You may want to arrange to have all or part of your pay check deposited directly in a U.S. bank if you have not already done so. You can also arrange for a direct deposit of your entire check to the Navy Federal Credit Union as they have a branch here or an allotment once you report to Italy. Consider keeping a Mastercard, Visa, or American Express account as these cards are widely accepted in Italy and throughout Europe, including in overseas exchanges and in making catalogue orders. Check with your sponsor for any essential items which are unavailable or prohibitively expensive in this area. If you are accustomed to living on two incomes, there may be a long period of living on only one income.
Jobs are hard to come by on base.
It is not recommended to come here deeply in debt. There may be job openings from time to time but there is no guarantee that your spouse can get a job right away. Most personnel reporting to Europe may be able to get substantial savings on their automobile insurance premium if they have a claim free period of a least one to three years. Not all insurance companies in Italy have this policy, but to take advantage of this discount, you must have a letter in hand from your previous insurance company before coming here, stating the period of time that you have been claim free. This must be done on your initial application for insurance and in most cases, the discount will not be retroactive.