How Did We Survived Without “Smart Phones”??
I have a hard time imagining MILSO life 20 years ago, before cell phones or smart phone. Those who have been in this life for any significant length of time have already seen such a huge change in how we manage this lifestyle. Nowadays, the right military spouse apps are so important!
If you are anything like me, your cell phone is more than just another appendage; it is your lifeline. Your phone helps you find that perfect cookie recipe for your child’s bake sale, has the GPS for when you get lost and holds the 4.7 thousand photos of your life. It also typically is the key to communicating with your loved one during workups and deployments. Even after 15 years being involved with a military man, I am constantly finding new ways to stay organized, prepared and “in-the-know” when it comes to my phone.
Making your phone work for YOU is vital for every MILSO. I truly believe that your phone being packed full of useful apps not only will make your day to day life easier, but also give you the edge when it comes to managing this crazy military life. Not to long ago I compiled my top 17 Must-Have Apps for every modern military spouse and I am here to give you even more!
So here are 8 MORE Must-Have Apps for every modern military spouse. After all, you can never have too many, as I right??
BrightNest
Ever blindsided by home maintenance tasks that seem to come out of nowhere (who knew you needed to change the filters on the HVAC every 3-6 months)?? Add in the “Deployment Curse” and you are in for a fun ride! BrightNest contains all of your home maintenance information in one place so you can easily access what needs to be tackled and what can wait. You can even set up the app to send you reminders when you need to do certain tasks to keep on home maintenance while your SO is deployed! Perfect!
MilitaryByOwner
Finding off-base housing has never been so easy. MilitaryByOwner’s military home finder app allows you to preview homes on your phone making your next PCS house hunting trip a breeze. You can search for your next home For Sale or For Rent by military base or by proximity to your current location. Advanced search parameters allow easy filtering of results and you have the ability with the app to save your favorites for easy access.
The Big Moving Adventure
This is an app for families coping with a recent or pending move, which will help teach your child about what to expect when relocating. Make moving fun with Sesame Street’s The Big Moving Adventure!
Your young child (ages 2–5) can create his own Muppet friend and help him or her through the moving process, including: Hearing the news, packing, saying goodbye, expressing feelings, traveling, exploring the new home, and making new friends. The Parents Section contains more detailed tips and suggestions on these same topics to help families who are in the process of relocating. Even take pictures of real places from within the app to help your child realize their community grows with every move they make.
Viber
Not all video call apps are available to everyone. I discovered Viber just recently from a friend! She doesn’t have Facetime on her phone (Hello, Android users!), so she uses Viber to keep in contact with her friends and family around the world! This is a free program that will enable you to video chat, call, and text anyone who has the program – you just need to be on wifi or have a signal. This is a great option for those oversees tours and deployments!
Doing Time
Not everyone likes to do countdowns (our life personally doesn’t allow much room for it because of consistent changed with the schedule). However, I know many people find comfort in a countdown calendar. Doing Time is a free app that countdowns based on the specifications you program into it. Created by a military member, it features a “deployment donut” to help visualize time left. You can even create multiple countdowns at the same time so you can visualize a PCS and deployment without skipping a beat!
Around Me
New to your current area and want to explore this summer? This app lists information about your local area such as restaurants, movie theaters, gas stations, shopping, coffee shops and more. This is perfect for exploring your new duty station area and also for those traveling!
Strides
Log and keep track of all of your habits goals in one place. It’s that easy! From how much water you drink to your savings account, it is all in one place! It will even track your bad habits! Daily, weekly, monthly, yearly or rolling average targets, project deadlines and milestones and so much more. This is by far my favorite tracking app as a milso; keeping all my deployment goals right at my fingertips.
My Ultimate PCS App
I can’t handle how excited I am about this app you guys! My Ultimate PCS App is the first and only PCS MILSO planning app. Created by two fellow MILSOs, it tackles all the boring but vital aspects of prepping for your next PCS. Included are checklists to keep you on track, inventory sheets (with ability to load pictures), important links and more. And there is still more coming! Make sure to check them out!
