SCHWEINFURT, Germany (Sept. 17, 2013) -- Being in the military, moving comes frequently. But I've been living here for nearly three years and my family and I are about ready to PCS back to the States. Where to begin!?
I've come to learn that the best place to start in order to make the transition as stress-free as possible is Team Schweinfurt's closure resource page. There is a ton of good info, checklists and more directly related to PCSing. The blog too offers you the "how to's" and "what to do's" (DISCLAIMER: Yes it's true, I write for the blog as well, but hey, I thought I might give it a little shout out).
But then I thought, why not ask those whom have already made the transition? After all, part of being in the military is the ability to learn from others. Hind sight is 20/20. So I fished for advice from various friends: "Friends that recently PCS, share what you wish you would have known before you left."
Here's what they had to say.
"Remember all of your shipments count toward your total weight. Your household goods shipment, storage shipment, unaccompanied baggage and anything you mail (that you want to get reimbursed for) have to be under your allotted weight allowance or you will be required to pay the difference." -- Laura
"I recommend sending your stuff early. Live sparse in Germany so your stuff is waiting for you in the States. Living in a hotel for a month or more is no fun at all. The ACS lending closet can help hold you over until you get ready to go to the Bradley. I promise you won't regret your decision when you are all moved in and settled. It's easier to be patient on the front end when you are still excited than on the back end when you are frustrated and tired." -- Michele
"Label your bed frames so you know which ones go with which mattresses/headboards to avoid having to redo them all after the movers have put them together wrong. Have them tape all screws/hardware individually to each piece of furniture they take apart -- forget the "hardware box," because if that gets lost then none of your furniture can get put together on the other end until they hire a repair guy." -- Kelly
"Remember also to not have ANYTHING in sight when the movers come they don't want to go…including food! I found food in our boxes when we unpacked." -- Tara
"We went to a financial adviser in Germany. This move was very expensive; car rental or buying a car, hotel, first grocery shopping including cleaning supplies, think about new phones, internet and cable. Deposit on a house or a security deposit for a rental. Plan away ahead, it saved our butts. Not to mention a lot of people go on vacation when moving back to America. Also registering your car, call your future homes' DMW and ask how much it will cost." -- Carolina
"Have a lot of money in savings. We lived off post in a private rental and they asked for 2 month's rent for the deposit." -- Virginie
For more on PCS advice, check out these blogs:
• Ship, Sell or Scrap: What to do with your POV when you PCS: http://teamschweinfurt.wordpress.com/2013/02/27/ship-sell-or-scrap-what-to-do-with-your-pov-when-you-pcs/
• PCSing With Pets: http://teamschweinfurt.wordpress.com/2012/11/06/pcsing-with-pets/
• Helping the Pre-Move Purge: http://teamschweinfurt.wordpress.com/2012/12/12/helping-the-pre-move-purge-2/
• We have orders! Now what? ACS can help you prepare to PCS: http://teamschweinfurt.wordpress.com/2013/03/20/we-have-orders-now-what-acs-can-help-you-prepare-to-pcs/
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