Author: Eric Webb

  • VA Disability Compensation Statistics: Inside the $174 Billion Paid to America’s Veterans

    VA Disability Compensation Statistics: Inside the $174 Billion Paid to America’s Veterans

    This post was originally published on this site.

    Many veterans know their own monthly disability compensation amount down to the dollar. Far fewer know what that number looks like at scale — how much the VA pays out in total, where that money concentrates, and how quickly it’s growing. The FY2025 VBA Compensation Report puts real numbers behind those questions, and the picture it paints is bigger and more concentrated than most people assume. 

    But why does it matter?

    Understanding where VA disability dollars go (which VA rating levels absorb most of the budget, which states receive the most, and how fast the system is growing) helps you calibrate your own expectations and strategy.

    If most of the money is flowing to veterans with a 100% VA rating, that tells you something about where the VA’s own resources and attention are concentrated, and where the gap between a partial rating and a full one really matters financially. 

    This article breaks down the numbers: the national total, how VA disability compensation is distributed by rating tier, what the data shows about state-level totals, and what it means for your own claim strategy. 

    Table of Contents

    Summary of Key Points

    • The VA paid $174.05 billion in disability compensation to 6,338,253 veterans in FY2025 (an average of $27,461 per veteran). 
    • Veterans rated 100% disabled received $93.8 billion, or 53.9% of the entire compensation budget, despite being under 30% of all recipients. 
    • Total compensation grew 5.8% year-over-year as the veteran population on the rolls grew from 5,992,967 to 6,338,253. 
    • Florida received $13.1 billion in annual VA disability compensation in the most recent state-level data (more than any other state), with Texas, California, North Carolina, and Virginia rounding out the top five. 
    • Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) for surviving families added another $11.51 billion on top of veteran compensation, reaching 549,324 recipients. 

    In FY2025, the VA paid $174.05 billion in disability compensation to 6,338,253 veterans (an average of $27,461 per veteran for the year). Veterans rated 100% disabled made up less than a third of all recipients but received $93.8 billion of that total, or 53.9% of every dollar the VA paid out. Florida alone accounted for $13.1 billion in annual compensation, more than any other state. 

    -VA Claims Insider

    How Much the VA Actually Pays Veterans

    As of September 30, 2025, the VA was paying disability compensation to 6,338,253 veterans nationwide, a total of $174.05 billion for the fiscal year. That works out to an average of $27,461 per veteran annually — roughly $2,288 a month, though individual payments vary widely based on rating percentage and number of dependents. 

    That total isn’t static. The compensation rolls grew by 345,286 veterans compared to FY2024 (a 5.8% increase), while 476,802 veterans filed as new recipients during the year. The dollar total is growing even faster than the recipient count, for a straightforward reason: the veterans joining the rolls, and the veterans already on them, are accumulating more service-connected disabilities and moving toward higher combined ratings over time. 

    Where the Money Concentrates: The Rating-Tier Breakdown

    The single biggest driver of the FY2025 compensation total is the 100% disability tier. Veterans rated 100% received $93.8 billion of the $174.05 billion paid out — 53.9% of the entire budget — even though they represent well under a third of all recipients. Put another way: the remaining $80.2 billion (46.1% of the budget) is spread across every veteran rated anywhere from 10% through 90%. 

    That concentration is intensifying, not stable. The table below shows how the recipient count at each rating tier changed between FY2024 and FY2025. Every tier from 70% and above grew. Every tier from 30% and below shrank. 

    Rating  FY2024 Recipients  FY2025 Recipients  YoY Change 
    100%  1,547,842  1,847,449  +299,607 (+19.4%) 
    90%  621,930  679,688  +57,758 (+9.3%) 
    80%  595,721  627,300  +31,579 (+5.3%) 
    70%  545,452  562,930  +17,478 (+3.2%) 
    30%  335,731  320,674  -15,057 (-4.5%) 
    20%  371,767  355,239  -16,528 (-4.4%) 
    10%  877,391  861,702  -15,689 (-1.8%) 

    Source: FY2025 VBA Compensation Report, five-year rating distribution tables. The 40%–60% tiers are omitted here because the underlying report did not publish complete year-over-year recipient counts for those levels; the report does note that 40% ratings declined 2.5% year-over-year, consistent with the broader pattern above. 

    Which States Get the Most

    The most recent data shows a clear leader in state-level veterans benefits: Florida veterans received $13.1 billion in annual disability compensation, more than any other state. Texas, California, North Carolina, and Virginia round out the top five states by total compensation volume. 

    That ranking tracks with veteran population size and cost of living more than with any state-specific VA policy — Florida, Texas, and California are simply home to large numbers of veterans, many of them retirees who relocated after service. If you’re comparing your own state’s veteran benefits landscape, this compensation ranking is a useful companion to our guide to the best veteran benefits by state, which covers the state-level programs — property tax exemptions, tuition waivers, and similar — that stack on top of federal compensation. 

    >> See Veterans Benefits by State

    The Other Side of the Ledger: Survivor Benefits

    The $174.05 billion in veteran compensation doesn’t include Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) — the separate benefit paid to surviving spouses, children, and dependent parents of veterans who died from service-connected conditions. DIC added another $11.51 billion in FY2025, reaching 549,324 recipients nationwide. New DIC claims are growing faster than veteran compensation itself — a trend significant enough to warrant its own look at what’s driving it. 

    >> Learn more about VA Survivor Benefits

    Why the System Keeps Growing

    Two forces are pushing the total budget higher year over year: more veterans are joining the compensation rolls (up 5.8%), and the veterans already on the rolls are accumulating more service-connected disabilities and moving into higher rating tiers.

    Total service-connected disabilities on file grew 11.6% in FY2025 — nearly double the rate at which the veteran population itself grew. That gap between “more veterans” and “more disabilities per veteran” is the real engine behind the rising dollar total, and it’s worth understanding on its own terms. 

    What This Means for Your Claim

    These numbers aren’t just background context — they’re a rough map of where the VA’s compensation system rewards precision. The jump from 90% to 100% is worth more to your household budget than any other single step in the rating scale, which is exactly why that tier shows the steepest year-over-year growth.

    If your combined rating has been sitting in the 70%–90% range for a while, the most direct paths forward may be the ones already available in your claim file: previously unrated secondary conditions, or a condition that has worsened enough to justify a VA rating increase. 

    PRO TIP: Easily see what an increase could do to your monthly compensation with our VA Disability Calculator.

    Conclusion

    The VA’s $174.05 billion disability compensation system is larger, faster-growing, and more concentrated at the top of the rating scale than most veterans realize. Over half of every dollar paid out goes to the roughly one-in-four veterans who have a 100% VA rating, and that concentration grew sharply in FY2025. Whether you’re evaluating your own claim strategy or just trying to understand the system you’re part of, the rating tier you’re sitting at matters more to the math than almost anything else in your file.

    YOU SERVED. YOU DESERVE.

    You served. You earned the right to file. You earned the right to be heard. And you earned the right to pursue every VA benefit you legally qualify for.

    So here is the real question:

    Do you have the VA rating you were given, or the VA rating you truly deserve?

    Want Expert-Level VA Claim Help? WE GOT YOUR SIX!

    • VA Claims Insider helps educate and empower veterans to get the VA rating they deserve.
    • Work directly with a VA Claims Insider Coach who can help lead you to VA claim victory.
    • 50,000+ disabled veterans served in our membership programs since 2016.
    • 33% average rating increase for veterans who complete our Elite program.
    • 92% of all VA Claims Insider customer reviews are 4 or 5 stars.

    Deserve a Higher VA Rating? Start Now!

    FAQs | Frequently Asked Questions

    How much does the VA pay veterans in disability compensation each year?

    In FY2025, the VA paid $174.05 billion in disability compensation to 6,338,253 veterans nationwide, an average of $27,461 per veteran for the year. 

    What’s the average VA disability payment per veteran?

    The FY2025 average was $27,461 per year, or roughly $2,288 per month. Individual payments vary significantly based on your combined rating percentage and the number of dependents on your award. 

    Which states receive the most VA disability compensation?

    Florida leads with $13.1 billion in annual compensation, followed by Texas, California, North Carolina, and Virginia, according to the VA’s most recent state-level data. 

    Why do veterans rated 100% receive over half of all VA compensation?

    Veterans at 100% receive the maximum monthly rate, and the FY2025 data shows this group grew 19.4% year-over-year — far faster than any other rating tier. That combination of the highest per-veteran payment and the fastest-growing group is why 100%-rated veterans account for 53.9% of the entire compensation budget. 

    Is VA disability compensation taxable?

    No. VA disability compensation is not subject to federal income tax, regardless of your rating percentage. For a full explanation of how this affects other benefits and tax filings, see VACI’s guide to whether VA disability is taxable. 

    How is my monthly VA disability payment amount determined?

    Your payment is based on your combined disability rating and the number of dependents (spouse, children, dependent parents) on your award. The VA publishes updated payment charts each year — see the 2026 VA disability pay chart for exact monthly amounts by rating and dependent status. 

    About the Author

    ETW

    Eric Webb

    Eric has written and worked in the field of Veterans Disability since 2020 and enjoys writing educational content for the veteran population. His prior work has been published in the Official Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). He holds a Degree in Health and Exercise Science. 

  • US withdraws combat troops from Nigeria after counterterrorism mission

    US withdraws combat troops from Nigeria after counterterrorism mission

    This post was originally published on this site.

    The United States has withdrawn most of the troops sent to Nigeria earlier this year, after wrapping up a combat operation against Islamic State fighters in the country.

    Gen. Dagvin Anderson, head of U.S. Africa Command, confirmed the drawdown of “much of our forces that were just there for that operation.” Speaking at the 2026 African Chiefs of Defense Conference, Anderson said that the campaign around the Lake Chad Basin in the spring “not only helped the countries in that immediate region; it also helped countries globally as that disrupted the ISIS network.” 

    As a result, he added, “ISIS’s leadership has been significantly degraded there.”

    An AFRICOM spokesperson told Task & Purpose that the U.S.-Nigeria partnership “is ongoing and remains strong, focused on disrupting and eliminating shared security threats. At the invitation of the government, we continue to have forces in Nigeria. The number of personnel will fluctuate as required to meet requirements.”

    Top Stories This Week

    The United States has more than 100 service members in Nigeria for a training and advising mission, but deployed additional combat forces — including special operations personnel — this spring specifically for the operations in the Lake Chad region, Nigeria’s defense minister told Agence France-Presse. 

    That operation ramped up in May, with a series of airstrikes and raids in northeastern Nigeria between May 15-18. A joint U.S.-Nigerian raid targeted Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the global second-in-command of the terrorist group. The New York Times, citing multiple officials, said that roughly two dozen commandos including members of SEAL Team 6 attacked al-Minuki’s position to capture him but after a nearly three-hour fight, the commandos called in an airstrike, killing him.

    Additional strikes followed over the next few days. AFRICOM later said that approximately 200 ISIS fighters were killed in the mission. 

    “Nigeria has been very active since that operation in May,” Anderson said at the conference . “They continue to prosecute targets themselves.” 

    The drawdown of combat forces comes after several months of escalation. Last fall, President Donald Trump repeatedly threatened the use of military force in Nigeria, accusing the government of failing to protect Christians from violence; Nigeria’s government has disputed this. On Christmas, the U.S. fired several missiles into Nigeria, targeting militants in the northwestern state of Sokoto. In February, the United States sent roughly 200 service members to train its military on counter terrorism tactics, but are not combat forces, according to Nigeria.

    Until this spring, most of the American operations against ISIS have been in Somalia, where the U.S. military is carrying out dozens of airstrikes against both ISIS’s arm in the country and the militant group al-Shabab. AFRICOM reports at least 69 airstrikes in Somalia this year.

    The post US withdraws combat troops from Nigeria after counterterrorism mission appeared first on Task & Purpose.

  • Garlic Aioli

    Garlic Aioli

    This post was originally published on this site.

    There’s nothing like having a batch of homemade Garlic Aioli in the fridge to make fries, burgers, sammys, wraps, and roasted veggies instantly better. This budget-friendly aioli is made from scratch in a food processor (not just mayo with garlic stirred in!), and it only takes a handful of basic ingredients to pull together. It’s rich, lightly tangy, and balanced with a touch of honey for a sauce that tastes SO much better than store-bought. It only takes 5 minutes, and I love keeping it on hand for anything that needs a creamy, garlicky boost!

    A Sauce Worth Making From Scratch

    I know aioli sounds a little fancy, but this version is really just simple ingredients, a food processor, and a slow drizzle of oil doing their thing. Aioli traditionally comes from the northwestern Mediterranean and started as a simple garlic-and-oil emulsion (aioli actually means garlic and oil!). Today, a lot of garlic aioli recipes are really more like garlic mayo, and this version is built from scratch with egg and oil blended into a thick, smooth, and glossy emulsion. The fresh garlic makes it unmistakably aioli, the Dijon adds savory flavor and helps the emulsion hold together, and the lemon juice keeps it bright instead of heavy.

    I use vegetable oil here because it keeps the flavor mellow and lets the garlic shine. Extra virgin olive oil can turn bitter when blended hard in a food processor, so I don’t use it for this method. The two big things that make this sauce extra creamy are starting with a room-temperature egg and streaming the oil in slowly. Once you see it turn pale, thick, and glossy, you’ll know you nailed it!

    Recipe Success Tips

    1. Grate the garlic. I grate the garlic directly into the food processor so it blends smoothly into the sauce. This gives you big garlic flavor without crunchy pieces or sharp bits of raw garlic throughout.
    2. Chill before serving if you have time. You can use this garlic aioli right away, but 30 minutes in the fridge gives the garlic time to settle into the sauce and makes the flavor even better!
    3. Try roasted garlic for a sweeter flavor. For a softer, more mellow sauce, swap the raw garlic for roasted garlic. Roasted garlic is sweeter and less sharp, so you can use a few extra cloves if you want a deeper garlic flavor without the bite.

    Two Simple Tricks for the Creamiest Aioli

    A good aioli is less about effort and more about patience with the oil. The food processor does most of the work here, and these two simple steps help the sauce blend into the thick, glossy texture you’re looking for:

    • Start with room-temperature ingredients. A room-temperature egg blends more easily with the oil, which helps it emulsify into a smooth, creamy sauce.
    • Pour the oil in slowly. Keep the food processor running and drizzle the oil in a thin, steady stream. Go slowly and don’t rush it at the beginning. Once you see the mixture turn pale, thicker, and glossy, you can drizzle the oil a little faster.

    How to Fix a Broken Emulsion

    If the sauce looks loose, oily, or separated, don’t panic. It just means the oil joined the party a little faster than the egg could handle it. The first thing I try is adding 1 teaspoon of ice-cold water while the food processor is running. Sometimes that’s enough to bring everything back together without wasting any ingredients.

    If it still doesn’t come together, add one room-temperature egg yolk to a clean food processor bowl and blend it for a few seconds. Then, with the machine running, slowly drizzle the separated aioli back in. It should thicken back up into a smooth, creamy sauce.

    Overhead view of a bowl of homemade garlic aioli with fries.

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    Garlic Aioli

    This creamy Garlic Aioli recipe is made from scratch in a food processor with fresh garlic, Dijon, lemon juice, honey, egg, and oil in just 5 minutes!
    Course Sauce
    Cuisine Mediterranean
    Total Cost $1.06 recipe / $0.07 serving
    Prep Time 5 minutes
    Total Time 5 minutes
    Servings 16 servings (1 Tbsp each)
    Calories 127kcal
    Author Jennie Alley

    Equipment

    • Food Processor

    Ingredients

    • 1 large egg room temperature, $0.12*
    • 2 garlic cloves peeled and grated, $0.18
    • 2 tsp Dijon mustard $0.05
    • ¼ tsp salt $0.02
    • 1 cup vegetable oil 8 oz., $0.60**
    • 1 tsp lemon juice $0.02
    • 1 tsp honey $0.07

    Instructions

    • Gather all of your ingredients.
    • Place the room-temperature egg in the bowl of a food processor and blend for about 20 seconds to break it down.
    • Add the dijon mustard, salt, and grate the garlic cloves directly into the food processor. Blend again for another 20-30 seconds until well combined.
    • With the processor running, very slowly drizzle in the vegetable oil in a thin stream.*** Continue blending until the mixture turns pale, thick, and creamy-about 30 seconds after the oil is fully incorporated.
    • Add the lemon juice and honey, then blend briefly to combine. Taste and adjust salt or lemon juice as needed.
    • Transfer to a clean airtight container and refrigerate.**** Use within 4 days for best quality.

    See how we calculate recipe costs here.

    Notes

    *Room-temperature ingredients are important for a smooth, stable emulsion. If needed, place the whole egg in a bowl of warm (not hot!) water for a few minutes before starting. Since this recipe uses raw egg, I highly recommend using a pasteurized egg. Pasteurized eggs are gently heat-treated to reduce the risk of harmful bacteria without cooking the egg, which makes them a better choice for uncooked sauces like this one.

    **Use a neutral oil, such as vegetable, canola, or avocado oil, for the smoothest flavor. I don’t recommend extra virgin olive oil for this food processor method because it can turn bitter when blended at high speed.

    ***Add the oil slowly while blending to prevent the aioli from breaking. Once the emulsion starts forming, you can drizzle slightly faster.

    ****For a stronger garlic flavor, refrigerate the sauce for 30 minutes before serving.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Tbsp | Calories: 127kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 0.4g | Fat: 14g | Sodium: 48mg | Fiber: 0.04g

    how to make Garlic Aioli Step-by-Step Photos

    The ingredients to make homemade garlic aioli.

    Gather all of your ingredients. Having everything ready makes the emulsifying step much easier!

    An egg in a food processor.

    Blend the egg: Add the room-temperature egg to the bowl of a food processor. Blend for about 20 seconds, or until the yolk and white are fully broken down and the mixture looks smooth and slightly foamy. A room-temperature egg blends more easily and helps the sauce emulsify.

    Hands grating a garlic glove into a food processor.

    Add the mustard and garlic: Add 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard and ¼ teaspoon salt to the food processor. Grate 2 peeled garlic cloves directly into the bowl so the garlic blends in smoothly without leaving large pieces behind. Blend for another 20-30 seconds, or until everything is well combined and the garlic is evenly mixed through.

    Oil being streamed into a food processor to make an emulsion for garlic aioli.

    Make the emulsion: With the food processor running, very slowly drizzle in 1 cup vegetable oil in a thin, steady stream. Don’t rush this step. Adding the oil too quickly can cause the mixture to separate instead of turning creamy. As the oil blends in, the mixture should start to turn pale, thick, glossy, and creamy. Continue blending for about 30 seconds after all the oil has been added.

    Honey and lemon juice added to a food processor with garlic aioli.

    Add the lemon and honey: Add 1 teaspoon lemon juice and 1 teaspoon honey, then blend briefly just until combined. The lemon juice brightens the flavor, and the honey softens the sharpness from the garlic and Dijon. Taste and adjust with a little more salt or lemon juice if needed.

    Overhead view of a bowl of homemade garlic aioli.

    Serve or store: Transfer the sauce to a clean airtight container and refrigerate. It’ll thicken slightly as it chills. You can enjoy your homemade garlic aioli right away, but chilling it for at least 30 minutes will give you a stronger garlic flavor! Use within 4 days for the best quality.

    Overhead side view of a bowl of homemade garlic aioli with a French fry being dipped into it.

    Serving Suggestions

    Garlic aioli works as a dip or spread, so it’s an easy way to make whatever you’re already serving feel a little more special. Keep it simple with fries and potatoes, or use it anywhere you’d normally reach for mayo or ranch:

    • Fries and potatoes: This is the classic pairing you’ll often see on a restaurant menu! Serve it with fries, tater tots, potato wedges, or crispy roasted potatoes.
    • Crispy appetizers: Use it as a dip for zucchini fries, onion rings, mozzarella sticks, or any snacky finger food that needs a creamy garlic sauce on the side.
    • Sandwiches, burgers, and wraps: Spread it onto hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, veggie sandwiches, or wraps instead of plain mayo.
    • Bowl meals: Add a spoonful to a simple grain bowl with rice or quinoa, roasted vegetables, greens, and chickpeas or grilled chicken. The sauce adds enough richness and flavor that you don’t need much to make a delicious meal!
    • Roasted or grilled vegetables: Drizzle it over roasted or grilled asparagus, Brussels sprouts, zucchini, roasted cauliflower, or broccoli right before serving. The warm vegetables soften the aioli slightly and make it extra delicious.
    • Fish and seafood: This sauce is a great swap for tartar sauce with salmon, cod, fish and chips, shrimp, or crab cakes.
    • Raw veggies: Serve it as a creamy dip with cucumbers, carrots, radishes, bell peppers, or any simple veggie tray.
    • Salads and pasta salads: Thin it with a little extra lemon juice or cold water to turn it into a creamy garlic dressing for leafy greens or pasta salad.

    Storage Instructions

    Store homemade garlic aioli in a clean airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, as per USDA guidance on storing emulsions made with raw pasteurized eggs. Since this recipe is made with raw egg and raw garlic, keep it chilled whenever you’re not using it. Use a clean spoon each time you scoop from the container, and give it a quick stir before serving if it separates slightly during storage.

    Room Temperature

    Don’t leave this sauce sitting out for extended periods of time. Raw garlic stored in oil at room temperature can create an environment where harmful bacteria can grow, and the raw egg also needs to stay chilled. As a general food safety rule, don’t leave it out for more than 2 hours, or more than 1 hour if the temperature is 90°F or above. I’d keep it refrigerated until you’re ready to serve, then just return it to the fridge after using.

    Freezer

    I don’t recommend freezing this from-scratch aioli. The egg-and-oil emulsion can separate after thawing, leaving the texture grainy, oily, or broken instead of smooth and creamy.

    Try These Creamy Sauces Next:

    • I’d bring Alabama White Sauce to any cookout when the table needs something different from classic BBQ sauce.
    • Tzatziki Sauce tastes even better after a short chill, once the lemon, garlic, dill, and yogurt blend together.
    • Our easy Homemade Tartar Sauce takes just 5 minutes and tastes so much fresher than the bottled kind.

    More Homemade Dip Recipes

    The post Garlic Aioli appeared first on Budget Bytes.

  • Weekly Meal Plan #94

    Weekly Meal Plan #94

    Printable shopping list

    This week’s meal plan is full of easy, comforting dinners that keep things simple, filling, and family-friendly. A little planning now means less chaos later, fewer last-minute takeout runs, and one less thing to think about at 5 p.m.

    What’s on This Week’s Meal Plan

    This week is all about cozy, easy dinners that actually make sense for real life. We’ve got slow cooker favorites, simple skillet meals, grilled goodness, and creamy comfort food that will make the whole family happy. Pick your nights, grab your groceries, and let dinner be one less thing bossing you around this week.

    Monday: 3 Ingredient Butter Beef
    Tuesday: Crockpot Poppy Seed Chicken
    Wednesday: Sausage and Potato Skillet
    Thursday: Grilled Honey Dijon Garlic Pork Tenderloin
    Friday: Crack Chicken Pasta

    printable meal plan and shopping list

    3 Ingredient Butter Beef

    5 from 1 vote
    My 3 ingredient butter beef is slow cooked until fall apart tender with rich butter and savory onion soup mix.

    View Recipe

    Crockpot Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

    5 from 1 vote
    Million Dollar Chicken is juicy baked chicken topped with a creamy, cheesy layer, crispy bacon, and crunchy almonds.

    View Recipe

    Sausage and Potato Skillet

    5 from 2 votes
    This sausage and potato skillet recipe is meant to be a simple one skillet meal! It has tender baby potatoes, smoked sausage, peppers, and delicious seasonings that take it over the top. It’s hearty, satisfying and loaded with flavor!

    View Recipe

    Grilled Honey Dijon Garlic Pork Tenderloin

    No ratings yet
    Grilled Honey Dijon Garlic Pork Tenderloin is juicy, tangy, flavorful, and cooks up quickly and easily. With a dish this healthy and delicious, you will love having it in your weekly dinner lineup!

    View Recipe

    Crack Chicken Pasta

    5 from 1 vote
    Cheesy, creamy, and loaded with ranch flavor and chunks of juicy chicken, ‘Crack Chicken’ pasta is a dinner that will have everyone raving! And as if you needed more reason to make it, it’s ready in 30 minutes from start to finish!

    View Recipe

    How Many Does It Feed?

    This week’s meal plan includes five easy dinners that feed 4–6 people (depending on whether you’re feeding adults or kids), plus a complete shopping list to keep things simple.

    Why Should I Meal Prep?

    If you haven’t tried planning your meals ahead of time, it really can make the whole week feel less chaotic. Here’s why I swear by it:

    • Saves Time: No more 4:00 PM dinner panic. You already know what’s on the menu, what you need, and how long it takes.
    • Saves Money: A planned grocery list helps you shop smarter, use what you already have, and make the most of leftovers.
    • Less Takeout: When dinner is planned and the groceries are ready, it’s so much easier to skip the drive-thru and cook at home.

    This week’s meal plan includes a free printable shopping list, measured out and ready to go. It makes things so easy! If you don’t see something you like, check out my other weekly meal plans here.

    print meal plan and shopping list here
    Image of the free printable shopping list for this week's meal plan.

    Easy Sides for This Week’s Meal Plan

    Storing Leftovers for Meal Planning

    I only meal plan Monday-Friday because we usually have plans over the weekend! And I always have leftovers we can use to finish off the week! If you do have leftovers, make sure to store them properly in an airtight container in your fridge.

    This post was originally published on this site.

  • Navy reaches its recruiting goal 3 months early

    Navy reaches its recruiting goal 3 months early

    This post was originally published on this site.

    The Navy beat its recruiting goal for new sailors this year, signing up 45,000 new recruits. The service announced the milestone on Thursday. It’s the highest number of people signing up for the Navy in roughly two decades.

    “Today’s Navy is stronger because tens of thousands of Americans chose to answer the call to serve,” Rear Adm. Jim Waters, the head of Navy Recruiting Command, said. “Reaching this milestone is not simply about achieving a recruiting objective – it’s about delivering the talented Sailors our Fleet needs to maintain readiness in an increasingly complex security environment.” 

    The early success marks the second year in a row of the service bringing in far more recruits than its goal. In 2024, the Navy only barely hit its recruiting quota, but in 2025 it brought in 44,096 new sailors, nearly 9% about that year’s aim. That was after the Navy also hit its goal early, signing up 40,600 by June. 

    Top Stories This Week

    This fiscal year the Navy set its quota higher by roughly 10% and met it early. It’s a turnaround from 2023, where the service failed to meet its goal of new officers and enlisted sailors by several hundred and several thousand, respectively. That year saw several branches of the armed forces fall short, causing them to overhaul their recruiting strategies to better reach Americans. 

    Last year, Waters credited the success to clearer processes for tattoos and medical waivers, as well as new marketing strategies aimed at Gen Z Americans. This year, he said the wider success over the last three years with a modernized recruiting strategy, better data and accelerating applicant timelines. 

    “Our recruiters never lost sight of what matters most – people,” Waters said. “Every contract represents someone who chose to serve something greater than themselves.” 

    The Navy also said that it is working to strengthen its Delayed Entry Program, which allows people to sign a contract but wait up to a year before shipping out to start boot camp. 

    The Navy joins several other branches in beating their recruiting goals early this year. In April, the Department of the Air Force said that both the Air Force and Space Force hit their target five months early. The Army meanwhile said in May that it met its quota of 61,500 recruits.

    The post Navy reaches its recruiting goal 3 months early appeared first on Task & Purpose.

  • 180 Faiths Dropped, New Rules on Facial Hair: The State of Faith in Today’s Military

    180 Faiths Dropped, New Rules on Facial Hair: The State of Faith in Today’s Military

    As the United States prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of its founding, the military is once again confronting a question almost as old as the nation itself: What does religious freedom look like inside an institution built on discipline, uniformity and readiness?

  • Unemployment for post-9/11 veterans climbs in June as nation’s job market slides

    Unemployment for post-9/11 veterans climbs in June as nation’s job market slides

    The closely watched jobless rate for the post-9/11 generation of veterans bumped up from 4.1% in May to 4.8% in June as the nation’s ability to create new jobs took a nosedive, according to a monthly jobs report released Thursday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    The report also showed an increase in the unemployment rate for all veterans from a remarkably low 3.2% in May to 4.1% in June, despite the continued strong showing of women veterans in the labor market.

    The BLS data showed that the jobless rate for women veterans has come down from 7.1% in March to 4.4% in April and 3.3% in May before ticking up to 3.6% in June, which was still well below the month’s unemployment rate for the general population (4.1%).

    For many analysts, the most concerning figures in the BLS report were the weak numbers on job creation. Total nonfarm payroll employment changed little in June by adding 57,000 jobs, about half of what analysts predicted.

    A main concern was the hiring slowdown in the healthcare sector, which has consistently been setting the pace for adding jobs through both the Biden and Trump administrations.

    The BLS report said that employment in healthcare added 22,000 jobs in June, “but at a slower pace than the average monthly gain over the prior 12 months of 38,000.”

    Leisure and hospitality employment, meanwhile, usually a strong performer, declined by 61,000 jobs in June, “reflecting weaker than usual seasonal hiring,” the report said. Thus far in 2026, “employment in the industry has shown little net change.”

    Overall, “it’s a pretty disappointing jobs report,” Heather Long, chief economist for the Navy Federal Credit Union, told Military Times in a phone interview.

    “Tech is still strong,” she said, “but healthcare has cooled off a little bit,” and “wages are not keeping up with inflation.”

    Long noted increases in the unemployment rates for veterans but added that the data is from a relatively small sample.

    “That’s why you see a lot of movement” in the numbers for veterans, she said, adding that the “verdict is still out” on whether artificial intelligence will be the major job killer that many expect.

    The AI impact on the jobs market is “not showing up in the data yet,” Natasha Sarin, a former assistant secretary at the Treasury Department under the Biden administration, told MS Now, which could be the result of new research showing that the expected impact of AI on white collar entry-level jobs may have been overstated.

    The Trump administration sought to put the best face on the BLS report, showing a weakening labor market. Kush Desai, a White House spokesman, posted that the report “reinforces that the American labor market remains solid thanks to President Trump’s economic agenda.”

    He called attention to the report that the nation added 3,000 manufacturing jobs in June, although that was down from 7,000 manufacturing jobs added in May.

    New acting Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling stated that “Manufacturing employment, which was devastated under the Biden Administration, continues to grow as we secure historic investments and reshoring of critical industries,” despite the loss of 4,000 manufacturing jobs cited in the BLS report.

    “President Trump’s America first agenda continues to provide greater wages for workers and certainty to the sectors which will fuel the next 250 years of U.S. economic security,” he added.

    Despite the claims, the BLS data showed that wages were not keeping up with inflation. The report showed that wages rose 3.5% in June, while the annual inflation rate through May noted in a separate BLS report (the Consumer Price Index) rose by 4.2%.

    This post was originally published on this site.

  • Unemployment for post-9/11 veterans climbs in June as nation’s job market slides

    Unemployment for post-9/11 veterans climbs in June as nation’s job market slides

    The closely watched jobless rate for the post-9/11 generation of veterans bumped up from 4.1% in May to 4.8% in June as the nation’s ability to create new jobs took a nosedive, according to a monthly jobs report released Thursday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    The report also showed an increase in the unemployment rate for all veterans from a remarkably low 3.2% in May to 4.1% in June, despite the continued strong showing of women veterans in the labor market.

    The BLS data showed that the jobless rate for women veterans has come down from 7.1% in March to 4.4% in April and 3.3% in May before ticking up to 3.6% in June, which was still well below the month’s unemployment rate for the general population (4.1%).

    For many analysts, the most concerning figures in the BLS report were the weak numbers on job creation. Total nonfarm payroll employment changed little in June by adding 57,000 jobs, about half of what analysts predicted.

    A main concern was the hiring slowdown in the healthcare sector, which has consistently been setting the pace for adding jobs through both the Biden and Trump administrations.

    The BLS report said that employment in healthcare added 22,000 jobs in June, “but at a slower pace than the average monthly gain over the prior 12 months of 38,000.”

    Leisure and hospitality employment, meanwhile, usually a strong performer, declined by 61,000 jobs in June, “reflecting weaker than usual seasonal hiring,” the report said. Thus far in 2026, “employment in the industry has shown little net change.”

    Overall, “it’s a pretty disappointing jobs report,” Heather Long, chief economist for the Navy Federal Credit Union, told Military Times in a phone interview.

    “Tech is still strong,” she said, “but healthcare has cooled off a little bit,” and “wages are not keeping up with inflation.”

    Long noted increases in the unemployment rates for veterans but added that the data is from a relatively small sample.

    “That’s why you see a lot of movement” in the numbers for veterans, she said, adding that the “verdict is still out” on whether artificial intelligence will be the major job killer that many expect.

    The AI impact on the jobs market is “not showing up in the data yet,” Natasha Sarin, a former assistant secretary at the Treasury Department under the Biden administration, told MS Now, which could be the result of new research showing that the expected impact of AI on white collar entry-level jobs may have been overstated.

    The Trump administration sought to put the best face on the BLS report, showing a weakening labor market. Kush Desai, a White House spokesman, posted that the report “reinforces that the American labor market remains solid thanks to President Trump’s economic agenda.”

    He called attention to the report that the nation added 3,000 manufacturing jobs in June, although that was down from 7,000 manufacturing jobs added in May.

    New acting Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling stated that “Manufacturing employment, which was devastated under the Biden Administration, continues to grow as we secure historic investments and reshoring of critical industries,” despite the loss of 4,000 manufacturing jobs cited in the BLS report.

    “President Trump’s America first agenda continues to provide greater wages for workers and certainty to the sectors which will fuel the next 250 years of U.S. economic security,” he added.

    Despite the claims, the BLS data showed that wages were not keeping up with inflation. The report showed that wages rose 3.5% in June, while the annual inflation rate through May noted in a separate BLS report (the Consumer Price Index) rose by 4.2%.

    This post was originally published on this site

  • Unemployment for post-9/11 veterans climbs in June as nation’s job market slides

    Unemployment for post-9/11 veterans climbs in June as nation’s job market slides

    The closely watched jobless rate for the post-9/11 generation of veterans bumped up from 4.1% in May to 4.8% in June as the nation’s ability to create new jobs took a nosedive, according to a monthly jobs report released Thursday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    The report also showed an increase in the unemployment rate for all veterans from a remarkably low 3.2% in May to 4.1% in June, despite the continued strong showing of women veterans in the labor market.

    The BLS data showed that the jobless rate for women veterans has come down from 7.1% in March to 4.4% in April and 3.3% in May before ticking up to 3.6% in June, which was still well below the month’s unemployment rate for the general population (4.1%).

    For many analysts, the most concerning figures in the BLS report were the weak numbers on job creation. Total nonfarm payroll employment changed little in June by adding 57,000 jobs, about half of what analysts predicted.

    A main concern was the hiring slowdown in the healthcare sector, which has consistently been setting the pace for adding jobs through both the Biden and Trump administrations.

    The BLS report said that employment in healthcare added 22,000 jobs in June, “but at a slower pace than the average monthly gain over the prior 12 months of 38,000.”

    Leisure and hospitality employment, meanwhile, usually a strong performer, declined by 61,000 jobs in June, “reflecting weaker than usual seasonal hiring,” the report said. Thus far in 2026, “employment in the industry has shown little net change.”

    Overall, “it’s a pretty disappointing jobs report,” Heather Long, chief economist for the Navy Federal Credit Union, told Military Times in a phone interview.

    “Tech is still strong,” she said, “but healthcare has cooled off a little bit,” and “wages are not keeping up with inflation.”

    Long noted increases in the unemployment rates for veterans but added that the data is from a relatively small sample.

    “That’s why you see a lot of movement” in the numbers for veterans, she said, adding that the “verdict is still out” on whether artificial intelligence will be the major job killer that many expect.

    The AI impact on the jobs market is “not showing up in the data yet,” Natasha Sarin, a former assistant secretary at the Treasury Department under the Biden administration, told MS Now, which could be the result of new research showing that the expected impact of AI on white collar entry-level jobs may have been overstated.

    The Trump administration sought to put the best face on the BLS report, showing a weakening labor market. Kush Desai, a White House spokesman, posted that the report “reinforces that the American labor market remains solid thanks to President Trump’s economic agenda.”

    He called attention to the report that the nation added 3,000 manufacturing jobs in June, although that was down from 7,000 manufacturing jobs added in May.

    New acting Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling stated that “Manufacturing employment, which was devastated under the Biden Administration, continues to grow as we secure historic investments and reshoring of critical industries,” despite the loss of 4,000 manufacturing jobs cited in the BLS report.

    “President Trump’s America first agenda continues to provide greater wages for workers and certainty to the sectors which will fuel the next 250 years of U.S. economic security,” he added.

    Despite the claims, the BLS data showed that wages were not keeping up with inflation. The report showed that wages rose 3.5% in June, while the annual inflation rate through May noted in a separate BLS report (the Consumer Price Index) rose by 4.2%.

    This post was originally published on this site.

  • 250 Years Later, Americans Still Swear an Oath to the Constitution

    250 Years Later, Americans Still Swear an Oath to the Constitution

    As the United States prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday, Americans will gather for fireworks, parades and ceremonies honoring the nation’s founding. The anniversary is also an opportunity to remember one of the country’s most enduring traditions: the oath to support and defend the Constitution.