Military Saves Week: Savings You Can Count On

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Military communities across our country and overseas are gearing up for Military Saves Week (25 February – 2 March), the national campaign to motivate military families to save every month. Save Our Benefit encourages all military families to “Take the Military Saves Pledge” by visiting www.militarysaves.org, and reminds service members and their families that one of the best ways to save money is by shopping regularly at your commissary and exchange.

Military families save an average of 31% by shopping in the commissary and over 20% by using the exchange. Combined, these savings add up to nearly $7,000 a year for a family of four. If you are not already using your benefits, just think what you could do with that kind of savings! You could pay off your bills or college loans, build up your savings account, invest in your retirement, save for your children's education or your own, or help take care of aging parents. The options are limitless but it must start with a plan to pay yourself first. By consistently shopping at your commissary and exchange, and keeping track of your overall savings, you will be able to put that money to work for you on a monthly basis. Now that is savings you can count on!

Millions of military families already count on commissaries and exchanges to help stretch their household budgets, deliver much needed supplies, and provide a “touch of home” wherever the military sends them. In remote and overseas locations, they are often the only affordable shopping opportunity available. In metropolitan areas, where prices are consistently higher, commissaries and exchanges help keep prices affordable. For some junior enlisted military families and fixed income retirees, savings are the difference between making ends meet and filing for public assistance. No wonder military families rank commissaries and exchanges as one of their most important non-pay benefits.

Commissaries and exchanges save military patrons $4.5 billion annually. They also contribute billions more to Moral, Welfare, and Recreation programs, which save you and your family additional money each month. Commissaries and exchanges are also the largest employers of military families in the world and the leading employer of veterans in the nation. So, every time you shop at your commissary or exchange, you are helping other military families to make ends meet or save for tomorrow. Now that is savings our military community can count on!

Military families can increase their savings by visiting the Save Our Benefit Patrons Savings Portal http://www.saveourbenefit.org/for_military_patrons.html. This one-stop location is designed to keep you current on the latest sales, deals, discounts, coupons, and promotions taking place at your local exchange and commissary. Our Coalition partners also offer you further discounts through coupons, contests, promotions, and giveaways. We encourage you to visit our website weekly to take advantage of these additional savings.

By shopping regularly at your local commissary and exchange, you and your family will not only save money but help protect your earned benefits from budget cutters in and outside of Congress who want to take your benefits away. It is important for you to know that the commissary and exchange systems actually save the government money the more often patrons use their benefits. So, the more you shop at your commissary and exchange, the greater the savings for you and the nation. Now that is savings we can all count on!

To learn more about Save Our Benefit or to join our efforts, please visit www.saveourbenefit.org.