask, and if not then dont rent from them. I suggest you find a place that includes your rent and utitlies in your bah so whatever your bah is what you have to pay rent and bills with. And be careful realtors will sometimes try and take advantage of military, which will be changing soon. So please take my advice and consult a lawyer first before moving here and renting offpost. We were told it would be a 8-10 month wait and we have a house for us on base now after 4 months., try and get a 6 month lease if you can because it is really hard to pay rent and pay utilities bills around here. Goodluck to you!

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Permalink Reply by Mayaniaamari on November 18, 2009 at 8:05am

I agree with Tiffany, you have to be careful when signing a lease especially when you are only renting until you get on post housing. I have a neighbor who is renting and got on post housing and they refuse to let her out of the lease. She pretty much is stuck for another 4 months and also the fact that she chose a $1000 a month home before utilities didn't help on her income. You must discuss this beforehand and get it in writing if they agree to let you out of the lease if you were to get on post housing. We purchased a home here in 2002 and it was a great experience. As a homebuyer you must do your homework and know exactly what you are signing. We used our VA loan and everything worked out great. There are many great online resources that can give info on mortgage rates and taxes. As with any large purchase you must understand the terms beforehand.