When it comes to the act of changing place of residence, no one knows it more than families in the military, as it is something they are faced with often. Most will agree that PCS (Permanent change of station) moves are anything but permanent. Some will move every few yeas, while others may stay at a duty station for over 5 years. Regardless, the fact remains, moving is an inevitable part of life for families in the military. If you are gearing up for an upcoming PCS move, regardless of whether it’s your first time or not, our top 8 moving tips for PCS moves will help you to get organized.
- You should begin your moving process as soon as you learn of your permanent change of station orders. Moving home is a straightforward process but it entails a plethora of details. Organizing a move can be time consuming, and stressful if important details are not addressed in a timely manner. Set up a meeting with your base transportation office as soon as you learn of your upcoming move. All moving options, and details, such eligibility for relocation benefits will be discussed at this time.
- Keep your paperwork organized, and in one place. Important documents such as birth certificates, social security cards, mortgage documents, and rental agreements should all be in your possession, especially when the move day arrives. This will also prevent anything of great importance being misplaced, accidently thrown out, or damaged. For comfort, and convenience, designate a handy binder or folder for all of your documents.
- Take inventory of your items. Now it may be tough to inventory every single item you are moving. It may even be nearly impossible. However, if you take pictures, this process will become much easier and faster to complete. At the very least, you should take inventory of all high value items. If anything is lost, or damaged, a photo that is dated and timed will be hard to dispute.
- When taking pictures of your belongings, use this time to also document any complicated, electronic setups. To simplify matters in your new home, taking pictures of the back of your TVs or entertainment areas will prove to be of great benefit.
- Stop buying household chemicals, and other hazardous substances as soon as you learn of your upcoming move. Use up what you have, or consciously discard of whatever is left over. These are the items considered too dangerous to move, and therefore, the movers will not take them on the truck. Contact your company for a full list of items the movers won’t move.
- Carefully consider what is worth taking with you to your new place. Chances are if you haven’t used something since you first arrived at your current place few years ago, you won’t use it at the new place. Unnecessary packing, and unpacking is time and energy wasted, because packing just so happens to be one of the most time consuming aspects of moving. Proceed with caution when sorting through your items to pack, and purge if necessary.
- Pre-clean your new home before you settle in. Although the place should be in overall good shape, there still may be traces of dust, and debris throughout your entire home. You wouldn’t want to place your dish ware in cabinets that have not been at the very least wiped down with a damp cloth. Same thing goes for your linen closets. Make sure you also know all the regulations about cleaning your home before you move out as well.
- As with any other move, one of the main things you should do is create an essentials box. Essentially, this box should contain anything, and everything you will need to comfortably survive the first few nights at your new place. These items include, toiletries, laptops, bedding, etc.
Pro Tip ⇒⇒⇒ Important items such as prescription medication that you take on a daily basis should not go in the “Essentials Box”, but rather be kept on you.