38) If you notice the movers doing a less than professional job, contact the PPO right then and there and STAY ON THEM.
39) Make sure to ask your doctor for extra refills of medications before you leave. Ask for them in written prescription form, that way you can fill them when you get to your next duty station while you wait to get set-up with your new provider.
40) For those looking for employment after PCS Move, don’t forget to use your Family Support Centers and DOD resources.
41) When you move yourself, make sure you keep every receipt, no matter how small, and weigh the truck before you load and after you load. You might have your reimbursement denied for little things like that…leaving you to foot the bill.
42) To label each box while packers are in the process of packing to make sure 50 boxes are not labeled ‘misc.’
43) Watch the packers actually pack your stuff. We had irreplaceable items just thrown into boxes with no packing paper. Toys that were damaged because they were packed in huge boxes, request smaller boxes. There may be more boxes but at least your stuff will not be crushed by the weight of everything else.
44) Make sure to empty those trash cans before the movers arrive. They WILL pack the cans full of trash. Not fun to open when you get to your destination!
45) Ask a neighbor to watch the pets so you don’t have to worry about them running out the door, or worse, jumping into a box and meeting their demise on a moving truck.
46) Don’t delay getting to know other military spouses, or making friends in your new community. Use Facebook groups, family readiness and other base programs to meet new people.
47) Everyone has a horror story. Learn from these stories but try not to focus on everything that can go wrong.
48) Make sure to follow up with your previous utility companies about a month after you move and make sure all bills are paid in full. It is no fun to print out a credit report six months later only to find out that a $50 electric bill is now a bad mark on your report after you thought everything was paid and the bill was lost because of your change of address.
49) Don’t forget to take care of yourself by continuing physical activity and eating as healthy as you can during your PCS Move. Getting to your next duty station 10 pounds heavier and feeling sluggish because of your diet is not ideal.
50) Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. And if all else fails, buy some Dixie cups, a box of wine, order take out and find something to laugh about each day. This too shall pass.
Click here for more information on your next PCS Move!
