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Scott Airmen getting the most 'cluck for their buck'

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Divine Cox
  • 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
Team Scott Airmen on meal cards have been temporarily receiving the military's basic allowance for subsistence, or BAS, as a result of renovations to the Scott dining facility.

To help Airmen budget, the 375th Medical Group and the Scott AFB Airman and Family Readiness Center came out with a plan called "Cluck For Your Buck."

"The 375th MDG contacted the A&FRC and asked if they could put something together to educate Airman on how to effectively manage the $323 a month that they are getting as a result of the DFAC being closed," said Lona Berndt, community readiness consultant.

The 375th MDG had two concerns. One being if Airmen don't manage the money sufficiently, they will run out of resources to purchase food or possibly compromise other financial obligations like car payments in order to eat, and two, being if they choose to eat fast food several times daily then there may be health and performance issues along with the financial concern.

"So we developed a plan to combat both of these concerns," said Mrs. Berndt. "The goal of our event is to educate Airmen on the savings associated with using the commissary, how to do some meal planning, how to get the most 'Cluck for Your Buck,' and how to ensure that they are making healthy choices."

To help Airmen get the most out of their BAS, the AFRC conducted a tour of the commissary and a financial presentation.

"The commissary portion of the event lasted more than an hour," said Mrs. Berndt. "There, Airmen got three recipes and had to shop to acquire the ingredients to make the recipes. Toward the end of the aisles there was three taste testing displays that were prepared recipes for the Airmen to sample."

Along with picking up the needed ingredients, Airmen talked about marketing, reading labels, cost comparisons and shopping strategies.

After they finished there, they returned to the AFRC for a 30-minute presentation on "how to make your BAS last a full month, and then some."