When I moved to San Diego and married someone in the military, one of the biggest changes was moving to a military base. I went from living barefoot in the Guatemalan jungle to being a military wife on base.
We decided to live in an RV to help my husband reach financial independence faster. Active duty personnel get a monthly housing allowance if they don’t live on base. At the time, his rank gave him around $2,500 per month, and he was paying $2,000 for an apartment 30 minutes from work.
The apartment area was nice but far from downtown, the beach, and cool neighborhoods. It felt a bit like living in Disneyland. Moving into an RV added some adventure. In San Diego, military families have access to three military campgrounds, which are much cheaper than civilian ones.
My favorite campground is on Naval Base Point Loma. It is a five-minute walk to Liberty Station, which has a beautiful park, two supermarkets, bars, and restaurants. You get million-dollar views of the bay and downtown skyscrapers, especially at night, all for just $20 per night. When we stay there, we cycle to Liberty Station, run along the harbor, walk the dogs a lot, and my husband’s work is only a 15-minute bike ride away.
I often go to the base gym for free Zumba classes. It’s a complete change from my jungle life. The base library is also great, and gas is cheaper there.
Unfortunately, we can only stay at Point Loma for 30 days, so we usually spend another 30 days on Coronado Island. It has a more vacation-like vibe since the campground isn’t inside a base, so no identity checks or national anthem every morning. It’s right on the water, with a marina and about 50 RV spots. It costs $40 per night but offers full hookups, so we can shower and do dishes inside. It also includes WiFi. At Point Loma, it’s dry camping, so we use communal restrooms for showers and dishes, and there’s no WiFi except at the USO lounge, which is like an airport lounge with snacks, comfy chairs, WiFi, TVs, games, and various activities.
Living on a base feels like living in Pleasantville. Neighbors are nice, polite, and tidy. Being in San Diego, the sun shines most of the time. Today, I met a neighbor and we had a socially distanced walk on the beach with her kids while my dog ignored the 6-foot rule.
It’s nice to know the neighbors and socialize more. I do miss the unpolished Guatemalan life, but this is a great new adventure. Bases offer a semblance of normal life for service members at affordable prices, including free movie theaters, gyms with fun classes, great libraries, and tax-free shopping at the commissary and gas stations.
Overall, we save a lot of money. Now the housing allowance for a married couple is about $3,100, and we spend about $900 by alternating between $20 and $40 per night spots. Plus, we don’t pay rent when on holiday!
We also have a $300 RV payment and buy propane tanks and extra gas to move the RV, but monthly RV costs are about $1,300-1,500. We can save over $1,500 from the tax-free housing allowance. Yay for frugal living in San Diego!