Military spouses often face unique financial challenges due to frequent relocations and variable household income. In response, a variety of organizations, retailers, and government programs offer complimentary items, discounts, and services to support these families. The available benefits range from essential groceries and household goods to educational supplies and recreational activities. Access to these resources typically requires verification of military affiliation, often through a valid military ID or enrollment in specific support programs. The following guide details the types of freebies and discounts available to military spouses, based on current information.
Grocery and Household Essentials
Managing the cost of daily living is a primary concern for many military families. Several programs exist to provide essential goods at no cost or with significant savings.
WIC Vouchers Many military families qualify for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) vouchers from the government due to low income. These vouchers provide free access to nutritious items such as fresh produce, milk, cheese, peanut butter, juice, wheat bread, and cereal every month. Utilizing WIC can result in savings of approximately 20% on groceries.
School Lunches Military children often qualify for free or reduced-price school lunches, which is dependent on the average income levels around their specific duty station.
Home Improvement Supplies For home maintenance and improvement projects, military spouses can access discounts at major retailers. Home Depot and Lowe’s offer military discounts, which are helpful for the constant projects that arise with homeownership, especially during permanent change of station (PCS) moves.
Crafting and Art Supplies Spouses looking to engage in crafting, school projects, or assembling care packages can find discounts at stores like Michaels. These discounts cover a wide range of crafting needs.
Cosmetics For those who use makeup, several brands offer military discounts on their websites after online verification. These brands include Clinique, MAC, and tarte.
Apple Products Military spouses looking to upgrade devices can take advantage of the Apple Veterans and Military Purchase Program. This program offers savings on eligible products and accessories, and the discount extends to immediate family members living in the same household as the service member.
Food, Beverage, and Dining Offers
While many dining offers are specifically for veterans on Veterans Day, some brands extend their generosity to military spouses and families throughout the year or on specific holidays.
Coffee and Beverages The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf offers a free regular-sized drink to veterans, active-duty military members, and their spouses at participating locations. Einstein Bros. Bagels provides a free hot or iced coffee of any size to veterans and active-duty service members on Veterans Day, redeemable in stores, via the mobile app, or online using the code FREECOFFEE.
Dining Deals Several restaurants offer free meals to veterans and active-duty personnel, which often extends to the military family atmosphere. For example, Dave & Buster’s offers a free entrée (up to $20) plus a $10 Power Card for gameplay on Veterans Day. Dog Haus provides a free Haus Dog, and Eddie Merlot's offers a free Eddie’s Prime Cheeseburger with Fries for dine-in customers. Famous Dave’s offers a free Georgia Chopped Pork Sandwich Lunch, and Farmer Boys offers a free $4 Big Cheese burger on Veterans Day.
Household Goods and Home Services
Maintaining a home and managing household goods are made easier through various support programs.
Furniture and Decor Some organizations provide free furniture to military families in need. While specific programs were not detailed in the provided data, military families often have access to such resources through base support services.
Care Package Materials During deployments, sending care packages is a common way to stay connected. The United States Postal Service (USPS) provides free packaging materials, which can be ordered online. This helps offset the cost of filling and shipping packages.
Apparel and Personal Items
Clothing and personal items can be expensive, but military spouses have access to various discounts and free item programs.
Clothing and Accessories Many retailers offer military discounts on clothing, accessories, and shoes. Stores mentioned include Kohl's, Old Navy, Under Armour, DEVIL-DOG Dungarees, North Face, J.Crew, Vera Bradley, Buckle, Roxy, Rack Room Shoes, Steve Madden, Converse, OOFOS, and Clarks. Discounts may be available both in-store and online, though it is best to verify details with the specific store.
Ball Gowns Military spouses do not need to purchase new ball gowns every year. Options include trading with friends or obtaining one from a base ball gown giveaway. Nationally, Operation Deploy Your Dress provides ball gowns. On base, these giveaways may be sponsored by the Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA) or the Bells of Freedom.
Bikes For families who cannot afford a new bike for their child, the USO’s “That’s my Ride” Program offers assistance. Volunteers assemble thousands of bikes to give to needy families.
Quilts During a parent’s deployment, military children can receive a free, personalized quilt from the ASYMCA through the program Operation Kid Comfort. The quilt includes the child’s name and pictures of them with their deployed parent.
Entertainment and Recreation
Military families can access various recreational and educational opportunities for free or at a low cost.
Museum and Zoo Admission The Blue Star Museums program allows military families to receive free admission to museums across the country. Participating locations often include zoos, Sea World, and children's museums. To gain admission, families can typically show a military ID at the door, though checking the specific museum's website in advance is recommended to see if tickets can be printed.
Swim Lessons and Sports On most military bases, children can take swim lessons for free or at a low price. Youth Sports offers a variety of sports throughout the year, with schedules available from the base Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) office.
Christmas Trees and Gifts The Trees for Troops program, sponsored by the Christmas Spirit Foundation, provides thousands of free pre-cut Christmas trees to military bases annually. Additionally, local churches sometimes adopt military units to provide Christmas gifts for children, which are distributed at unit Christmas parties.
Vacation and Travel
Disney Vacations Through Disney’s Military Salute program, military personnel and their spouses can receive discounted tickets to Disney theme parks and discounts on select rooms at Disney Resort hotels. These deals are available to military spouses even without the service member being present.
Veterans Day Specific Offers
On Veterans Day, numerous brands offer free meals and products to veterans and active-duty military members. While these offers are primarily for those who have served, some brands extend them to military spouses as well.
Starbucks and Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Starbucks and The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf include military spouses in their Veterans Day offers, providing a free drink.
Other Dining Offers Many restaurants offer free meals to veterans and active-duty members, requiring a valid military ID or proof of service. These include Dave & Buster’s, Dog Haus, Eddie Merlot's, Einstein Bros. Bagels, Famous Dave’s, Farmer Boys, and others. Most of these offers are for dine-in customers only.
Great Clips Great Clips offers a deal where civilians can get a haircut and gift a free haircut card to a veteran.
Verification and Eligibility
Accessing these benefits generally requires proof of military affiliation. A valid military ID is the most common form of verification. Other acceptable documents may include a DD-214 for veterans. For online discounts, brands often use verification systems like ID.me to confirm eligibility. It is always advisable to check with the specific brand or program for their current verification requirements.
Conclusion
Military spouses have a wide array of resources available to help offset the costs of groceries, household goods, clothing, and entertainment. From government programs like WIC to retailer discounts and base-specific giveaways, these benefits provide valuable support. To take advantage of these offers, military spouses should ensure they have the necessary verification, such as a military ID, and check with individual brands or base support offices for specific details and availability.