We are AFROTC parents. For our DS we started buying his AD uniforms as Christmas/birthday presents starting his junior year. His graduation/commissioning gifts were the last of the items he needed. In the AF, they are expected to also own the mess dress (tuxedo @400), so that is also why we did it over two years.
If AROTC is like AFROTC they are given an allotment, but it depends on whether you hand back your ROTC uniforms or keep them.
As far as worrying about real world expenses, they will be offered the career starter loan through USAA. There are many threads that discuss this loan, some are on the after academy life forum.
~~~ On a whole just like many hot topic threads there are two different perspectives about the approach of how to spend the 25k low interest loan.
Some will use it to buy a car, pay off student loans. Some say use it to invest.
~~~~ Our DS did not take the total 25k. He took only 10k. He did not use it to buy a car, but he also made sure he did not go insane on a car. He purchased a new Toyota, 0% interest, plus by showing his commissioning paperwork and his graduation paperwork he received @2000 rebate. This meant even though the car was more than 15k, the combo of rebates and lower interest rate was the same cost in the long run. Most car companies will not give those rebates until you can prove with paperwork.
The 10k he placed 5k immediately into an IRA. The other 5k he used when he PCS to his first duty station to set up his house. He was lucky he did this because when he got to his base he had a delay in his pay so he was able to use that money to buy things and make utility deposits. After it was all settled with his pay, he immediately dumped that pay into a mutual fund money market account, thus he is now getting a higher return than the 2.75% interest rate the starter loan is charging.
Just putting it out there that the 25k at a low rate is great, but if they don't think about it from a financial perspective they could be digging a hole filled with more debt. If their college loans are at another rate, it might be smart to pay off those loans, but remember the student loans are over 10 years, not 4,. The starter loan maybe a lower interest rate, but if they use it all there, than where will they get their money to start up their first apartment? Credit cards? That means 9-10%, whereas, the student loan would be at 4%, using the starter is fiscally advantageous in the long run especially as an O1.
Sorry to divert the thread, but just wanted to put it out there because I have seen how our DS's friends took different paths without talking to the folks for advice. In fairness, many of the kids didn't talk to the folks about the loan, they took it and did what they wanted. I.E. purchased a car.
EDelahanty,
I get where you are coming from....even with us buying uniforms over the long run, you'd be amazed how expensive buying the rank, insignia, alterations can run you. I think we still spent a couple of hundred.
+1 Aglahad.
The sabre is a neat gift, but most people I know with sabres have them hanging on the wall. Our DS is getting married in May. 2 of his groomsmen are AF.They are not doing the sabres because the majority of his AF friends are not invited, and probably do not own them (not sure). Buy it, but I would spend the extra money for the frame(mounting) as the 1st item for their official I Love me wall.