PCS tips from military spouses
Essential PCS tips from experienced military spouses for a smoother move. Learn from over 40 military relocations. Expert advice for a stress-free transition.
Most military members move every two to four years. Whether you're moving for the first time or have become a professional packer, you can do some things to make every move less stressful.
Video Transcript: 14 PCS tips from military spouses
Video Duration: 3 minutes 44 seconds
Introduction: Elapsed time 0 minutes 0 seconds [00:00]
When you reflect on your first military move or permanent change of station, PCS, you'll likely note many lessons learned. But what if you could pre-learn many of those lessons from veteran military movers and save yourself the hassle? Here are 14 pro tips to make your first PCS a success.
Tip number 1: Hand carry sheets and towels: Elapsed time 0 minutes 22 seconds [00:22]
Tip 1, hand carry sheets and towels. Hand carry sheets, towels, pillows, blankets, and even a shower curtain for your temporary lodging. Often, these temporary facilities are not fully furnished. Having these items easily accessible will also prevent you from digging through countless boxes the first night in your new home.
Tip number 2: Board your pets: Elapsed time 0 minutes 41 seconds [00:41]
Tip number 2, board your pets. On moving day, consider boarding your pets at a local vet or doggy day care so they don't get in the way or run off.
Tip number 3: Get connected: Elapsed time 0 minutes 51 seconds [00:51]
Tip 3, get connected. Join the social media pages of your new installation, as well as military spouse groups. They'll have great information about housing, neighborhoods, restaurants, medical providers and more.
Tip number 4: Hand carry cleaning supplies: Elapsed time 1 minute 5 seconds [01:05]
Tip number 4, hand carry cleaning supplies. When you first arrive in your new home, you may need cleaning supplies before the movers show up. Also, some movers refuse to transport these items due to their flammable nature.
Tip number 5: Personally transport important belongings: Elapsed time 1 minute 18 seconds [01:18]
Tip 5, personally transport important belongings. Don't leave the fate of irreplaceable or valuable items like baby books, marriage certificates, wedding albums and official documents to movers. Also, consider hand carrying medical and shot records you might need to enroll children in school.
Tip number 6: Track all items: Elapsed time 1 minute 36 seconds [01:36]
Tip number 6, track all items. Be sure every item or box that goes into the moving truck has a manifest sticker on it. These stickers ensure your items are tracked.
Tip number 7: Get contact numbers: Elapsed time 1 minute 47 seconds [01:47]
Tip number 7, get contact numbers. Keep contact numbers for your driver and moving company close at hand. They will have more up-to-date information on the status of your shipment than the military's transportation management office.
Tip number 8: Move items only once: Elapsed time 2 minutes [02:00]
Tip number 8, move items only once. In your new home, consider color coding each room so you can quickly direct the movers. This means less work for you when you're unpacking.
Tip number 9: Get travel reservations: Elapsed time 2 minutes 11 seconds [02:11]
Tip number 9, get travel reservations. Plan your travel months in advance, and pre-book hotels that fit within the military's lodging allotment. This will help you avoid getting into debt and reduce the stress of trying to find a last-minute hotel.
Tip number 10: Keep payments flowing: Elapsed time 2 minutes 26 seconds [02:26]
Tip number 10, keep payments flowing. Let your financial institutions know that you are moving so you don't have payments declined during or after your move. Consider automatic bill paying services so you don't miss paying any bills.
Tip number 11: Keep kids entertained: Elapsed time 2 minutes 39 seconds [02:39]
Tip number 11, keep kids entertained. Hand carry toys for the kids and dogs to help pass the time until your household goods arrive. Remember that you might be waiting a few weeks.
Tip number 12: Maintain a household list: Elapsed time 2 minutes 50 seconds [02:50]
Tip number 12, maintain a household list. Keep an updated household list, including photos of barcodes and model numbers of high-value items, such as TVs and entertainment systems. If you have to submit a claim for a lost or damaged item, photos can support your case.
Tip number 13: Separate your items: Elapsed time 3 minutes 6 seconds [03:06]
Tip number 13, separate your items. Assign a corner of your house, or, if possible, a room or a closet, for items you plan to hand carry. That way, something you need does not accidentally get packed with all of your other household goods.
Tip number 14: Write it down: Elapsed time 3 minutes 21 seconds [03:21]
Tip number 14, write it down. Save these tips for your next move. And add your own lessons learned each time. It will get easier and less stressful.
For more information and helpful resources for your next military move, please visit usaa.com/militarymoving.
Description of visual information: [This material is for informational purposes. Consider your own financial circumstances carefully before making a decision and consult with your tax, legal or estate planning professional.
USAA means United Services Automobile Association and its affiliates.
No Department of Defense or government agency endorsement.
NC] End of description.
End: Elapsed time 3 minutes 44 seconds [03:44]
1. Keep a set of sheets and towels with you.
When you're packing, leave out a set of sheets, towels, pillows, blankets and even a shower curtain to use at your temporary lodging. Often, these facilities might not be fully furnished, and having these items easily accessible will keep you from having to dig through countless boxes the first night in your new home.
Plus, having your child's favorite sheets on hand can make a house feel like home, easing the transition.
2. Board your pets.
On moving day, consider boarding your pets at a local vet or doggy day care, so they don't get in the way or run off. Moving day can be stressful enough without worrying about the four-legged members of your family. Plus, smaller pets could get hurt with all the heavy objects that are being moved around, forcing you to use your pet insurance.
3. Get connected.
Join the social media pages of your new installation, as well as military spouse groups. They'll have great information about housing, neighborhoods, restaurants, medical providers and more.
4. Keep cleaning supplies handy.
When you first arrive in your new home, you may need to do a little cleaning before the movers show up. I agree with my spouse on this one. Each home we moved into needed a good cleaning to make it ready for move-in day.
Keep in mind that some movers won't transport certain cleaning supplies due to their flammable nature. You can also save some money if you can avoid throwing away cleaning supplies and then repurchasing them when you arrive at your new installation.
5. Personally transport important belongings.
Don't leave the fate of irreplaceable or valuable items like baby books, marriage certificates, wedding albums and official documents to movers. Also, consider keeping any medical and vaccination records you might need to enroll children in school with you.
I know that for each of our active-duty military moves, we had items that the movers weren't touching and those came with us. Plus, with a partial personally procured move, or DITY move, the military paid me to transport them, and I had peace of mind knowing they were being well taken care of.
If you need extra room to transport some of your items, you can find discounts on moving supplies like PODS storage or moving trucks through USAA Perks®.
6. Track all items.
Be sure every item or box that goes into the moving truck has a manifest sticker on it. These stickers make sure your items are tracked, so that nothing gets lost in the shuffle.
7. Know how to contact your movers.
Keep contact numbers for your driver and moving company close at hand. They'll probably have more up-to-date information on the status of your shipment than the military's transportation management office.
Also, consider throwing a trackable device like an AirTag® or Tile® into one of your boxes. This can help you track your items, as long as all your boxes stay together.
8. Move items only once.
In your new home, consider color coding or naming each room, so you can quickly direct the movers as they unload the truck. This means less work for you when you're unpacking because every box is already in the correct room.
For items you aren't sure where to put, store them in your garage like we all do. That way, the house can stay relatively clear, and you'll have the freedom to unpack at your convenience without constantly stepping over boxes.
9. Make travel reservations.
Plan your travel months in advance, and book hotels that fit within the military's lodging allotment. This'll help you avoid getting into debt and reduce the stress of trying to find a last-minute hotel. Want discounts to help with travel reservations? Check out the travel section of USAA Perks.
10. Keep payments flowing.
Notify your financial institutions that you're moving, so your payments aren't declined during or after your move. Consider automatic bill pay services to avoid missing any bills. If your financial institution isn't moving with you, consider a USAA Classic Checking account. It's made for the mobile military lifestyle.
11. Keep kids entertained.
Carry toys for the kids and dogs to help pass the time until your household goods arrive. Remember that you might be waiting a few weeks, and few things add stress to a move like bored kids.
Sometimes, you might just need to drop the kids off at childcare. This can be very helpful on move-in and move-out day. MilitaryOneSource has a list of potential care providers who can Opens in a new window help you during your move.See note1
Also, consider if family can help. I know that on our last active-duty move, my mother-in-law came and stayed with us for a few weeks. She really helped my wife who was the one who moved us in. I wasn't able to take any time off due to job requirements, and it was well worth the price of a round-trip ticket to give my wife additional help.
12. Maintain a household list.
Keep an updated household list, including photos of barcodes and the model numbers of high-value items like TVs and entertainment systems. If you have to submit a claim for a lost or damaged item, photos can support your case.
This one hits close to home for me; when on our move from Eglin AFB to Las Vegas, the movers broke my brand-new grill. My original receipt established original value when I filed my claim.
13. Separate your items.
Assign a corner of your house — or, if possible, a room or a closet — to set aside items you plan to carry with you. That way, something you need won't accidentally get packed with all your other household goods. The last thing you want is to need an item, only to discover it's halfway across the country, or across the Atlantic or Pacific in the case of an overseas PCS.
What do you do in that case? Well, you buy another one, so now you have two of them.
14. Write it down.
Save these tips for your next move, and add your own lessons learned each time. It'll get easier and less stressful. After our second move, my wonderful wife and I realized that we made the same mistakes, so we started writing down tips for ourselves, established a process and actually had a PCS binder that kept us organized. Once we started doing this, it made the military move experience much more pleasant.