View Full Version : Paying to Live in the Barracks
stein07
11-19-09, 10:29 PM
I've heard from several reliable sources lately that junior Marines have a portion of their pay deducted for living in the barracks as well as for chow at the chow hall. Is this true and if so how much?
I don't remember having money deducted for this and thought it was all part of the package.
I knew about paying for the chowhall and then just the other day heard about those who live in the barracks pay for that too. I no longer live in the barracks so I can't check my LES.
You all have it ass backards. You are not paying to live in the barracks or for your chow. That is on the house. Additional monies paid as supplements means that you can't eat in the chow hall without paying and you can't live out in town without paying. If you live in the barracks the chow hall is free as well as electricity, water, toilet paper and yada yada. They are not taking money away from you because you live in the barracks. They are just helping you out with rent and food if you live in town. Next thing you know someone will dream up a scenario where living in base housing causes you to lose money. It is just not so.
Well, if you think about it, what they pay us, they are taking out the money. Our pay isn't that bad if you factor in that a normal civilian has a $750-$2000 rent/mortgage bill every month, and probably $300-$500 worth of food every month. That factored in, we'd make $18,000-$48,000 a year for E-1/E-2 pay. Not that bad...not good enough for what we risk though :) Gotta love it! hehe
Last time I bothered looking at my active LES, BAH was around $7, and BAS was $368, and they took out $350 or so for the chow hall. They just give you more BAH when you are married and decide to live off base, and that is determined by zip code (there's a list on usmilitary.about.com).
TazMatt
11-20-09, 08:40 AM
Lupo22 you get a lot more today as a PFC than I got as an SGT in1975. It will never equal what we think it should but here again you asked to join and I know you are not saying anything bad about it but just remember a lot of people have gone on before you for a lot less.
stein07
11-20-09, 09:50 AM
Monk,
From your numbers, is it safe to assume it is about a wash? They give you a slight BAH/BAS and then take it back. Right?
Bulk,
I understand what you are saying, and that is what I had always assumed to be the truth as well. However, I have been hearing from Marines that $$ for barracks/chow has been deducted from their pay on their LES's. What Monk explains makes sense, though. From that we can conclude that it is not being deducted from their base pay.
Do others know anything different?
Yes, they take money from your pay to live in the barracks and if you have a meal card. I'm not sure how much. If you don't have a meal card, you get COMRATS. You also see a pay increase because they are giving you the money back. I live out in town, and at the end of each month I come out on top with my money. Between me and my wife we only spend about 120-150 a month on food. What I want to know is how do you NOT know that you pay for the meal card and barracks life?
stein07
11-20-09, 10:18 AM
For one, I was a reservist and was only on AD during initial training and a six-month deployment, so the rules are probably different in both cases. For two, it was a long time ago.
Can you clarify this? If you live in the barracks and have a meal card, is money taken from your base pay to cover this or does the limited BAH/BAS that you receive cover the amount they deduct?
0331 2 0369
11-20-09, 10:24 AM
It's all a numbers game with finance. If they show that they are paying out X amount of money every year, they can ask for the same if not more for the next year. Yeah you get the money but they take it away before you ever get your hands on it. It's just part of the BIG picture as far as money and the Marine Corps goes. Helps the MC when requesting a bigger budget.
I live in base housing. For something equal out on the town would be about $1,500 per month plus paying for electricity, phone, cable, water, trash pick-up, yard maintenance, parking space. So if uncle sam gives you $1,200 a month to pay your rent then another $400 for groceries you come up short. Your oven goes to hell in base housing you make a call and it is fixed. Your oven goes to hell out in town and you are heating pizzas in a toaster oven. You can rob peter to pay paul and act like a millionaire for a few months but in the end you are getting a better deal by not living out in town.
If it was up to me you would have to be at least a Cpl to get a credit card and at least a Sgt to get married and live out in town. So many boots complain about our Marine Corps holding their hand but have seen too many go out and buy that new car at 19.2% interest and complain they are not being paid enough. Well no shiit ... If someone has to be force fed how to live within their means and whines that they are not being paid enough and treated like children. Proove you don't need either or.
GSEMarine94
11-20-09, 11:27 AM
This is from Ask dot com
Until 2002, BAS was paid only when individuals were officially allowed (for various reasons) to eat their meals outside of the military dining facilities (chow halls). Those required to eat meals in the dining facilities (usually, single enlisted, living on-base) received a "partial allowance" of about $25.80 per month. Beginning in Fiscal Year 2002, all enlisted and officers receive full-rate BAS, after initial entry training (boot camp and follow-on schooling). However, for those required to consume meals in the dining facilities, most of the BAS will be automatically deducted from their paychecks, resulting in those members still only receiving about $26.00 each month. There are plans (for the future) to only deduct the cost of meals actually consumed in the dining facilities, but that is likely several years in the future (for the present time, DOD depends on the fact that members required to consume meals in the dining facilities only eat an average of 70 percent of their meals there, and purchase 30 percent of the meals elsewhere. The services rely upon the difference to help balance their food budgets).
Ok, I looked up my LES from the month before I left active.
Entitlements
BAH PARTIAL 7.80
BAS (MONTHLY) 323.87
Deductions
BAS DISC MEAL RATE 286.75
</pre>
So I was close with the numbers. I lived in the barracks, since I had no other choice out in Ft Lost in the Woods, and I was entitled to eat at the chow hall.
SgtThrasher
11-20-09, 01:58 PM
You all have it ass backards. You are not paying to live in the barracks or for your chow. That is on the house. Additional monies paid as supplements means that you can't eat in the chow hall without paying and you can't live out in town without paying. If you live in the barracks the chow hall is free as well as electricity, water, toilet paper and yada yada. They are not taking money away from you because you live in the barracks. They are just helping you out with rent and food if you live in town. Next thing you know someone will dream up a scenario where living in base housing causes you to lose money. It is just not so.
That's how I remember the system worked .A brown bagger had to pay to eat in the Mess hall because he already received an allotment for food and housing and couldn't double dip.
Last time I bothered looking at my active LES, BAH was around $7,
That's BAH partial.
*edit, never mind I see you posted that in a later post.
I live in base housing. For something equal out on the town would be about $1,500 per month plus paying for electricity, phone, cable, water, trash pick-up, yard maintenance, parking space. So if uncle sam gives you $1,200 a month to pay your rent then another $400 for groceries you come up short. Your oven goes to hell in base housing you make a call and it is fixed. Your oven goes to hell out in town and you are heating pizzas in a toaster oven. You can rob peter to pay paul and act like a millionaire for a few months but in the end you are getting a better deal by not living out in town.
If it was up to me you would have to be at least a Cpl to get a credit card and at least a Sgt to get married and live out in town. So many boots complain about our Marine Corps holding their hand but have seen too many go out and buy that new car at 19.2% interest and complain they are not being paid enough. Well no shiit ... If someone has to be force fed how to live within their means and whines that they are not being paid enough and treated like children. Proove you don't need either or.
You can find good deals living out in town...
On base you still pay for cable and phone....
Needing to be a rank to get a credit card / car is a stupid idea. It's all about knowledge/maturity, and you can't look at someone to determine that. I've had a credit card since I first joined, and I have great credit. I bought my car at 5.74% interest. I am also married.
Also, your BAS DOES show you losing money for living in the barracks / eating at the chow hall. It doesn't come from your base pay however, which in most cases is all you rate, being single in the barracks.
Kegler300
11-20-09, 04:29 PM
What you don't receive as an entitlement to live off base based on your rank (BAH COMRATS, etc.), could be considered what it's costing you to live in the barracks. For instance, if a sergeant's entitlements equalled $1,000 to live off base, this is what a sergeant is giving up to live in the barracks and subsist in the chow hall.
Paying appx. $3.00 per all-you-can eat meal. I can't believe anyone would complain about such a thing.
Integrity57
11-20-09, 04:38 PM
When I was stationed in P-Cola I lived on Corry Station, my LES showed $7.50 in BAH because I lived in Staff Barracks and I got $250-something in BAS because I couldn't eat at the galley, which was nice since the chow there was god-aweful. I think the other Sailors I worked with who had depenents got maybe $1300 in BAH which Housing took out of their checks automatically. But Sgt. Thrasher hit the nail on the head.
Yall call it a galley? I never knew that.
Integrity57
11-20-09, 04:51 PM
You're kidding right?
Kegler300
11-20-09, 04:55 PM
I've got several cases of MRE's...free food - YUMMY!
MontezumaCpl
11-20-09, 05:21 PM
Haha, MREs are yummy, but dam, I really liked C-Rats! Ham & Eggs! And that chocolate cookie looking thing!
ghost3000
11-20-09, 07:32 PM
You all have it ass backards. You are not paying to live in the barracks or for your chow. That is on the house. Additional monies paid as supplements means that you can't eat in the chow hall without paying and you can't live out in town without paying. If you live in the barracks the chow hall is free as well as electricity, water, toilet paper and yada yada. They are not taking money away from you because you live in the barracks. They are just helping you out with rent and food if you live in town. Next thing you know someone will dream up a scenario where living in base housing causes you to lose money. It is just not so.
Actually, if you live in base housing that could very well be possible. Since on base housing is privatized now we actually pay rent. They actually deduct it from my paycheck. I was a Corporal when I moved into my house on base. I got promoted to Sergeant, therefore my BAH rate went up. Since my rent is based upon my BAH, it is fair to say that my rent went up because I got promoted. Think about that for a minute. Oh, and don't say if you live out in town you do get rental increases. I have lived out in town for about 6 years and I have never received a rental increase of about $140 per month. Just saying.
Marines that live in the barracks do technically pay for living in the barracks and also for food.
I can't believe another Marine is saying you get anything free in the Marine Corps. I work too f***ing hard everyday for someone to tell me I get something for free. From the day I stepped on the yellow footprints I have been paying for shyt. We even had to pay for our uniforms out of our first checks. :sick:
Gorrilla cookies...
It was this chocolate covered grahm cracker type cookie. Two of them actually... seperated by a piece of wax paper. Only a gorrilla could get them sum*****es apart. You had a couple options. You could let it sit in the sun long enough to soften the chocolate and maybe get them to slide apart. You could take your K-bar and attempt to pry them apart usually resulting in a pile of crumbs at your feet. You could just eat the dang thing and spit out the pieces of wax paper.
ghost3000
11-20-09, 07:39 PM
I would like to say that I'm not complaining about BAH or base housing. I feel that I got more bang for my buck compared to the housing out in Oceanside.
How could you possibly say that free housing is costing you more money because you were promoted? I mean it is free. You aren't paying anything out of pocket for it. Try doing that in the civilian sector. Seriously ... go be a wal-mart greeter or something and pay the note on your house and cover all your bills strictly out of your paycheck. Ohh because I'm a sergeant I rate an additional 120 square feet of living space so I'm being robbed. You might be able to find a single wide trailer for the same amount of money you are supposedly losing by living on base.
More and more being a Marine is becoming a job and everybody has their hand out. You lose all bragging rights when you start whining like you want the same treatment as the AF .... you aint in the Air Force ... if you want to be treated like the Air Force then go join the Air Force. I'm not saying crappy treatment or shoddy living conditions makes Marines but Marines are a tight cohesive unit because we don't treat it like a job and we have mutual comraderie gained through hardship.
AaronJM1984
11-22-09, 10:25 AM
Go to mypay and read your LES. Every Marine that lives in the barracks pays something like $600 a month to live in their room, except the money is taken out before you ever see it, so it seems like the room is free. Food in the chow hall is also no free, we all pay around $330 a month (BAS) unless you forfeit your meal card.
How could you possibly say that free housing is costing you more money because you were promoted? I mean it is free. You aren't paying anything out of pocket for it. Try doing that in the civilian sector. Seriously ... go be a wal-mart greeter or something and pay the note on your house and cover all your bills strictly out of your paycheck. Ohh because I'm a sergeant I rate an additional 120 square feet of living space so I'm being robbed. You might be able to find a single wide trailer for the same amount of money you are supposedly losing by living on base.
More and more being a Marine is becoming a job and everybody has their hand out. You lose all bragging rights when you start whining like you want the same treatment as the AF .... you aint in the Air Force ... if you want to be treated like the Air Force then go join the Air Force. I'm not saying crappy treatment or shoddy living conditions makes Marines but Marines are a tight cohesive unit because we don't treat it like a job and we have mutual comraderie gained through hardship.
WHy do you act like it's a bad thing to care about money ? If you rate more BAH being a Sgt than a Cpl, you lose more money living on base. It's simple. I rate 1600 a month being married in Pendleton. I lose that money by living on base. Now, don't get me wrong, I like living on base, and I do think it is saving me some money at the moment, but I still lose that 1600. I understand that I lose it either way, but the point is, I lose it. It isn't free.
It's really simple. Pvt whoever loses x amount for living on base. PFC rates more money that Pvt, but still loses all of it by living on base. Therefore, a promotion means more money lost, provided that promotion came with a BAH increase.
Oh, and so you know, you only rate so much "free electricity/water" If you go over a certain monetary amount, you have to pay the rest. You do pay for all of it out of pocket, it just comes out before it makes it to your actual pocket.
Integrity57
11-22-09, 12:14 PM
NAS Pensacola had surplus quarters on base and a few at Mariner's Village, the off-base housing area and Corry Station was housing many of the single Staff members of both commands but was anticipating somewhere in the neighborhood of 800 or more students to arrive this year at Corry for A School so they offered all us single Staffers housing either on NAS or in Mariner's Village which is owned by NASP. The units available were 2 and 3 bedroom models with full kitchen, 1 bathroom, some had garages, etc. and I believe the rent was like $1200 a month and you signed a 6-month lease. The idea being that with at least 2 people to a unit you could save some of your BAH and have more then enough for beer and pizza on the weekend. The disadvantage to the offer was that if your roommate left before the lease was up you had to find a new roommate or go back to the barracks, also that Mariner's Village was pretty far from town and many of the Staffers didn't have vehicles so cab fair would have been rediculous just to go out on the weekends if you or your roommate didn't have a car. Luckily I got to stay in the barracks, which was basically a 2 bedroom apartment w/ a small kitchen and decent sized bathroom, because I was seperating not long after they proposed the housing deal to us.
This argument equates to trying to teach a pig to sing. It is a waste of time and annoys the pig.
The squeaky wheel does get the grease so go ahead and put in a complaint that you want to live out in town vice in the barracks. Good luck.
Donut Brigade
11-22-09, 01:35 PM
WHy do you act like it's a bad thing to care about money ? If you rate more BAH being a Sgt than a Cpl, you lose more money living on base. It's simple. I rate 1600 a month being married in Pendleton. I lose that money by living on base. Now, don't get me wrong, I like living on base, and I do think it is saving me some money at the moment, but I still lose that 1600. I understand that I lose it either way, but the point is, I lose it. It isn't free.
It's really simple. Pvt whoever loses x amount for living on base. PFC rates more money that Pvt, but still loses all of it by living on base. Therefore, a promotion means more money lost, provided that promotion came with a BAH increase.
Oh, and so you know, you only rate so much "free electricity/water" If you go over a certain monetary amount, you have to pay the rest. You do pay for all of it out of pocket, it just comes out before it makes it to your actual pocket.
Never looked at it that way before. Marines in Yuma E-1 to E-4 rate the same amount of space. So a Pvt could be living with a Cpl and they both share equal amount of space, even though a Cpl technically rates more space than a Pvt.
That's it, I'm marrying a Yuma Yummy and living out in town!
Supersquishy
11-22-09, 01:44 PM
Never looked at it that way before. Marines in Yuma E-1 to E-4 rate the same amount of space. So a Pvt could be living with a Cpl and they both share equal amount of space, even though a Cpl technically rates more space than a Pvt.
That's it, I'm marrying a Yuma Yummy and living out in town!
You must be living in them newer Barracks, the older ones were way better IMO more room even with three to a room, plus the walls were cinderblock.
I first stayed in barracks 920, second deck room next to the road running next to it . had to sneek up on the room to hook up my roomates sat. dish. LOL
No yuma yummys, stay far away!!!!!!:sick:
Donut Brigade
11-22-09, 01:55 PM
These barracks are really nice and I don't mind my roommate.
One thing I don't find fair is E-5 rate their own barracks room and don't get checked during field day. In Miramar we had E-5 and below barracks, and SNCOs and officers did their own thing.
I was walking around in PT gear after field day (getting my laundry) and some fat dude in civvies was yelling at me "HEY DEVIL DOG, WHY YOU WEARIN CIVVIES?" and looked at me like I owed him money. So I blew him off with "Don't DD me, you fat ****". It turned out to be some married Sergeant who lived off base and came to the barracks during field day to be a pr*ck for no reason.
Supersquishy
11-22-09, 02:09 PM
=Donut Brigade;573406
One thing I don't find fair is E-5 rate their own barracks room and don't get checked during field day.
LOL I guess some things never change. Thats the way it was when I was there with 214 anyways.
Integrity57
11-22-09, 02:10 PM
lmao that's good **** DB. Why would he call PT gear civvies tho? Was it not USMC PT gear? PT gear was always acceptable clothing to wear for us when we were on duty but not on watch.
Donut Brigade
11-22-09, 07:25 PM
I was wearing some walmart shorts and a skivvie shirt.
Marine1955
11-22-09, 07:42 PM
WHy do you act like it's a bad thing to care about money ? If you rate more BAH being a Sgt than a Cpl, you lose more money living on base. It's simple. I rate 1600 a month being married in Pendleton. I lose that money by living on base. Now, don't get me wrong, I like living on base, and I do think it is saving me some money at the moment, but I still lose that 1600. I understand that I lose it either way, but the point is, I lose it. It isn't free.
It's really simple. Pvt whoever loses x amount for living on base. PFC rates more money that Pvt, but still loses all of it by living on base. Therefore, a promotion means more money lost, provided that promotion came with a BAH increase.
Oh, and so you know, you only rate so much "free electricity/water" If you go over a certain monetary amount, you have to pay the rest. You do pay for all of it out of pocket, it just comes out before it makes it to your actual pocket.
Not being rude but I would have like to have made that much a month as a Sgt. Plus BAQ or what ever you call it now Chit!!!
Donut Brigade
11-22-09, 07:51 PM
Time moves on and standard of living goes up. Marines of 1775 would have liked barracks with electricity, 3 meal chow hall, potable tap water (for non-Lejeune residents), and Typhoid shots from medical, yes?
I'm sure you would have, and Im sure in 20 years I will like to have made what those Marines are making. Cost of living always goes up, so that argument means nothing.
Supersquishy
11-23-09, 08:33 AM
I'm sure you would have, and Im sure in 20 years I will like to have made what those Marines are making. Cost of living always goes up, so that argument means nothing.
True, its all relative anyways, people forget about inflation through the years. Takes more money to buy the same thing now. Anyways living in the barracks as a single person was fun. Whats better than drinking beer in the beer garden with a bunch of friends after a hard days work on Friday night, only to have to stumble 50 feet to your rack...hehehe.
Yeah, the barracks was fun, except the roomate thing got old fast. Felt like a little kid agian.
The only two gripes I really have about it was
1) No grills / hot plates / etc. They get on these guys for eating Taco Bell, but god forbid you want to make a nice healthy meal for yourself and save some money.
2) The Fridge. In Oki I lived in old SNCO barracks, so they were more roomy, and I had a regular size fridge. Then I go into my LCpl's rooms and they have 3 grown men with one of those small ass fridges. I mean seriously, you can upgrade the E-Club, offer to buy us new boots, have a barracks field day follwed by kegs and all that, BUT you can't spend the money to buy a large fridge for these Marines ? Those things are barely large enough for ONE person, let alone THREE.
Integrity57
11-23-09, 01:11 PM
No kiddin' MD, the barracks in P-Cola were 3 guys to a room with one microwave/mini-fridge combo with a sink and a bathroom shared with the 3 guys next door (they had their own sink too.) The damn Air Force gets paid extra for having to make do with those conditions, but I don't want to sound bitter lol.
Donut Brigade
11-23-09, 11:12 PM
Barracks are nice, quite fitting for my work, just no privacy. Don't like NCOs coming into my room randomly. It's like, get the f*ck out of my face!!! Two more random walk ins and I'm finding a Yuma Yummy.
No way to treat an adult by having a Sgt walk through your room randomly and kick your sh*t around. I can have a TV, ps3, laptop sitting out but God forbid I left my drawer with socks and skivvies unlocked. Stupid. Don't be surprised if I find 'the one' at Applebees in a couple weeks.
leutenantpussy
11-24-09, 01:37 AM
Once I got my dick sucked in a dumpster by some ***** named Bunifa
Supersquishy
11-24-09, 04:43 AM
Barracks are nice, quite fitting for my work, just no privacy. Don't like NCOs coming into my room randomly. It's like, get the f*ck out of my face!!! Two more random walk ins and I'm finding a Yuma Yummy.
No way to treat an adult by having a Sgt walk through your room randomly and kick your sh*t around. I can have a TV, ps3, laptop sitting out but God forbid I left my drawer with socks and skivvies unlocked. Stupid. Don't be surprised if I find 'the one' at Applebees in a couple weeks.
Damn, that never happened to me my whole time there. Usually the dnco watches tv and does a round once every hour, but never barges in, thats unless the door is wide open.
Had a dream last night I was boating around Lake Martinez,,,,,WEIRD. You should go up there, talk to "Fat Mike" the guy who runs it, let him know I (PM ME) says Hi, maybe hell hook you up with a boat all day.
LOL!!!! "the one" at Applebees in Yuma? Your joking right? haha you need to get your ass up to Phoenix, go to downtown Tempe home of ASU and colleg bars and college chick fun. Need I say more? Their you will find "the one" I used to go up there, at least one of us would get hooked up, then stay at the chicks house or apartment on the weekends. Fun Times.
Barracks are nice, quite fitting for my work, just no privacy. Don't like NCOs coming into my room randomly. It's like, get the f*ck out of my face!!! Two more random walk ins and I'm finding a Yuma Yummy.
No way to treat an adult by having a Sgt walk through your room randomly and kick your sh*t around. I can have a TV, ps3, laptop sitting out but God forbid I left my drawer with socks and skivvies unlocked. Stupid. Don't be surprised if I find 'the one' at Applebees in a couple weeks.
I had a Sgt try to kick my stuff around once. I was in his face throwing him around within seconds. Sure, I got a negative counseling for it, but he never did it agian. Another one poured some chips over my desk because "they werent supposed to be there" (I had them rolled up and clipped, and as you know, barracks rooms don't have ****ing cabinets for food) one day during a field day inspection. For him, I just took a load of his clothes out (2 sets of cami's) and threw them in the trash.
I would recommend doing the same if they throw your **** around agian. Yeah, you can take it up the CoC and all, but that never does ****.
Donut Brigade
11-24-09, 05:43 PM
Damn, that never happened to me my whole time there. Usually the dnco watches tv and does a round once every hour, but never barges in, thats unless the door is wide open.
Had a dream last night I was boating around Lake Martinez,,,,,WEIRD. You should go up there, talk to "Fat Mike" the guy who runs it, let him know I (PM ME) says Hi, maybe hell hook you up with a boat all day.
LOL!!!! "the one" at Applebees in Yuma? Your joking right? haha you need to get your ass up to Phoenix, go to downtown Tempe home of ASU and colleg bars and college chick fun. Need I say more? Their you will find "the one" I used to go up there, at least one of us would get hooked up, then stay at the chicks house or apartment on the weekends. Fun Times.
Not DNCOs, my CoC is coming through.
I've been to Phoenix a few times for a car show and parties. Good times.
echo3oscar1833
11-26-09, 04:09 PM
I had a Sgt try to kick my stuff around once. I was in his face throwing him around within seconds. Sure, I got a negative counseling for it, but he never did it agian. Another one poured some chips over my desk because "they werent supposed to be there" (I had them rolled up and clipped, and as you know, barracks rooms don't have ****ing cabinets for food) one day during a field day inspection. For him, I just took a load of his clothes out (2 sets of cami's) and threw them in the trash.
I would recommend doing the same if they throw your **** around agian. Yeah, you can take it up the CoC and all, but that never does ****.
I agree tossing **** in boot camp is one thing, but in the fleet thats a whole different story. Or even messing with personal effects in general for that matter. I accidently left my wallet out one weekend, and went to the chow hall realized I forgot it. So I diddy bopped all the way back to the barraks. When I got there I looked for my wallet, couldn't find it, asked my roomate where it was, he said he didn't know. So I looked some more and noticed it up in his cabinet stand. I asked him why it was there, and he procceded to chew me out for leaving my wallet out. I was like wtf!!! told him give me my wallet or he will he eating his teeth. Another story, another roomate decides to be cute, and dump the trash all over my personal ****, and then kick it and my stuff around. All because I didn't get the trash taken out to his likened speed. Well lets say that ended in a heated confrontation, with NCO's involved. As far as the housing and chow hall issue. I got married lived out in town, had BAH, had comrats, and still had money to play with. Its all about financial responsibility. :D