I’ll be the first to admit that I struggle with organization and it’s never come easy for me. However, there are two times where my life is dress right dress: tax season and PCS time!
Moving at any point, much less with the military, can be chaotic and stressful; every little thing you can do to combat that is important!
I’ve kept a PCS binder on hand since our first move from Ft. Bragg to HAAF which has made it easier for other PCS’s. All I have to do is purge the unnecessary info (which gets scanned and stored on the server, because i’m slightly a nerd) and update information that’s changed. I also pull out the important docs that stay filed in locked fireproof boxes. Now that we’ve added two kids and a dog since that first move, the included items have shifted a bit.
Below i’ve included a list of items that we’ve found to be beneficial for our family. Bear in mind, my husband keeps his own storage clipboard with his necessary documents for in-processing so I haven’t listed those here.
- Important documents: Socials, Passports, etc. I also keep a clear pocket for receipts/loose documents.
- Local Info: Details about the installation and local area that we’ve found.
- Birth/Marriage Certificates
- Insurance Information
- Government PCS Rate/Compensation Info.
- Drum Housing Info & Paperwork.
- Outgoing Housing CHecklists, etc.
- Kids’ Vaccinations & Records (You could also carry hard copies of any necessary prescriptions until you get established).
- Pet Shot Records
- Notes (Loose leaf paper)
For this move i’ve also included a Do It Yourself or “DITY” checklist. (The Army calls this a PPM now or Personally Procured Move). There’s nothing worse than getting to a new house and realizing you have nothing to cook with! Hopefully this will help to keep ourselves straight.
Finally, I take pictures of our furniture and electronics with serial numbers and keep the thumb drive in the binder with us for future claims.
On packing day, the kids and I mostly hang out in the “Don’t Touch Room” where we keep everything that we will be hand carrying with us. This way we don’t have to worry about anything accidentally getting packed by the movers.
I hope this helps for your future PCS moves! Do you have any additions that I have forgotten?
~Melissa G.
~Happily Grim~ 