christine: I’m so excited to be back with you today. Last week on the milspouse mastermind show, we talked about decluttering your home and how that is so helpful, whether you are a PCSing or not, but if you are planning to move this year, now is a great time to begin decluttering your home.

[00:00:25] But then I talked about, after we have decluttered our home, there are some other things that we can do to begin preparing for a PCS (permanent change of station). So whether you’re moving stateside, whether you are moving overseas or coming home after an overseas assignment, there are some things that you can begin doing today. So I want to talk through six ways that you can start prepping for your PCS.

[00:00:50] And we’re going to talk through each of these things and how they are not probably on any checklist, but they’re the most practical things that we can begin to do. It’s the things that we all need to know that we hope somebody in our lives is telling us. Plus, I’ll give you two bonus things that you can do to help set yourself up for success.

Are You Apart of the MilSpouse Mastermind Community?

[00:02:16] If you are not already a part of the Milspouse Mastermind Community, we have a free Facebook group where we discuss what we’re talking about on the show each week. I don’t want this ever to become just me talking at you. I want this to be a community because I know that we are better together.

[00:02:38] And if you are not already a part of this community, we would love to have you join us. Just head over to milspousemastermind.com/community. And that will take you right there. You can join the group and participate in the conversation and share what you’re learning and receive information from other spouses who have been through situations, very similar to whatever it is that you are going through right now.

6 Practical PCS Tips

[00:03:05] So now that we are all here together, we’re talking about PCS season because so many of us will be moving in the next few months. And now is the time to have these conversations about how we can offload some of the stress by doing things in advance. And so I had six very practical tips for you today.

[00:03:30] Now some of these are going to apply more if you are moving overseas, but the basic ideas behind these six tips are good for anybody. So I’m going to go into what each item is and then what it applies and looks like for your move, whether you are moving stateside and what that looks like when you were moving overseas.

[00:03:56] Well, as I was coming up with what we’re going to talk about today, I’m like, there is so much that we could talk about. We could spend months talking all about these different elements of PCS season, but I don’t know about you, but I would get tired of that after a while, because there are so much that I have to think about that.

[00:04:17] Sometimes I just need a break from talking about PCSing and thinking about PCSing. I, we, our family moves roughly every 18 months to two years. And so it feels like I am constantly PCSing. We will be putting all of our belongings, hopefully by the time you’ve listened to this, we will be packing up. to move.

[00:04:41] And we’ve only had our stuff now for about 18 months. So yes, we’ve been here a little bit longer, but by the time we received all of our belongings and the time we were packing it up to get it ready to go to our next location, we only had our stuff for about 17, 18 months. It feels like this is something that happens all the time, but hopefully by now I have gotten a little better about this process.

1. 1. Start saving money for your PCS

[00:05:05] And so I want to give you just a few things that you can do now to start setting yourself up for success. And the number one thing I want every military family to know to set yourself up for success is that you start saving money. Now, the more that you can prep. The better off you will be. And this is especially true.

[00:05:31] If you are moving overseas, if you are moving overseas, it’s going to be really, really expensive upfront, before you get that reimbursement. Now I know there are some situations where you can go ahead and get paid in advance, and we’re not going to go into the details of that, but I just want you to be aware of some of the financial costs involved in moving and how you began to set yourself up for that in advance. You can begin saving money, putting aside money each month so that you’re not stressed out and that you don’t feel financially strapped in the middle of it. So every military family that moves is going to get a dislocation allowance.

[00:06:17] And this is basically an amount that the DOD pays your family to cover costs associated with moving. It’s a fixed amount it’s based on rank. And it’s just, this is how much you get to help you with moving. The challenge point being is that it is much more expensive to move overseas than it is stateside.

[00:06:42] And if you are moving from one state side location to another, you can actually do what is called a partial DITY, where you move some of your belongings yourself and you get reimbursed for that effort. But if you are moving overseas, that is not an option. You’re going to have to keep some other expenses in mind.

[00:07:03] If you’re trying to ship a pet overseas, there are a lot of costs that you’re going to incur, trying to ship your pet. And as we go through these next things on my list, you’ll see how these costs can really add up. Things like car expenses, housing expenses, having a down payment on a home, setting up new utilities, trying to get new cell phones, new numbers.

[00:07:31] All of these things are costs that add up and yes, you’re going to get a certain amount reimbursed, but you need to keep in mind that that is a fixed amount and what you’re going through and how much time you’re going to spend on the road. Those costs can add up quickly. So the number one piece of advice is to start saving for your PCS. Now, the more that you save and prep in advance, the less likely that you will be caught off guard and get in a financial bind.

1. 2. Start rationing your liquids

[00:07:55]. Number two super practical tip is that you want to, especially if you were moving overseas, start rationing all of your liquids. You want to keep in mind what you have in your kitchen, in your bathroom, your laundry supplies, your cleaning supplies, because the moving companies are not going to move any of that stuff.

[00:08:29] Now, if you are moving state side, you can put all of that stuff in your car and move it yourself. So you’re not really having to throw all of that out, but you can’t really do that if you’re moving overseas. So you have to realize that, Hey, if I have a bottle of brand new shampoo either that’s got a go in my suitcase or it’s getting tossed out, and then I’m going to have to purchase a new one of those when I get to where I’m going.

[00:08:57] So it can sound not that expensive when we’re talking about, you know, just a few items, but when you start thinking through the amount of liquids that are in your house, think through your bathroom cabinets, what’s in your shower, your shampoo, your soap, your face wash, whatever is in your bathroom. Add all that up.

[00:09:18] Now go over to your laundry room. What kind of cleaning supplies are in there? What do you using to clean your kitchens and your bathrooms and how many different products do you have? How much insect repellent do you have? How much sunscreen, if you have liquid sunscreen. All of the cooking oils in your cabinets.

[00:09:42] For us knowing that we were only here for roughly 18 months to two years, there’s a lot of oils that I didn’t buy that, you know, if I was going to be somewhere longer. If I was moving state side, I would probably be buying those oils to add flavors to my food, but I’m not buying anything new if I can help it, unless I know it’s either cost-effective or I’m going to use it up in the next couple of months. So this is where I start saying, okay, here’s how much liquid do I have? What do I need to do to make it last? And I’m not going to be purchasing any new items, unless it’s something that is really cheap to buy, or I absolutely have to have. So start rationing your liquids.

1. 3. Start planning your meals

[00:10:33] The third recommendation I have is to start planning out your meals. This is where you start going to your pantry. What do you have in there? Start using up what you have planning your meals around what you already have using up. Some of those canned goods that have been sitting in there for a while.

[00:10:56] Use up your rice, your quinoa, whatever you have in your pantry. The more that you can use that stuff up before you leave, the more that you’re not going to be wasting food or giving it away. When our neighbors across the street move last summer, we ended up with so many drinks and other things because they just had a pantry full of stuff that they could not take with them.

[00:11:21] So the more that you can start in advance planning your meals out. Meal planning. The second part is to figure out how much time you’re going to spend on the road and moving. And then this is even more important if you are moving overseas, because you’re going to be without most of your belongings for a long period of time.

[00:11:44] I talked to the other day about how we were without our stuff for about three months before our household goods made it to us. And so, and for a month of that, we were on the road before we actually got to our new assignment. So what I had to do was figure out, what kind of meals can I make with very little kitchen equipment?

[00:12:09] The number of one pot meals that I made. I mean, we got a little tired of eating the same things on rotation, but I had to go through and figure out what recipes could I use that didn’t require a whole lot of kitchen equipment because you’re working with a very limited amount of supplies.We even talked about whether we could pack the instant pot in our suitcases.

[00:12:36] And ultimately we decided it was too big and bulky, and we weren’t going to do that. It also worked out for us because our Crock-Pot had died. And so rather than rebuying one right before we moved, we just waited until we got to our new location. And then we bought a new crock pot to use until we got the rest of our household goods.

[00:13:00] Um, so some people will take a crockpot or an instant pot with them in their luggage. But if you’re just moving stateside, you probably would want to keep one of those in your car with you, if you’re going to be on the road for awhile. Having that one big pot for places that we’ve stayed that had a kitchen. We stayed at some Airbnbs.

[00:13:20] If you’re at a place where you can plug in the instant pot or the crockpot, um, just to help you a eat healthy and not waste money on eating out all the time, because that can add up quickly. So part of meal planning is thinking through what you have in your pantry right now, how you can use that up.

[00:13:44] And then part of that is saying, okay, what kind of simple, easy one pot meals can I be making while we’re in the moving process while we’re on the road, until we get all of our belongings. For us personally. You know, cause I have an episode on this, but I do a lot of freezer meals and we’ve gotten to the point where, Hey, I don’t have, you know, the time to go through all of those meals anymore because our deep freezer is getting packed up in a few weeks.

[00:14:13] And so that’s learning to pair down and having to move. More meals the day of, or the week of, than it is, you know, prepping those freezer meals in advance. So just a different way of approaching meal planning as we get into PCS season.

1. 4. Determine your big rocks: housing, car, schools

The fourth PCS tip that I want to give you today is really to determine your big rocks. And when I say big rocks, I mean, there are some, the three really big pieces of PCSing and that’s number one your housing, where are you going to live? And that takes into consideration where you live right now. If you’re renting and what you need to do to get out of that rental agreement, if you own a home, are you going to rent it?

[00:15:01] Or are you going to try to sell it? So you need to take whatever steps those are to who get rid of wherever you are currently living, and then figure out where you’re going to live with, where you’re going. Are you going to live on base? Are you going to live off base? Are you going to look for a rental?

[00:15:18] Are you going to try to purchase a home and, and figuring out where you’re going to live? That’s going to be a piece of the puzzle. So that’s number one of your big rocks. Your second big rock is going to be vehicles. If you’re just moving stateside, this really typically isn’t a huge deal. If you are moving overseas, the government will only pay to ship one vehicle.

[00:15:44] So options include paying yourself to ship your second vehicle, or you may decide to store that vehicle with a friend or family member while you are gone, or you may decide to sell your vehicle and then purchase another vehicle when you get wherever you’re going. So you got to figure.

[00:16:06] Okay, what are we going to do vehicle wise? And even if you are shipping that one vehicle, that can be six to eight weeks of being without that vehicle. So what are you going to do? Do you need a vehicle in the meantime? For our family, we ended up having to rent a vehicle in the middle of our last PCS because we had sold my husband’s car and we had shipped the family car. And we still needed one vehicle to get around, and we ended up having to rent one. So that goes back to step one to start saving because none of that rental cost of renting that car was reimbursed or covered.

[00:16:51] It was just an extra expense because we still needed a vehicle to get around and we had sold one vehicle and we’d shipped the other ones. Big rocks: where are you living? And then what your car situation is going to look like. Maybe you’re going somewhere and you don’t need that second vehicle, or you’re going somewhere where there is a lot of mass transit and that will make things easier for you.

[00:17:18] The third big piece of the puzzle, I think if you have kids, is figuring out that school situation. If your kids are in school currently, what do they need to take with them? Are they going to be transitioning in the summer? Are they going to be transitioning in the middle of the school year? And where are they going to go to school?

[00:17:35] This is a whole new piece of the puzzle for me, because my oldest had just started school here. So we have never gone from one school to another, , except for preschool, which doesn’t apply. I’m trying to figure out where my kids are going to go to school when we move.

[00:17:55] And that’s going to be based on where we ended up finding a house and where that’s located. So when we think about our big rocks: the car, the home, the school situation, these are all reasons to do Number one, which is start saving now. To start number two, rationing those liquids so that if we have to purchase more, when we get where we’re going, which is probably going to be the case. We’re already setting money aside.

[00:18:28] And we know that we’re going to have a big purchase because we’re going to have to purchase new cleaning supplies, new cooking. The supplies, new cooking oils, new bathroom supplies, some new laundry supplies. So setting aside money for that. We’re going to have to buy new food supplies for our pantry, because we’ve used a lot of that up.

[00:18:50] Um, and then we’ve tried to figure it out where we’re going to live and what our vehicle situation’s going to be. Our pet situation and the school situation for our kids. So that’s a lot of the things that we have had to think through, but if we don’t write this down, are we really going to remember that?

1. 5. Create your to-do list

[00:19:09] Step five is to create your to-do lists and you can do this on paper. I know a lot of people will create their PCS binder and they’ll put this all down on paper. I prefer to work electronically. So I have spreadsheets where I keep all of my list and I can go back and look at that and see what have we gotten done?

[00:19:31] What still needs to be done and what do I need to move to a next week? So once I have that list, then I start putting together my timeline, looking at what needs to get done each and every week to keep us on track. But whether you do it electronically, whether you do it on paper, you need to create your to-do list and make sure you know where that to-do list lives, so that you and your spouse can both access that.

Bonus PCS Tip: Your PCS Binder

[00:19:58] Well, since I brought up the topic of PCS binder, One bonus tip is that you need some form of PCS binder. Now, depending on who you talk to, this is going to look different for each person. Some people have very involved PCS binders. Some people have not as involved PCS binders. Um, they’re not keeping everything there. But you need one place where you’re keeping copies of your orders, where you’re keeping all of your documents related to moving as well as all of your valuable documents, certificates, passports and they need to be with you. Do not let this disappear. Where this document, this binder is at all times when you are moving, make sure you keep your eye on that.

[00:20:50] So make sure that is always with you. Have a PCS binder. If you need ideas of what else goes into your binder, there are plenty of checklists available online. Just do a search for PCS binder. Um, there’s also some Facebook groups that focus specifically on moving and PCS and tips to help you do that. And you can check those out just by using the search bar in Facebook.

[00:21:16] So far we’ve talked about saving money in advance. We’ve talked about rationing our liquids. We’ve talked about meal planning. We’ve talked about figuring out your big rocks, creating your to-do list and your timeline. And then the last piece is your packing list. Now, if you are just moving stateside from one state to another, or, you know, just from one.

[00:21:43] base to another base, then this is not going to be as complicated. Because you’re just going to have whatever you bring in your cars with you, your suitcases, what you want to. I have with you and then everything else is getting shipped off in your household goods and going to your new location. Where this differs is, if you are moving overseas, if you were doing an OCONUS PCS, there are a lot more moving pieces of the puzzle.

[00:22:12] So let me just briefly explain all of those moving pieces. And this is going to look different depending on where you’re going and what your timeline looks like. If this is your first overseas PCS, it can feel overwhelming. Two years ago was when we moved overseas for the first time. And I’ve been through several PCSes and this was still a completely new experience for me.

[00:22:37] So there are four buckets that you need to think through when it comes to your packing. And the first bucket that we are all aware of is our household goods. This is the biggest bucket because this is most of our belongings. They’re all getting shipped off from one location to the next location.

[00:22:57] If you’re going overseas, they’re getting crated and then shipped off and then you will see them again in roughly three-ish months, depending on when you left and where you’re going and how far they’re going. I’ve seen people get them and as little as six to eight weeks and at most like five months.

[00:23:18] As we talked about in the episode with Dr. Lindsay Cavanagh, they didn’t even bother receiving their household goods because they were only going to be at their current location for eight to 10 months. And it wasn’t worth it to receive that and then get it packed up a few months later.

[00:23:36] So household goods is what we are mostly all familiar with. The other piece of the puzzle, that pretty much all of us should be familiar with is our suitcases. That’s what’s either going in your vehicle with you or is going on the plane with you. If you are going overseas. Now, if you are flying overseas, you’re going to need to look at what airline you’re flying on and what rules, if any, they have about size and weight and number of bags.

[00:24:06] When we moved, we had a limit of two suitcases per person, plus our carry ons. So, we have littles and we were able to combine some stuff into suitcases. So I think we only ended up with a total of seven big suitcases that we checked in, but then we also had a backpack for each person, three car seats, a stroller, and a carry on suitcase.

[00:24:37] So trying to keep track of all of that stuff. If you have older kids, this is much, much easier. Because mine were all little when we moved. I was trying to keep eyes on them and the stroller and the carry-ons. And my husband was wheeling two large carts filled with suitcases through the airport, which was a feat in and of itself.

[00:25:00] It was pretty impressive to watch, but not a fun moving experience, But you just have to make it, but those are all the items that you’ll need to take with you. And what goes into that is going to depend on how far you’re moving and how much time you’re going to be on the road. We were on the road for about a month.

[00:25:23] And so we had to have everything that we needed to live on for that month in our suitcases. And that’s why we came to the conclusion that we didn’t actually have room to fit the instant pot in our suitcases, but you know, towels, sheets, bedding, depending on if you’re where you’re going and what you’re going to need.

[00:25:42] When you get to where you are going, all of that stuff may need to fit into your suitcase. You’re also going to have a long-term storage shipment, if that’s something that you want. And that is stuff that you are not going to take you with you overseas. When we moved overseas into base housing, it was roughly half the size of our last house.

[00:26:05] We went from having a basement and a garage to basically just having parking spots on the street. We don’t have a carport or anything. So, you know, there’s just nowhere to put all the stuff that we had in the basement and in our garage. So we ended up putting a lot of stuff into storage that we will see when we moved back to the states eventually.

[00:26:26] And I will be very surprised to find out what is in there at that point. So you have long-term storage, if you choose to use that. And then the last piece, some people use this, some people don’t, but it is unaccompanied baggage and it is designed to be a quick ship. So it will fly to your next location quicker than your household goods.

[00:26:50] Now quick is a relative term. Ours took about two months to arrive. So yes, it did arrive at a few weeks before our household goods. But not like a significant amount of time. We put a lot of things in there like kitchen supplies. Vacuums, coffee pots. Anything that you really want to get as soon as possible, but won’t fit in your suitcase.

[00:27:22] You can put that in your unaccompanied. A lot of people will put, bikes, TV, that kind of stuff, so that you have some semblance of normal living while you’re waiting for your household goods to arrive. So part of that is walking through each and every room of your house and thinking through, okay.

[00:27:42] Which is going into which shipment and how are we going to make all of these pieces? Okay. So let’s quickly recap my top six tips for prepping for your PCS. Number one. Now this is all considering that you have already done the actual step one, which we talked about in our last episode, which is all about decluttering. [

What else can you do? These six steps. You start saving. You start rationing your liquids and making a plan for how you’re going to replace those liquids when you get where you’re going. You start meal planning. You determine what you’re going to do about your big rocks: where you’re going to live, what your vehicle situation is going to be, what your pet situation is going to be, and what your kids school situation is going to be. You create a to-do list and a timeline to make sure everything gets done. And then you think through your packing list and what’s going to go in each shipment. Now I talked briefly about having a PCS binder.

Bonus PCS Tip: Packing Labels

The other bonus thing that I want to mention, that’s not really a specific step, but I have found it to be super, super helpful is Amazon sells these little labels within the name of each room in each room is in a different color. And I love to go through and put them on the boxes as our movies pack each thing and they tape it and they usually write something on the side, but you’re not sure what it is, but if I was.

[00:29:27] Just put that label of that room on there. It makes unpacking so much easier because as somebody is carrying a box into my house, I can be like, oh, that goes to living room. Oh, that goes to the master bedroom. Or that goes to the kitchen because I can see the little label on the side and I don’t have to try to read the chicken scratch on the side of the box.

[00:29:49] So that’s just a fun bonus tip to make things a little simpler. I will link that in the show notes. I will also link the bonus episode that I did last summer. It doesn’t actually have a number because it was just kind of one of those episodes that I recorded spur of the moment, because I felt like it was so timely.

[00:30:10] But it’s my number one PCS tip for your military move that no one is talking about. And that really dives into making sure that you are taking care of yourself in the process of moving. And I think that is so, so important. So if you had not yet listened to that episode, I will put that in the show notes below. Go back and listen to that episode, because I think that is one of the most important things that each of us can do as we are preparing for a PCS.

[00:30:39] So I would love for you to come join us in the Facebook group, let us know what you thought, whether you are moving the summer and, if you are trying any of these tips, as you prepare for your PCS. If you are not moving, I would love for you to share this episode with a friend who is, and let’s help each other support each other and encourage one another because moving is tough. And it’s tough on all of us. And the more that we can share information and encourage and support each other, the easier we can make this process. I love you. I’m cheering you on. I’m supporting you. I hope you have an amazing week living filled, fueled and full of joy.