We are not rich.

Military people always complain that those who aren't affiliated with the military have a really warped view of their financial state. Either they think they're rich, or they think they're really poor. I'm not quite sure why people think military people are poor. The military gives you about the best pay for the least formal education, and the cheapest (read: free) most comprehensive benefits package anywhere. Sure, it's not like you're going to be rolling in money on military pay, but you will definitely be able to live pretty comfortably unless you are a complete idiot with money (and a lot of people are, but that's their problem). I also don't know why people think the military is rich. Have you seen post housing? If not, go look at it and tell me if that looks like something rich people would live in.

Of course, these financial misconceptions drive military people nuts, because they're incorrect. The truth is that military people are somewhere in the middle, neither rich nor poor, yet people don't often see it that way. Here's the thing, though. The military people do it, too! Yes you do. Every one of you. Even you, generally level-headed, no-BS friend.

I've made some interesting observations ever since I became the most hated and speculated-about species on any given post, all of a week ago. Yes, we contractors' wives are definitely not to be confused with our military counterparts, even though most of us have been there before, and not long ago. No, among military wives, misconceptions abound about contractors and the families thereof. One of the biggest ones, crazy enough, is that we're rich! I've had so many people say things to me about our great financial state now that Thak is working for the contracting firm. I will say, life is about to get a whole lot better as soon as he starts getting paid. He is living pretty well there now, in fact. Me and the kids will soon see some easing of our financial strain thanks to his increased paychecks as a contractor.

Even so, we are NOT rich. I will just say, Thak had a lot of years of service when he left the Army. That means he had a respectable amount of rank on him. That means he was making pretty good money, better money than well over half the soldiers in the Army make, if you believe the statistics. So his paycheck from the contracting firm is good. Don't get me wrong, it is good, especially in today's economy. However, it is actually a slight decrease compared to what he was making Active Duty, not to mention we now pay for benefits we used to get for free. This would be a huge raise for someone who had served six years and gotten out, sure. However, for us, it is actually a pay cut. We're not complaining about what it is. It's not bad by any stretch of the imagination. It's just, if we're rich, so is everybody in the entire Senior NCO housing area, because they're all making more than we are.

So there you have it. Does my defense contractor husband make more than your military husband? Maybe, but maybe not. We are right in the middle, kind of where we always were. I've got to say, though, after our brief foray to the bottom, the middle sure is nice.