Upcoming PCS

Our 2-year olds wrestling on a hotel room couch lastly PCS ;)

I wrote a weblog post earlier titled, "PCSing tips from a Navy married adult woman together with woman nurture of three." We conduct hold a PCS coming upwards inwards the side past times side dyad months together with thus I wanted to write roughly other weblog post nigh how nosotros start preparing several months earlier an upcoming PCS.

Move Notebook

The most of import aspect to a shine PCS is organizing all your paperwork which is why the motility notebook is thus important. I wrote a weblog post called "Write it all down" where I explicate how I organize our motility notebook. The other twenty-four hr menses I spent the morning time getting our motility notebook fix for our side past times side move: throwing out together with filing paperwork from our lastly PCS, printing off novel banker's complaint taking pages, adding sections for our novel kitten together with babe #4. Move notebook: ready.

Donating HHG

The side past times side mensuration {and i yous tin never start every bit good early-- seriously} is going through your household goods (HHG). One of the hard aspects of existence a Navy identify unit of measurement is yous never know where your side past times side PCS volition be. We volition discovery out roughly 2 weeks earlier nosotros PCS where nosotros are going. I don't desire to donate our wintertime coats because 1.) I don't know where our side past times side motility volition live together with 2.) I don't know where nosotros are going after that. When nosotros lived inwards Hawaii, our hall cupboard was stuffed amongst wintertime jackets from living inwards New Hampshire/Maine. Our storage unit of measurement inwards North Carolina was lined amongst boogie boards from Hawaii, that nosotros thus used hither inwards South Carolina. I know everyone manages their HHG differently, but, man, I abhor rebuying things every fourth dimension nosotros PCS. So, piece keeping inwards heed that piece nosotros powerfulness non demand our boogie boards/swim suits or scarves/winter coats at our side past times side PCS, I soundless follow a few rules when combing through our HHG:

• When yous lastly lived inwards that climate, did yous really utilization those items?
  I simply went through my cupboard together with works life a whole bin of hideous scarves together with hats. I never wore them inwards New Hampshire, I never wore them on the mutual depression temperature days inwards North Carolina, together with I definitely don't invention on wearing them inwards the future. Some things that never were inwards fashion volition definitely never live inwards fashion again. If yous discovery beach toys that yous never took to the beach when yous lived 10 minutes from it, larn rid of them.
• Follow the rules of fashion: if yous haven't worn them inwards 2 seasons, out they go.
  If yous conduct hold gone through 2 seasons amongst your autumn wardrobe together with haven't pulled out an entire drawer of sweaters, tegument them down. If yous conduct hold skipped over for certain items for 2 seasons, yous volition never wearable that particular again. If yous demand assist going through your cupboard amongst a critical eye, I highly recommend Tim Gunn's Guide to Quality, Taste, together with Style. Tim Gunn has all the answers.
• Most of import question: how tardily is that particular to replace?
  Being a moving nation of war machine family, this is the most of import query to me when looking at an particular together with weighing whether it should remain or go. I don't similar donating items that I forthwith demand to supersede when arriving from a PCS (moving is expensive plenty already without creating expenses). My hubby hates i of the terminate tables inwards our identify unit of measurement room. I concur amongst him that it isn't a character slice of furniture. However, I practise non desire to motility to our side past times side theater missing terminate tables; I demand somewhere to pose my coffee. That is an particular that I would maintain together with replace... eventually {probably never-- haha!}. Our wintertime jackets also autumn inwards that category. My hubby together with I both conduct hold real overnice wintertime jackets; our children's wintertime jackets conduct hold all entirely seen a flavour or two, pregnant our younger sons conduct hold character hand-me-down jackets. It would cost to a greater extent than for me to throw them all out thus maintain them together with mitt them downwards to our younger children. Several things that didn't brand the cut: surplus outdoor toys, a large quantity of toys from our playroom, a whole bin of spare motion-picture demo frames, cookbooks that I rarely-- if ever-- use, etc.

Going through your HHG is something that takes time. We did pass the dyad weeks after babe #4 was born going through every drawer together with cupboard inwards our house, tossing out the junk, organizing all our newspaper files. That was real productive, but, since then, nosotros conduct hold gone through fifty-fifty to a greater extent than stuff. We maintain a donate box inwards our garage thus that nosotros tin continuously add together to it. Yesterday lonely I works life literally 20 pounds of things to donate inwards our office, a room that nosotros conduct hold already combed through. I await at it this way: when yous outset walk into a room similar our playroom, it is hard to discern what nosotros genuinely demand to keep. The outset moving ridge is the most obvious for removing junk. The 2nd moving ridge is when nosotros start picking through together with really organizing. The tertiary moving ridge nosotros tin move through amongst a fine molar comb together with eliminate almost all of the junk.

Use upwards your liquids

 

This is a really helpful weblog post on PCSing, "Army Wife Network: PCS Guide." It states:

Be aware that most moving companies volition non carry candles, batteries, alive plants, together with liquids.  They volition even thus pack non-perishables.  If yous conduct hold whatever of these items yous volition conduct hold to brand other arrangements to larn them to your novel dwelling theater or give them away.

Sounds uncomplicated enough, but pick out a unopen await at how many liquids yous conduct hold inwards your home, starting inwards the kitchen: oils, condiments, vinegars, alcohol, dressings, jars of pickled products, etc. Move to the bathroom: lotions, pilus products, shave products, bath together with torso products, etc. Move to the garage: paint, finishes, aerosol cans, gas, cleaning products, etc. This is evidently non a procedure that yous should start the calendar week earlier yous pack out.

Some people larn really frustrated that those items won't live packed out. I agree.. It is hard to throw those all away each together with every fourth dimension yous move. On the flip side, how would yous experience PCSing from Hawaii together with having your household goods packed inwards a crate amongst someone else's household goods together with i of their boxes exploded, leaking 409 all over your couch for 2 months? Or a bottle of olive crude saturating a box of books? When nosotros left Hawaii, i of our movers left a handbag of individually wrapped chocolates on our couch. 3 months after when our couch was delivered to North Carolina inwards July, nosotros had an epic mess on our mitt that literally coated our modest living room inwards our apartment. (The chocolate had coated the couch together with the newspaper that the couch was wrapped in, spreading all over the carpet, the couch cushions... It was a mess.) So I empathise why these items aren't moved. I also am excited when roughly of these items accidentally practise larn packed together with endure inwards i piece-- "Score! Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 box of household cleaners that I don't demand to larn out together with buy!"

I 100% concur amongst passing out things yous can't motility to your friends-- freezer items, cleaning products, pilus products, whatever together with everything. I believe inwards paying it forward. I believe inwards donating things yous don't demand anymore or can't use. I also believe inwards cutting downwards on waste matter together with using what yous own. It is still so frustrating throwing out thus much waste matter every fourth dimension nosotros move. No affair what nosotros top out to friends, nosotros soundless terminate upwards amongst waste matter each together with every time. Some moves it can't live helped. We works life out nosotros were moving inwards 2 months when nosotros left Hawaii, fast forwarding our motility appointment past times over a year. My hubby was underway piece I was setting upwards our motility together with nosotros had a lot of ducks to larn inwards a row for the STA-21 program. I'm non for certain nosotros used upwards much of our perishables earlier nosotros moved. I cry back boxes of cleaning products I handed out together with throwing away so much food, fifty-fifty after passing out so much food.

Here are my tips on using upwards your liquids:

• Take inventory
  What items practise yous ain that really cannot live moved? Check your freezer. Check your pantry. Check your bathrooms. Check your garage. Figure out what yous conduct hold together with what yous demand to utilization up. Write a listing if it helps. Figure out how to utilization upwards the cleaning products yous ain and, if yous run out earlier your PCS, purchase multi-purpose cleaning products that volition live easier to eat earlier your motility date. Make meals that utilization your perishables.
• Start early
  I conduct hold works life that, for our family, the lastly calendar month earlier nosotros motility is not a skillful fourth dimension for us to utilization upwards our products. We are busy cleaning. Our friends desire to larn out to eat amongst us. I am spending fourth dimension setting upwards the move, confirming dates, refiguring everything when I larn a telephone phone that the pack out is moved past times a calendar week or two, etc. That lastly calendar month never goes every bit planned together with our freezer suffers for it. Plan early-- start 3 months ahead genuinely consuming what yous already own. Make it a goal. With 3 months earlier yous move, line out those perishable items from your pantry that must live consumed-- condiments, dressings, etc-- together with larn creative. In your bathrooms, laid out the liquids that cannot motility together with start using them! Make a cry for of using these things.
• Figure out what yous won't use
  Despite our best efforts, in that location volition soundless live things that nosotros volition non use. For instance, my hubby has lots of finishes together with paints inwards our garage. He volition non live completing whatever to a greater extent than woodworking projects earlier nosotros move. I conduct hold lots of shampoos together with conditioners that I volition most probable non use. Make a game invention for those items. Since I invention on visiting my parents, I know that I tin pick out our unopened condiments, bath together with torso products, etc, to their theater together with I know what volition larn used there. For the other things, nosotros invention on passing those things off to our friends, particularly inwards the lastly calendar month when it is obvious nosotros volition non live using them. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 large banker's complaint is do non hold off to mitt it all out the calendar week earlier yous PCS. As well-meaning every bit people are, everyone is busy. You may conduct hold a complimentary afternoon to mitt out your household cleaners together with bath together with beauty products, but your friend has schoolhouse pick up/drop off together with doctor's appointments. Don't hold off until the lastly infinitesimal when your entirely alternative is to throw it away.

Make reservations

 

I'm non for certain how good it comes across inwards my blog, but I'm a planner. I similar making lists, schedules, keeping notes, hanging reminders. I similar having a game plan. PCSing tin live really hard because moving plans are contingent on all the other parts of the move: the pack out date, when HHG are picked up, etc. If yous conduct hold a moment, I'll pick out yous on a petty walk through my over-planning mind.

• Set upwards the outgoing hotel:
  
  I am a huge fan of booking straight through companies. I never utilization tertiary political party sites, such every bit Travelocity or Kayak or whatever. My favorite hotel companies for PCSing are Marriot together with Hyatt {both conduct hold nation of war machine rates}. As shortly every bit I conduct hold an persuasion of when nosotros powerfulness mayhap conduct hold a skillful hazard of maybe PCSing, I mass our hotel. Why? Because I familiarize myself amongst the hotel's cancellation policy. Marriot together with Hyatt give yous 24 hours earlier your check-in fourth dimension to cancel a reservation.
  
  How practise I brand this move for me? Let's say that I think nosotros are PCSing at the terminate of Nov (which nosotros aren't). I would hand the figurer now, compare rates, mass an outgoing hotel reservation for 2 weeks at the hotel of my choice, together with thus proceed to monitor hotel prices. When PCSing amongst pets together with children, sometimes it costs far less to remain at a hotel that does non pick out pets together with board the animals than it does to remain at a hotel amongst a pet deposit together with a pet fee each night; sometimes it isn't. It also takes roughly planning to figure out if it would live to a greater extent than convenient to board the animals or maintain them amongst us-- where is the pet boarder located inwards relation to our hotel together with home? How much volition it cost to board our pet? What is the pet fee/pet deposit at our hotel?
  
  I also similar to telephone phone local nation of war machine hotels, such every bit Navy Lodge or whatever hotels on base. Many of those hotels conduct hold deposits that yous pay when yous brand the reservation, but they also commonly conduct hold a similar cancellation policy every bit the larger chain hotels. I similar to cheque out those hotels because they are commonly less expensive, to a greater extent than oftentimes than non centrally located, together with oftentimes pet friendly. The downside to the nation of war machine hotels is that they are quite oftentimes simply hotel rooms whereas amongst a Residence Inn I tin larn a 2-bedroom suite that comfortably accommodates the whole identify unit of measurement or a Hyatt Place room amongst somewhat divided spaces that works good for a brusk stay.
  
  And hither is why I never utilization tertiary political party sites: every bit the motility gets closer, I adjust our reservation when our dates move firmer. I never cutting downwards the length of our stay. I e'er brand for certain to brand our reservation at to the lowest degree 2-3 days past times when I think I volition demand it. {When PCSing amongst a family, don't larn inwards to a greater extent than hard past times setting it upwards thus yous conduct hold to alter rooms inwards the middle of a hotel stay.} I carefully grade my calendar every bit to where I conduct hold made reservations together with the cancellation dates. This makes it much easier for me to guarantee lower fares, comfortable accommodations during a PCS, together with a convenient location {I similar an included breakfast, dejeuner together with dinner inside walking distance, together with centrally located to the other aspects of our move}. With tertiary political party sites, they oftentimes practise non allow cancellations or adjusting the stay. It is oftentimes real hard to practise this every bit well, resulting inwards long telephone calls through automated systems (my nemesis).
  
  It is much easier to mass our outgoing hotel inwards advance. I to a greater extent than oftentimes than non conduct hold to hold off until the calendar month earlier our PCS to mass our incoming hotel. We practise non similar to remain at our dwelling theater in i lawsuit our pack out begins because it is oftentimes unsafe keeping rail of the kids amongst moving boxes, etc. Our outgoing hotel begins the twenty-four hr menses of our pack out together with ends when nosotros leave of absence town, commonly correct after our concluding walk through. {I dearest when nosotros tin mass our concluding walk through inwards the level the nighttime earlier nosotros cheque out of our hotel-- that is perfect PCS timing.} The incoming hotel is contingent on when nosotros are really moving to our side past times side duty station-- when our household goods volition live delivered, my husband's study date, etc. That I conduct hold to hold off on until nosotros conduct hold a firmer persuasion of when things volition pick out place, but I mass that every bit shortly every bit nosotros conduct hold an inkling every bit well.

 

HANG IN THERE



 

I take away heed a lot every bit nosotros larn fix to motility that "it volition all move out." We had a really crappy province of affairs when PCSing from North Carolina to South Carolina (read "Living on borrowed time"), but it worked out. It e'er does. It's stressful to non know where the side past times side motility is or when just nosotros are moving or existence able to await upwards housing at our side past times side identify {my fingers are itching to start searching Zillow}. For at nowadays I'm content channeling my expose energy into these tasks. Eventually the  motility volition hitting together with I'll earn to a greater extent than PCSing gray hairs. For at nowadays in that location is no stress-- no dates to maintain rail of, zero broken inwards a move, no overbooked hotels, no missing POAs, no housing hold off lists... Just a looming move.

 

What are your pre-PCSing tips? How practise yous larn fix for an upcoming PCS?

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