During PCS you move away from friends, lose your favorite hair salon and sometimes, have to walk away from a job you love.

The sting cuts deeper because you lose a career you may have loved, as well as the income that comes with it. The Military Officers Association of America reports that military spouses lose six to nine months of income after a PCS move as they search for another job.

In years past, military spouses were not eligible for unemployment payments because the rules dictated that they made a choice to leave. Military spouses cried foul, legislators reacted and many states began to recognize that no, we did not choose, Uncle Sam told us to leave.

Only a handful of states offered unemployment benefits to PCSing military spouses at first. Now, 45 states and the District of Columbia grant the benefits to military spouses who leave on military orders.

States who continue to deny these benefits are: Idaho, Louisiana, North Dakota, Ohio and Vermont.

Now, there is no sweeping national law or benefit. Each state has enacted its own set of rules regarding unemployment for military spouses.

To learn the specifics for your state, visit the website for the National Conference of State Legislators at http://www.ncsl.org/research/military-and-veterans-affairs/military-veterans-affairs-state-leg-database.aspx

In their search box type: spousal employment issues

You will find information about your individual’s state’s unemployment rules as well as a trove of information regarding the rights of military families and state laws.

You can also visit MOAA’s site for more information: http://moaablogs.org/spouse/2012/03/forty-states-provide-military-spouses-eligibility-for-unemployment-compensation/

The organization does a great job of following legislative issues that impact military families.

Military spouse Allison O'Kelly has built a nationwide business helping other moms become successful in their careers.

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Allison and her staff can fill you up on the top career advice, guide you through the confusing process of buying or starting your own business and link you with professionals in your field.

If you wait until tomorrow, access will cost you $99.99 a year. But if you register today, you could win that year for free.

Don't wait. MomCorps is the place for busy, working moms to connect, build their professional brand and find work that fits their lifestyle. And Allison and her staff are proud to support military spouses.

Summer feels like it just started but we know you've seen the back to school ads creeping into your newspaper. The first day will be here soon. Are you ready?

Have you even applied?

Don't even know what you want to study?

No worries. Seriously.

There are a lot of great websites, blogs and web pages dedicated to online education but none covers the topic quite as well as our very own Bryant & Stratton College -Online.

The college's Facebook page is rife with information about different career fields, keys to job interviews and the basics of filing out financial aid forms.

Our favorite feature is when the college profiles two career fields and explains the difference between what students in that field study and what they should expect on the job. Real answers from real people working in the field today. You can't get closer to the source than this.

Hit "Like" and you will get a daily dose of back to school advice in your Facebook feed from the college. Who knows, you may wake up one morning and discover the career you've always wanted.

Rookie military wife mistake. I am afraid to type it because I do not want to jinx myself and the troubles that may come because of it.

My husband is away, training - out of the country. And we have no (wincing in shame) power of attorney. Nothing. Not only do I not have a POA but he has no will. We own a home and have children and we have absolutely nothing documented to take care of our family.

And everything is in my husband's name. In my head I can hear my mother reprimanding me.  

The worst part? I know better. I've been through two deployments. I've dealt and fought with the cable companies and the banks. I know all too well that even though we are married, if the paperwork in his name, they can't help me without that very important piece of paper, without the POA.

But now, we have kids. This is a bigger deal than just trying to cancel our cable.

Military families are forced to have conversations that aren't always comfortable for many people. Not because we want to, but because it's our reality. Tragedies and accidents happen every single day. We have to be prepared for every type of situation - good or bad.
I would much rather know my husband's wishes for his family and have a tough conversation now instead of spending the rest of my life not knowing what he wanted for us in the unfortunate event that something ever happened to him. It's terrifying and dramatic and makes me nervous and sick to just thinking about it, but, it's our reality. This stuff happens and you have to prepare for it.

For a deployment, this extremely important, notarized document is mandatory. We are out of the combat billet right now but my husband has been traveling quite a bit. Back in February we realized we needed to meet with legal and square away all the necessary paperwork that would allow me to make decisions in my husband's absence.
This single bit of paperwork would tell authorities who would care for our children if something happened to me while my husband was away or vice versa. But here we are, four months later, he is gone and we have no paperwork.  
Ugh. The worst part? I know better! I advise Marines and their spouses to take care of this. And yet, my husband and I are guilty.

So for now, I am going to keep us all in a safe, little bubble. That should be easy, right?

Please, don't learn this lesson the hard way. Have the tough talks, make the appointments. Drag your kids there if you have to and give them whatever you need to and get the paperwork done.
This paperwork is a pain but it is important. And if disaster strikes, and you are caught without it, your days will be much longer and tougher than dragging the kids to a meeting with legal.
Don't learn the hard way. Get a POA.

PCS moves, inevitably, cost military families money.

Yes, the military pays to ship your household goods, your car and, eventually, will reimburse you those hotel charges.

But what about eating in restaurants for a week? What about replacing many of the non-moveable items like spices, food and cleaning supplies.

And for spouses who work civilian jobs and are accustomed to living in a two paycheck household, a PCS move can feel like a kick in the gut as you downsize from two incomes to one. And there's no guarantee you will find a job or the same income in your new location.

The only way to handle a significant loss in income, is to be prepared.

USAA financial planner, Joseph Montanaro, says some planning and a lot of discipline can soften the impact when those future expenses become a reality or when one spouse is suddenly unemployed due to a move.

“People tend to spend what comes in,” Montanaro says. “Two incomes can often  mean more spending, but the goal should be  to create a lifestyle where you aren’t counting on both salaries.”

The first step is to know where your money goes each paycheck. To do that effectively, budgeting and tracking your spending is essential. 

“You can use an app, a spreadsheet or a pocket diary, but the key is to figure out what allows you to stay on top of your spending,” he says. “Some people pull cash out and separate it out into envelopes for specific purposes. Do whatever works best for you.”

He also recommends that everyone set up an emergency fund. It could be used during a PCS, for a vacation or to take care of other special financial needs that pop up in your future.

“If money is a subject that makes you just go to sleep, automate it,” Montanaro says. “Set up separate accounts and have one check, or a big part of one, go into an account that isn’t touched on a regular basis. Do whatever you have to do to ensure you’re not using all the money that comes in.”

The automated savings account is a great way to prepare for something you know, or don’t know, is on the financial horizon.

“It all comes down to the grunt work of tracking your money and cutting out or cutting back,” Montanaro says. “ PCSing is a part of military life, you’ve just got to be ready. You knew it was coming, you just might not have known when.”

In addition to saving money in preparation for a PCS, USAA  advises families to know their  military benefits in regards to per diem funds you may receive, lodging expenses and advanced pay. Unreimbursed moving expenses  may also be tax deductible during your move, so keep your receipts. USAA also offers reduced credit card interest rates for up to one year upon a PCS move.

Unfortunately, military life also involves unexpected life changes, like injuries. A spouse may have to leave their job to care for their injured servicemember.

Montanaro notes that the same type of preparation that could help smooth a PCS move could be beneficial if tragedy befalls a military family.

“When a servicemember is injured it’s obviously a big deal for the entire family. It’s also another situation where having a robust emergency fund can pay big dividends.  It can help the family focus on what’s important without having to worry about money,” he says.

He encourages families to use the financial planning tools and calculators they have available at USAA and to start preparing and saving as early as they can for what they know is coming, as well as for the unknown.

“You’d much rather do it sooner than later,” he says. “By using a proactive approach, you can avoid the headache that comes with being financially unprepared.”

Want more information? Check these helpful sites at USAA:

https://www.usaa.com/inet/pages/advice_saving_investing_planners_and_calculators_main

https://communities.usaa.com/t5/PCS-Blog/bg-p/pcs-blog

Recently, I cleaned out a lot of textbooks. An entire shelf that included tomes on everything from American history to nutrition. Out of curiosity, I googled the phrase “book buyback” and each book’s ISBN (International Standard Book Number). 

Bam. There is money to be made here.

There are a few key elements to getting the best bang for your buck when it comes to reselling textbooks. First, sell it as soon as class is finished. Seriously. Once you’ve received your grade, sell the book immediately. This is incredibly important, because many companies release revised editions (or even the same edition with a small update insert). If a textbook company has released a newer version of the book you plan to sell, you’re basically stuck with it.

Additionally, keep your books in good shape. If you list the book on a sale website, “good” condition versus “like new” condition can make a big difference.

So here are a few options to turn those books you may never touch again into cash:

Many college bookstores offer a buyback program. I don’t tend to participate in these, as the lines can be long and the window of time fairly short. Receiving six dollars in return for a book I paid $150 for doesn’t really work for me. It is worth the six dollars to me not to stand in a two-hour line with a bunch of equally frustrated (but usually much younger and annoying) students.

Amazon and Chegg both purchase books. Just punch the ISBN number into their buyback search bar, and you’re off and running. Don’t go in with a ton of expectations, though. They may only give you a few dollars, depending on the book. Or (sniffle) they may invite you to keep it. Chegg will send  a check, and Amazon will simply apply the money to a gift card on your account! Keep in mind that you won’t see a dime until they receive the books.

You can also sell on www.half.com, which belongs to Ebay. Create an account, list the condition and your asking price, and you’re good to go. Keep in mind that your book will not be the only copy listed on the site, so asking a low price or offering free shipping may give you an edge.

One of the most effective online sources I’ve found for the resale of texts is www.BigWords.com. There, you can insert the ISBN, author, or title, and hit the sell back search button. It gathers information from most sites that buy texts, and lets you know whether any site is purchasing that particular work.

Last (and monetarily least), maybe you just want those darned things out of your house. Maybe you want to put a nice vase on the shelf, or  maybe you’ve got a new semester coming up and if you don’t clear the bookcase out, you’ll have to stack your texts in the pots and pans cabinet. Either way, books can always be donated. Chegg will take the books as donations, as will many libraries, Goodwill, The Salvation Army and various Veteran programs.

Unfortunately, we will never be able to completely recoup the cost of books we’ve purchased. It works in a way that is similar to buying a new car. Once it’s off the lot, the value drops. Significantly. There is a silver lining, though. There are ways to get some money back through resale. You will never earn back 100% of what you paid, but it’s better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick - a sharp, expensive, heavy, boring stick. Sigh.

Ugggh, PCS. So much to do.

Did you ever wish you had a secretary to make some of those phone calls on your seemingly endless list? The elementary school, MWR, license bureau, rental agency, electric company, cable company - does it ever end!

Poof! Your wish has been granted

USAA members, and let's face it, most families that include a uniformed member are members, have access to a nifty tool on the USAA website that has already price-checked the utilities in every major location across the U.S.

Log in to the USAA website, click on "Our Products" tab, then click on "Shopping & Discounts" and finally, click on "Home & Security." Here you will find a box marked, "Utility Market Place."

Enter your zip code, select the service you are looking for (phone, cable, internet, etc.) the speed of internet, number of channels and other details you desire and it will list all the competitors in the marketplace and their rates.

Boom. Done.

It seriously couldn't be easier. No arguing with customer representatives or calling three companies, taking notes and then guessing which is best. This website lays everything out where you can see it, compare it and choose. You can even sign up for the service at this site.

It's good to note that there are several other very handy tools on this page, to include listings for local vendors such as plumbers and lawn care as well as discounts for ADT security services. We recently used our USAA membership to install a large ADT security system in our home. The installment without the USAA discount was over $1,000, but as USAA members, our cost was just over $400.

Seriously, if you have not checked out this page, do it now. It will save you time and money.

Sometimes they’re big, sometimes they’re small. Sometimes they’re hardback, sometimes they’re squishy. Sometimes they’re spiral bound and sometimes they’re loose-leaf. I’m sure you know where I’m going with this. 

Sigh. Textbooks. 

Right before every semester starts, we get a nifty little list of required reading for each class. Sure, sometimes we’re lucky enough to take a literature class that requires something we already have on the bookshelf. Or, if we don’t have it, Kindle or iBooks have a great number of classic titles for free. FREE! 

Sometimes, though, we aren’t so lucky. I’ve been there. I’ve been there more times than I care to admit, frankly. You know the dark place I’m talking about. The one where we’re already salty because we have to take some nonsense 102 level class that is wildly uninteresting, and our saltiness is compounded because the book for the class is monetarily equivalent to the birth of our firstborn? 

Yeah. I’m not ashamed to say that I’ve visited that dark, salty place many times over the duration of my academic career. However, with each passing semester, I learned a few tricks.  (Yes!  There is a glimmer of hope!) 

One of the key elements I’ve learned regarding textbooks is to rent. Rent, rent, rent! Chegg, Amazon, Kindle, Nook, and Half.com all offer textbook rentals, which are significantly cheaper than purchasing (obviously). You order, they mail, you use. Then you print off the return label, slap it on a bubble envelope and ship that bad boy back! 

To make the deal even sweeter, many titles are available through e-book rental, which makes the shipping hassle non-existent. Be sure to check out the prices on each site, because prices vary by semester and outlet. 

Many professors will be up front about the amount of time you will dedicate to the book required for their class. Some professors hate the book choices, and pick one solely because the school requires them to do so. When that is the case, they typically do not have a problem letting you know exactly how much they think the book sucks. In these classes, you can almost get away with not purchasing the book at all, or perhaps sharing with one or two other students.  (If you take that route, it would be beneficial to ask your professor if they are cool with that … just to be on the safe side.)

Schools will occasionally require a text that is specific to their institution. Sometimes it’s simply because the school has requested that the publisher remove a chapter or two. Emailing the teacher prior to the class’s start date can confirm whether that is the case, and can save you some money if you don’t have to buy through the school’s bookstore. 

Which brings me to my final point:  if you absolutely, without a doubt must purchase your book from your school’s bookstore, go early.  I mean, as soon as you know the titles required for your classes, go buy the books. Don’t order them online. It’s cute that they provide you with the little, clicky bubble to indicate your preference for a used book over a new one.  But that cute little, clicky bubble will provide you with a false sense of security, my friend. Want to know why?  Because most bookstores do not pull your order and put it together until you arrive to pick it up, and by then all the used books will be gone. 

I hope that these tips have been helpful. I wish someone had given them to me when I started college.  Now go forth and spend all of your hard-earned money on books that you will skim once and sell back at a much, much lower price. 

When it comes to your career – your current one or the one you hope to have in the future – few things can be as helpful as social media. That’s the good news. The bad news? When it comes to that current or future career, few things can be as damaging as social media used unwisely.

Okay, back to the good news. You can make sure things stay in the “helpful” category by following one simple rule: never (or never again) say negative, whiny, snarky things about anyone in any online space.

Being critical of others in an online setting (think LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, a community or base social media site) is guaranteed to do more damage to you and your professional reputation than it will do to the person you’re criticizing. It makes everyone who reads your comments doubt your judgment and maturity, it leaves the impression that you’re a critical, negative person (who no one will want to work with), and in case those two damage factors aren’t bad enough, your comments never go away. (Remember that even if, as a military spouse, you’re not currently working, you can still be laying the foundation for your future career.)

Since one of your goals when creating your career options is to build a strong, positive professional reputation (your professional “brand’), you want to make sure that you’re not demonstrating the exact opposite through your online comments. It’s long been a management best practice that you praise in public and criticize (if necessary) in private. It’s exactly the same with your online communications: social media sites are public environments, and you want to be sure to treat them as such. One, it’s the right thing to do, and two, this will keep potential hiring managers from seeing any sarcastic, snide, or similarly embarrassing comments you might have otherwise made in the heat of the moment.

Here are some basic online etiquette resolutions to make right now:

• Never criticize online any person by name (or obvious identifiers); it makes you look petty, and gives the impression that you’re a bully (which of course we hope you’re not).
• Never criticize online any organization with which you or your spouse is affiliated (for example, as an employee, former employee, or, obviously, a military spouse); this will pretty much kill any chance you have of getting positive references from them, and future potential employers will shy away from hiring individuals who vent their anger online.
• Avoid “flame wars,” the online version of road rage; when someone’s using confrontational language online, disengage and let them make idiots of themselves all by themselves. Protecting your online reputation is way more important than winning an argument or having the last word.
• Remember when your mom used to say “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all?” Amazing how smart she turned out to be! Channel your inner mom and keep your online posts to information or comments that are useful, helpful, supportive, and/or positive.

When in doubt about an online post you’re about to make, ask yourself this question: Will this comment demonstrate to others how mature, professional, and smart I am (for years to come)? If not, you probably want to back away from that keyboard.

“Mooooooooooooom … I’m bored!”

Summer just started, but that may be the whine heard ‘round the world. At least, that’s what it often feels like to multi-tasking moms trying to keep up with the house, their own schoolwork and kids cut loose from institutional learning for three months.

It may be hard to study for your own exams while the kids are in school, but summertime presents an entirely new level of distraction.

Fortunately, the Internet has about a zillion sites to help you keep the kids busy and yourself a little saner. Here are some to consider:

DLTK’s Crafts for Kidsis the hobby site of a mom to two girls who decided to share her creative ideas for keeping her kids entertained. You’ll find ideas organized by theme, as well as several sister sites with similarly fun, educational crafts.

BusyBeeKidsCrafts.comis another good landing spot for kids and moms who need a little inspiration at the art table. The homemade sidewalk paintis simple and fun; the parachute guymade from recyclables is earth- and park-friendly.

Of course, the queen of all things crafty has some good plans for your kids. Check out Martha Stewart’s 60 Summer Activities for Kids. She had me at Potted Chocolate-Mint Puddings, but I’d want to work it off at her Obstacle Course Birthday Party.

MomsWhoThink.comalso has a great section on activities, as well as parenting, recipes, activities and other articles. They’re listed by theme or location, like the kitchen, the outdoors, recyclables, clothingand more.

Frugal Dadhas a list of 14 ways to keep your kids entertained. Water balloon fights are a big hit at our house, and I’m always up for a pajama day; the other 12 ideas are pretty cool, too.

Family Funhas a whole section devoted to summer – activities, crafts, recipes, games, parties – all kinds of fun stuff. Check out Ways to Make Your Backyard More Funfor great tips on containing creativity within your fences, and their Summer Gamessection is full of educational entertainment. 

The Original Simple Momhas 200 ideas on how to keep kids occupied, but not all of them will fly in our house. If you can get your kids to clean bathroom mirrors, dust the house or vacuum, you’re not just a better mom than I am, but a better person in general.

If you really want to prep your kids for success, check out Jason Alderman’s article on Tackling Your Kids’ Summer Boredom. The senior director of Visa, Inc., lists sites and ideas on teaching your kids how to become financially savvy with the help of the web and by involving them in vacation-planning.

More places to consider on your search for summer fun: local theaters, churches, YMCAs, park districts, MWR, libraries, zoos and museums. You may find great, affordable programs close to home to fill in the time between fun projects with you.