It really pisses me off when a Marine cannot live within his or her means.  While the money that we make is not great, it is definitely enough to live on if you budget well and live with in your means.  If you live in the barracks you have all your living expenses paid for. Why can’t you track that money? The only bills that most junior Marines have are bills they have brought on themselves: cell phones, cable, car, insurance, and credit cards.

If you are married, again you are given an allowance for your housing based on your rank or you have the option to live in base housing.  If you live in base housing, your bills are similar to those that live in the barracks – your living expenses are paid for.  You also receive an allowance for food that will cover the majority of food costs for a family of four, especially if you shop on base at the commissary. 

As long as you are not buying more car than you can afford or not running up huge credit card bills you will be able to survive on the money that the Marine Corps gives you regardless of your rank.  There is no need for a LCpl to be driving a $50,000 BMW or Escalade, or for him to have every new electronic device that comes out.  No, that LCpl should buy a practical car. One that he can afford not only the payment on, but also the insurance and gas.

Why am I so passionate about this?  It is because I have lost too much of my personal time trying to get some Marines’ finances back in order.  I had to do paperwork on too many Marines because they bounced checks or did not paid the bills that they accrued.  Here are some examples of what I have seen:

LCpl #1

When I was a Sgt I had a LCpl that was severely in debt.  I only found out about his debt when the command received a letter from AAFES that he had bounced a check on base.  This resulted in a counseling, informing the Marine that further financial irresponsibility would result in punitive actions.  I hoped that this would be the last of it, but it wasn’t.

About a week later when I got the mail from the Company Office for distribution to my Marines. I saw that there was a notice from the Los Angeles County District Attorney Fraudulent Checks Dept addressed to the same Marine.  I had the Marine open the letter and give it to me to read.  He had written a check at a drug store for $4.91 that bounced.  After all the fees and charges from the store, county, and his bank were factored in, this check cost him $164.91.  YES the fees were $160!!!!!!

After I saw this and conferred with senior leadership, they had me take this LCpl to the bank and get copies of his last three months’ bank statements.  We walked over to the bank, got the statements, and I went to work analyzing them.  I looked through his statements and found 40 $20 fees for insufficient funds (bounced checks).  This guy had given the bank $800 dollars because he tried to buy things he did not have the money for.  I also noticed that every payday this Marine had multiple checks being cashed at payday advance establishments.  He was basically out of money by the 6th as and the 20th (paydays being the 1st and 15th) if not sooner.

Again talking with senior leadership we decided that this Marine was to receive NJP (where he got 14 days restriction to the barracks), we also relieved him of his ATM card, debit cards, and checks.  Then for the next 4 paydays I had to escort this Marine to the bank withdraw $20 dollars so that he could buy stuff for himself and then put the rest of his money in money orders so that he could pay his creditors.

LCpl #2

When I was a young SSgt, I had another Marine at different command that got himself into financial distress.  This Marine had multiple car loans on multiple cars. The thing is, he only had one car.  You see, he had a loan on a car that got totaled in a wreck. Instead of paying off the loan with his insurance settlement, he blew it. 

This Marine made many other bad financial choices. He did not pay rent or utilities on time and he caused us to have to escort him to Navy/Marine Relief Society to get money for his bills.  These factors, along with phone calls his creditors made to the shop, made me investigate his finances.

I again took my time to review his financial documents from the preceding few months.  Just as before, I found multiple charges from the bank for insufficient funds.  This Marine was over $300 dollars in the negative 6 days after pay day and it was a recurring situation.  My NCO’s took it from there and helped this young Marine out so that he could survive until the next payday.  They also monitored his spending and made sure that he was not spending more than he earned.

As you can see I have wasted not only my time by having to run Marines around to pay bills but also those of my junior Marines.  I have also wasted the tax-payers money because a lot of this stuff had to be taken care of during working hours when they should have been performing their jobs for Uncle Sam.  If Junior Marines would just learn to live within their means it would be so much easier. 

They also need to take it upon themselves to talk to their leadership and seek assistance because they will get the help that the need if they ask for it.  I, for one, have taken a young Private or PFC from dealership to dealership to find a good reliable used car (one that he could afford) so that he would have a vehicle to get from his house to work.  I have dug into my pocket to help a young married guy buy groceries if he did not have the money, so that he and his family could eat.  When I could not help out directly I got the Marine the help that he needed to hep the situation and to ensure that it would not happen again. I have seen these kinds of actions from many other Marines. The help is there if Marines are willing to seek it out.

Related posts:

  1. The Money is Running Out
  2. Do You Trust Me
  3. A Tribute to the LCpl