The Upside of Deployment

I've always been one to see the glass half full. Unless of course it's a glass of mommy juice, then there is never enough to keep it full. Deployment has been no different. Although I do miss my husband terribly, focusing on the positive has made 2012 not so bad. We're quickly approaching the half way point and I don't have any major complaints.

Before Hubster left, I came up with a couple of things that I was looking forward to with him being gone. Saving money and paying down debt is probably one of the most popular items on everyone's list. Between the extra money from hazardous duty and family separation pay, we've been able to not only get rid of student loan and car payments, but also bulk up our savings.

In addition to saving more, we've also been able to spend less. I know they sound the same but in my book they're not. With Hubster being gone, I spend a lot less on groceries. After all, my two year old doesn't really want a steak once a week. Also, since Hubs doesn't need to drive to work everyday, we save about $40 weekly just on gas. The electric and water bills have gone down significantly too.

A couple of the other positives that have come out of Hubster being deployed are:

• Less laundry!
• I don't have to cook "for real"
• Staying up waaay past my regular bedtime
• Not feeling bad about being bummy looking
• The house is kinda bummy looking too
• More time to spend with other family and friends
• I get to look forward to him coming home

Even with the good things going on during the deployment, I can't wait to have someone to snuggle with and discipline V again. But, things could always be worse and for now there is no reason to dwell on the negative.