US Mom Blog

Achieving a Seamless PCS Without Your Military Spouse




Posted 2 years ago

Receiving PCS orders can be both exciting and stressful. But what happens when you need to make a move without your military spouse? Take a deep breath. You’ve got this.

It’s okay to feel the anxiety creep up and get overwhelmed. After all, you will be dealing with massive amounts of boxes and an organizational puzzle. Here are some ways you can plan ahead and take precautionary steps to make this solo PCS more manageable.

Declutter

First and foremost is to get rid of the stuff you don’t need. The easiest way to do this is to ask yourself these three questions:

  1. Is this going to be worth the hassle of moving?
  2. When was the last time I used this?
  3. Could I resell this for extra money?

Decluttering your closest and storage room can save you money down the road when it comes to paying moving companies and renting moving trucks. The less junk you have, the more money you’ll save.

There are also plenty of second-hand selling sites like Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist.

Get organized

After you’ve sold and donated all of your unneeded items, it’s time to get organized. Keeping a PCS binder of important documents is essential when PCSing by yourself.

Having everything in one place, organized, and easy to access can save you major headaches down the road.

Some things to include in this binder are:

  • House inventory lists of all your possessions organized by room
  • Color coordination key for boxes to keep rooms organized
  • Important documents and dates such as:
    • Birth certificates
    • Social security numbers
    • Health records
    • Marriage licenses
    • Car titles, etc.

 

Create a packing schedule

Creating a schedule is a great way to eliminate some of the stress of moving and make it more manageable. Start one room at a time, whip out your label maker, and limit the amount of time you are packing each day.

You can kill two birds with one stone when it comes time to unpack everything. You’ll be grateful that you made an effort to keep your boxes organized by room, which will make sorting everything out when unpacking much more manageable.

Calculate moving expenses

Another thing to keep in mind is how much it will cost you to move to your new location. Can you afford to hire a moving company? Moving truck rentals can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a couple of thousand. Do your research beforehand, and be sure to account for this in your budget.

Are you relocating to a place that will require you to fly? Be sure to look up how much it will cost you and your family to purchase plane tickets.

Take your time unpacking

Don’t worry about getting every room set up perfectly right away. Get the essentials unpacked and worry about making everything perfect when you have more time.

There is no race to the finish line once you have everything moved in. Try to unpack one room at a time to avoid feeling overwhelmed, and before you know it, you’ll be all set up in your new home.

 

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