If you had to come up with $1,000 right now for an emergency, could you do it?

If you had to save $1,000 in the next two months for an emergency, could you?

The military has a contingency plan for every scenario imaginable. But when those same soldiers head home at night, often the most long-term plan their families have made is what is being served for dinner.

That’s the findings of Gary Ward, retired Navy chief and certified financial planner and owner of Government Personnel Financial Services in Aiea, Hawaii.

With the start of the holiday season, I have started a month long challenge to write down something I am thankful for each day. As a military spouse, it is easy to get on the “Bitter Betty Bandwagon” as I call it and forget about the small things in life that I am lucky to have. More than anything, this challenge has helped me keep perspective on what matters most.

Along with the rest of the East Coast, we prepared for Hurricane Sandy.  As this historic storm roared in, my oldest son developed a high fever and sore throat. It all just seemed like crappy timing. 

When I think back to my first year of college, I thank goodness that I really had no idea what was happening.

As a naïve, Midwestern 18-year-old, my parents kept rabid control over all family finances and decisions - to include how I was eventually to pay for college.

Our next PCS is consuming our lives right now.

Decisions have to be made sooner rather than later. It’s time to buckle down and have some serious discussions. I thought we had time to figure this out, but things are always changing. I shouldn’t be so surprised!

So many times these types of decisions have been out of our control and for once, the ball is in our court.  Picking a geographic location would be easy if we only had to consider the place.