Soldier's Wife, Crazy Life

PCSing

How to Plan a PCS Road Trip

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This post is sponsored by Pcsing.com! 

You are stationed in New York, and your spouse gets orders to Arizona. Report date? June 15th! With your three kids, two dogs, and big old van, why not turn your PCS into a PCS road trip?

Sometimes when you PCS you will get on an airplane, and land in your new location hours later. You are excited about your new duty station, but the plane trip? Not so much. If you go on a PCS road trip, the actual time it takes to get there can be just as exciting.

When planning such a trip, there are a few things you should keep in mind in order to make your trip successful. 

Check the routes

You know where you are and where you need to go. Check and see which route would be best. Is there anything you really want to see? Use Roadtrippers.com to help you plan your trip. There might be a quicker way to get to your new city, but if you want to have a better trip, it might be worth taking a longer route to see landmarks and sights you never would otherwise be able to see. 

Watch the weather

Think about the time of year you are leaving and plan accordingly. You don’t want to get stuck in Colorado in January. If you do have to drive during the winter months, taking the southern route might be a better idea. Still, no matter what your route is, keep an eye on the weather and add in extra days just in case. 

Give yourself enough time

Your spouse has to report on a certain date, make sure you plan for that. Give yourselves a lot of extra time so you can enjoy the ride and not be rushed. Think about all you want to see on the way and plan accordingly. 

Stop early for the day

If you have kids, and pets, or even if you don’t, stop in the afternoon so there is time to go swimming, let the kids play on a playground, and have dinner together. You don’t want to pull into a hotel at 9 pm at night, still needing to find some dinner for the kids. 

Prep your kids

If your kids are old enough, prep them for the trip. Let them know your route and give them their own map. Let them help plan some of the stops. Bring “surprises” for them to open during the more boring parts of the drive. 

Have back up plans

What will you do if you have a hotel reservation in Utah but get stuck in a massive traffic jam while still in California? Think about back up plans, and make sure you have extra money to spend in case you need to add unexpected stops or if you have a car emergency along the way. 

Connect with friends

If you have friends along your route, see if you can see them. You might even be able to stay with them instead of a hotel. If nothing else, you can plan your meals so that you are able to meet up and connect, if only for a few hours over lunch. 

Don’t forget the snacks

You are going to need snacks, and many of them. You could always purchase them on the way but having a snack plan is a must. This will help if you still have an hour to go before it is time to stop for dinner and someone gets hungry. You also will want to have snacks for the hotel room or even for when you get to your new area. 

Plan for pets

If you are on a PCS road trip, you are going to have your pets with you. Make plans for them. Does your dog get car sickness? Does your cat suffer from anxiety in the car? Talk to your vet about what you might need and make sure that anywhere you will be staying allows pets. Some hotels and motels do not.

Pcsing across the country can be overwhelming but turning that trip into a fun road trip can be the way to go.

Have you ever gone on a PCS road trip? Where did you go?

Visit PCSing.com for your next PCS! You can find out information about your next duty station, read articles about PCSing, and more. 

That Darn Emergency Contact

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That Darn Emergency Contact

PCSing

One part of military life is possibly moving every few years. In a 20-year long military career, you could move anywhere from two or three to eight or nine depending on career plans.

For some, moving every two or three years is normal. Some military families move even more often. While sometimes you do get to stay at the same duty station for a longer period of time, that isn’t the norm.

When you move, you really have to start over. You have to make a new house a home, you have to find new doctors, dentists, even where you are going to do your shopping.

You also need to sign your children up at new schools, daycares, or child development centers. And usually, those places ask for one important thing…an emergency contact.

This shouldn’t be a big deal…

But, when you are new to a location, you might not have anyone you trust with your kids. How could you? You don’t know anyone yet!

So what do you do? Who should you put down?

Sometimes you can put down your FRG leader, other times, one of your spouse’s coworkers. You can put down a family or friend that lives far away but that might not help if there was a true emergency.

Luckily, the odds of having to call those numbers are super low. I think in all the years of having kids, a school has never had to call that emergency number, maybe once?

Make it a goal to make some friends at your new duty station, and everything will fall into place when it comes to your emergency contacts. It’s not that you shouldn’t worry about it, you want the school or daycare to be able to get ahold of someone if they can’t get ahold of you, but it can be tricky when everyone you trust with your kids lives 2,000 miles away.

Have you ever had to put down someone you didn’t really know on your kid’s forms? How do you handle this issue? 

4 Tips For Your Next Short-Term Move

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of CORT for IZEA Worldwide. All opinions are 100% mine.

4 Tips For Your Next Short-Term Move


Short-term moves can happen in military life. Not every military family stays put for three to four years. Maybe there is a special school that your service member needs to go to; maybe it just makes more sense to move home for the time he will be deployed, whatever the reason, a short-term move can come with its only complications.

 


Here are four tips to help you through a short-term move:

It’s okay to unpack

Living out of suitcases stops being fun after about a week. If you can, unpack in your temporary home. Make the place your own, as much as you can. Decorate the walls, put up a few photos, add those personal touches. No, you can’t do all the things you would want to do if you were going to live there for a few years, but you can still make the place a beautiful place to live, even for a few short months.

Use CORT For Furniture Rental

While there are some things you will want in your home, it can be much easier to rent furniture on a temporary basis, put your regular items in storage, and enjoy what works for your temporary home. It is one thing to buy a new couch to fit a home you will be in for three years and another when you will only be there for a few months.

Here is a little bit more about what CORT Furniture Rental can do for you:

  • CORT can offer you furniture rentals piece by piece or even at a room at a time.

  • CORT has 156 showrooms across the United States.

  • With CORT you can get your furniture in as little as 48 business hours.

  • CORT also offers housewares packages for your kitchen, bathroom, and the bedroom.

  • CORT makes moving more manageable, especially if you need furniture during a short-term move. ​

You can still make friends

It can be tempting not to want to put yourself out there when you know you will be moving again soon but don’t be afraid to make friends. Even if you are only able to be friends in person for a few months, you can carry on your friendship online and through phone calls for the rest of your lives. And you never know when you might end up at the same duty station again.

Make a bucket list

Make a bucket list of all the things you want to do during your time at your short-term location. This way, you won’t be moving away without seeing what you wanted to see. If you need ideas, you can always check out a tour book, talk to people who live there or read about the area online.


Please visit CORT Furniture Rental for more information and to help plan your next move.

Moving is never easy and can be a bit overwhelming when you know you are going to be someplace for a limited amount of time. These tips for a short-term move should help you the next time you have to do so.

 

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How To Go About House Hunting From Afar

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Excited to have this guest post from Millie! Please visit my Duty Station Guest Posts page for more information on guest posting 🙂

How To Go About House Hunting From Afar

How To Go About House Hunting From Afar

“We have orders to WHERE???”

By Kellie Artis, gomillie.com

Once the orders drop, there are a few decisions that need to be made: will we live on base or off? And if we decide to live off base, will we rent or will we buy? Each of these decision points come with several considerations, but let’s just say that you decide to rent or buy a home in the community. Great! Now, where do you start?

Sometimes the stars align so that you can actually take a trip out to “recon” an area before your move. Often, this is a luxury considering all of the things that must fall into place to allow for such a trip: childcare, time off work for the spouse, leave for the service member, and non-reimbursable travel expenses. More often than not, you’ll be house hunting from afar.

Research

The absolute first place online you should visit is www.gomillie.com. MILLIE is a one-stop-shop for researching your next duty station, understanding the surrounding areas, and getting the inside scoop from a military family perspective. All of the information comes directly from hundreds of military spouses stationed at each of the 70+ installations featured on the site. Just go to the Find a Base page and search for your upcoming duty station! You’ll get the dish on area schools, the local housing market, attractions, pros and cons, even unit-specific maps and commute charts.

Grab a coffee and settle in to learn some of the most pertinent information about your new home and where to start on your virtual house hunt! From here you should have a pretty decent idea of where you’re going to want to start your home search. You will be a dream client for any real estate agent, and you’ll save tons of time by doing your research up front.

House Hunting

Finding an Agent

If you are considering buying a home, you’ll want to find an agent that understands your unique situation as a military family, and won’t be afraid of geographic restrictions (ie. potentially not being able to physically tour a home!). They also need to understand that military families buy with the future in mind. Unless this is your last stop, this purchase won’t be a forever home, but likely be a rental property after a couple of years. You’ll also want an agent that is knowledgeable of the VA loan benefit. We’ve heard over and over again of agents that have tried to talk military buyers out of using their benefit, likely because they have bought into some of the myths surrounding it, or aren’t familiar enough with it. A great agent will also be willing to do virtual tours (sometimes with really snazzy VR tech), and work around crazy time constraints.

Recommendations from friends is a good place to start when choosing who you’ll trust with this massive transaction. But if you don’t have a network where you’re headed, you can be expertly paired with a real estate agent who meets all of the above criteria, AND has also actually personally experienced a PCS. MILLIE’s AgentHero Network is made up exclusively of military spouse and veteran real estate agents who have served – just like you! They’re top agents who are also uniquely attuned to the needs of military clients because they’ve been in your shoes. You can connect with one of over 600 AgentHeroes within an hour directly from the MILLIE site.

House Hunting

Finding a Rental

Sometimes buying a home doesn’t make sense, so you’re on the hunt for a rental. By now you’ve done your research and have an idea of what area to focus on in your search. Next head over to MilitaryByOwner.com to start compiling actual listings to consider.

With each listing, remember that you can’t smell photos (cat pee or cigarette odor, anyone?) and they may have failed to mention the neighboring cellular tower in the listing. Sometimes homeowners or management companies will offer to give you a virtual tour, but keep in mind that there is an incentive for them to gloss over or completely omit the quirks and/or defaults of a home. Asking local friends to help out with “recon” is always an option, but if you don’t have a network where you’re headed or don’t want to lean on your friends in that way, you can turn to a MILLIE Scout. Scouts are military spouses who can be your boots-on-the ground when you can’t be there. You can hire a Scout to conduct a Facetime tour with you, provide neighborhood reviews, and more! This way you have an objective fact-finder that you can trust from afar to help provide decision support, and feel better about the dreaded “sight-unseen” situation we’re often faced with.  

House hunting from far away can be stressful, but with the right tools you can make decisions efficiently and from an informed point of view.  

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MILLIE is an online community and digital marketplace that connects members of the military and their families with specialized knowledge and trusted resource providers to remove the stress and anxiety of PCS’ing. Check out MILLIE’s Installation and Neighborhood Guides, our network of Veteran and military spouse Realtors, and Scout, our on-demand task service composed of military spouses.

www.gomillie.com | MILLIE Journal | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest| Twitter

 

PCSing This Summer? These Relocation Tips Will Help!

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Happy to have a guest post from Charlene Wilde about dealing with relocation! If you would like to guest post on Soldier’s Wife, Crazy Life, please visit my Duty Station Guest Post page or make sure to send me an email for more details! 

PCSing This Summer? These Relocation Tips Will Help!

Dealing with relocation this summer? These tips can help.

As many military spouses know, the summer doesn’t just mean that kids are out of school and beaches are open for business. At this time of year permanent changes of station become more frequent and dealing with the challenges that come with relocation is a reality for many military spouses and their families.

With so much on your plate as a military spouse, the last thing you want to worry about is adjusting after a move. As someone who has moved every two years for the past 15 years (with and without children!), here are some tips and best practices to make the transition smoother.

Effectively manage your budget:

Relocation provides the perfect opportunity to assess, and possibly reset, your financial posture. At the core of this is updating your budget. If you have experienced a PCS in the past, learn from what has and hasn’t worked in managing your finances. For example, if you’re moving to a base abroad you will most likely need to purchase a car when you get there. If you move to a city with readily available and reliable public transportation, it might be time to part ways with your car and pocket some additional cash for savings.

In terms of preparing for the move financially, you may be eligible for military advance pay as support. If you use this option, the military service member would be paid an advance of basic pay not exceeding three months to cover non-reimbursable moving expenses. It’s important to remember that this is a loan that you will have to pay back and not simply free money.

Next, consider how much of your budget needs to be allotted to housing in your new city. While you will get a basic housing allowance, be sure to do your own research and determine the cost of living in the area and understand the market. Will you want to rent, or would it be more financially advantageous to buy? This is just one of the important questions you and your spouse need to discuss.

You may also not have the luxury of being able to view a new home or apartment in person. If that is the case, be sure to find a local realtor with knowledge of the military community. Unfortunately, there are plenty of people out there who may not have your best interest in mind or who lack an understanding of the needs of a military family. Use trusted, military-spouse-focused social media pages (like this one) and resources in the area to get advice from those who have gone through the process.

Tap into the military spouse community:

Remember, you are never alone in this journey! As briefly mentioned above, it is extremely important to use the contacts and resources around you to help aid in this transition. While it may seem overwhelming to meet new people, the military spouse community is extremely supportive. Be proactive and consider joining the various spouse groups on base as a way to introduce yourself in-person to a new community and meet like-minded individuals. For example, Family Readiness Groups are command-sponsored groups that allow you to learn more about the new unit and area.

We live in a world that seems to get more digital by the day, so don’t discount the value of making connections online. Spouse groups on Facebook or elsewhere can be great sources of support and vital information to help with your move. Especially as we approach the summer months when many families PCS, there will be a lot of newcomers who may share the same concerns as you.

Keep the lines of communication open:

Whether it is just you and your spouse, or you’re juggling moving the whole family cross- country, it is essential to communicate openly and honestly with the whole family about the changes that are going to take open place. While talking finances may not be the most glamorous topic, there are also other things to consider when you PCS.

If you have children, make sure to talk about the process early and often. This transition can be tough on the entire family, especially as your children switch schools and have to make new friends. Involve them at an age-appropriate level in planning your move. Sit down as a family and highlight what there is to do and see in your new home in order to build excitement. Plan your budget accordingly so that you can enjoy small trips and entertainment once you are settled in order to learn about your new home.

Preparation can make the stress of a tough move much easier on both you and your military spouse. If you stay organized and open to the support and resources provided, you can tackle a permanent change of station this summer with ease.

Charlene Wilde is a veteran and military spouse. She is the Assistant Secretary of AAFMAA, our nation’s longest standing military financial services non-profit and a contributor to Spouselink, a site that informs and connects Military Spouses.

13 Memes for a Military PCS

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13 Memes for a Military PCS13 Memes for a Military PCS

PCSing! A big part of being a military spouse is moving every few years. While some families move after a just year and some don’t move for five or more, most military families are moving at least every 3-4 years. And that doesn’t include moving to a different home at the same duty station.

I have been through three PCS moves myself. We moved from Kentucky to Germany, within Germany, and then to Tennessee. In addition to that, I have probably moved about 15 times since leaving my parents house. Moving isn’t very much fun but a PCS can be a way to have a fresh start.

Here are 13 memes all about a military PCS:

Military PCS

Yes, you will be waiting for what seems like forever only to be told you have one week to get everything done. It’s crazy but that is pretty much what can happen, especially during an overseas PCS when you are waiting on a lot of paperwork.

Military PCS

This is for real! Sometimes you get amazing housing, sometimes you don’t. Such as military life.

Yes, you might not be excited about where you are moving but that doesn’t mean you won’t make the very best friends of your life there.

Military PCS

The number one tip for finding new friends at your duty station is to keep putting yourself out there.

Military PCS

Yep, nothing is final until you are physically there.

Military PCS

That would be the best!

Military PCS

Yes, finding friends at your new duty station will make your time there so much better. Being lonely isn’t any fun.

Military PCS

So true! All three of my kids were born in different places.

Military PCS

I really didn’t know where my son was going to start kindergarten until a year before and we got orders to Ft. Campbell. A lot of people have less time than that.

Military PCS

Yep! Don’t be afraid to ask for help!

Military PCS

Yes, you never know where you might end up!

Military PCS

I think we still probably have some from 2005.

Military PCS

Just got to go with the flow here…

 

How many PCS moves have you been through?

The Truth About Military Duty Stations

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The Truth About Military Duty Stations

I just wanted to go home. I hated it there. Everything about that place was starting to get on my nerves. We were still months away from PCSing and the closer that date got, the harder it was to be patient. I wanted to move so badly. Live somewhere else. Get out of where we were.

Looking back, it seems unreal that I thought this about being stationed in Germany. Being stationed in Europe is a dream come true. Doing so was an amazing experience and one I am very thankful for. But after a couple of years of being away from the US, all I wanted to do was go somewhere else.

The Truth About Military Duty Stations

 

There are always a lot of questions about duty stations in my Facebook community. So many people want to know what to expect and what living in some locations will be like.

These questions are a good idea so that military spouses can find out more about what they will be doing in the future. I know I always have a ton of questions before I move somewhere new.

Duty stations come in all different sizes and are located in very different places. Hawaii is going to be an entirely different experience than being stationed in upstate New York.

The Truth about Duty stations

So what is the truth about military duty stations?

Some are better than others, but…

Some duty stations are better than others. The housing is better, the weather is more ideal in California than it is in the South, and some places have more resources than others. Some locations are favorites of military families and some places cause a lot of dread when they are brought up.

The truth is, you could have an enjoyable experience at a horrible place, or you could have a horrible experience in paradise. Homesickness can kick in and if you are stationed far from home, going to visit can be difficult.

If you do get orders for one of the less popular duty stations, try not to get too upset about them. You never know what your experience will be like and you may just figure out how to bloom where you are stationed.

The people make the difference

The people you meet at your duty station can make the difference. In one place you could end up in the right neighborhood and makes friends very quickly. These are the people that you will remember after you PCS. They are the ones that will make your experience at your duty station what it is.

In other places, you could struggle to make friends and not finding your tribe can be a difficult place to be in. You might look back on those years with unfavorable memories and dread simply because you had a hard time connecting with others.

If you have issues with different people at your duty station, that is going to change your experiences as well. Too much drama and feeling like you don’t fit in can make your time there not as great.

The Truth about duty stations

Things change all the time

No matter where you are or how you feel about your duty station, things change all the time. People PCS away, you can move, even within the same city, your kids get older, and you PCS yourself.

Whenever I feel like I have found my group of friends in my current city, I am aware that things will change. That what we have at the moment will not last forever and that things will be different in the future.

This is a good thing if you don’t like where you live, not so good if you do.

Duty stations don’t last forever

If you hate where you live, don’t think it will get any better, and can’t wait to leave, eventually, you will. Although some military families do stay at the same place for a while, most move at least every 3-5 years. Some even more often.

You will eventually PCS out of where you are now. You might have to be patient and wait for that, but the day will eventually come.

Same duty station, completely different experiences

You should always keep in mind that two people can have completely different experiences at the same duty station. Here at Fort Campbell, we have people that love this place and never want to go anywhere else and those that loathe it and can’t wait to move.

I think your experience at a particular duty station is going to depend on a few factors. One is where you are from and what you are used to. If you come from California, living in a much colder part of the country is going to make a difference.

Your experience is also going to depend on your house, your spouse’s unit and even the ages of your children. You could have two completely different experiences at the same place simply because there are 10 years in between.

The truth of military duty stations

When it comes to duty stations, remember that seeking advice is a good thing but don’t get discouraged by bad comments. Know that you will probably be able to experience many different places during your spouse’s career and that you won’t stay in one place forever.

What do you love the most about your current duty station?

 

Moving Every Few Years As a Military Family Isn’t a Bad Thing

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Moving Every Few Years As a Military Family Isn't a Bad Thing

Moving Every Few Years As a Military Family Isn’t a Bad Thing

I have been visiting my family this summer; they still live in the house I grew up in. We moved in when I was just five years old, and I lived there until I left their home at the age of 18, going off to college.

I grew up in this city. I graduated high school with most of the same people I started 1st grade with. Almost every part of this city has a memory attached to it.

As I was driving home from meeting a friend for lunch, I couldn’t help but think of all that. There was the street we would go down to get to junior high. There was where the old McDonald’s was we used to go to before youth group on Wednesday nights. There was the 7-11 I would grab a slushie from walking home from school.

Military Spouse Life

The list could go on and on.

As I reflected on this, I started thinking about military life and how for so many, this is the opposite of how their kids are growing up. Moving every three years, making new friends, exploring new places.

As military kids grow up they won’t have that one place where they called home; they will have several. Some they will have stronger memories of that others.

They might never again see anyone they went to 1st grade with, losing touch when they or their classmates move away, which is guaranteed to happen.

When they look back on their junior high years, they are probably not going to be anywhere near where their parents decided to retire. Those streets might even be foreign to them if that happens after they leave home.

Some military families do stay put. Some can extend their stays at their duty stations for longer than three or four years. Some stay so that kids can finish high school; others stay because they do want to put down those roots and somehow military life let them.

Why Moving Every Few Years As a Military Family Isn't a Bad Thing

But for most military families, the moving, the changing of places, the pcsing, it all becomes the norm.

Where you lived when your children were babies can be literally across the world from where you will live when they are teenagers.

Although some military families can go back to past duty stations, none of the same people are there the second time around, and that changes things.

Over the years, we can return to visit our own hometowns. Some of us left at 18, ready to start our own lives.

And once you do that. Once you leave, you can never really return. Even if you do, things will be different. You will be different.

I haven’t moved as much as some military families. As a Guard family, you tend to stay in the same place. But I have lived in places so very different from my home town in Southern California.

I have been able to experience a small German village, a southern military friendly city, and have enjoyed a lot of experiences I would never have had I stayed in Southern California.

If you are getting ready to move somewhere new, if you are getting ready to PCS somewhere out of your comfort zone, if you are scared of being away from home, remember that you will be learning so many things from all the places you end up.

Why Moving Every Few Years As a Military Family Isn't a Bad Thing

You will meet people you would never have. You will do things you never thought about before. You will experience how other people have lived, even if how they do so is so very different from your own upbringing.

Military life forces you out of your comfort zone. How can it not? So whether you are two hours from where you grew up, a two days drive, or a flight longer than you ever could have imagined, know that you will learn and grow as a person from being able to live there.

Look at moving as the biggest adventure. No, you might not be able to give your children the stability of a hometown for all of their 18 years, but you will be able to provide them with a life filled with new experiences.

What is one thing you have enjoyed about moving around every few years as a military family?