Moving

How to Prepare for an Overseas PCS

by Team MSF
How to Prepare for an Overseas PCS

Here is the dirty little secret about OCONUS relocation: It’s the most stressful, most time-consuming, and most memorable PCS your family will ever encounter. The rare Armed Forces gift of an OCONUS (Outside the Continental United States) duty assignment morphs the standard moving day jitters into a process of antacid-popping anxiety. But once you conquer […]

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Turning Your PCS Into a Vacation

by Team MSF

Should You Make Your PCS Road Trip into A Vacation? PCSing can be an adventure, but it is also quite an undertaking. Last summer my husband and I decided to make our family (2 boys (2 and 5) plus our cat) PCS road trip from California to Virginia more exciting by adding a few extra […]

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Holding On To Items When You PCS

by Bethaney Phillips
Should You Sell Your Out of Season Gear When PCSing? What have you held onto for far too long, even though you can’t use it at your current duty station? Living in Georgia, I have a box of snow gear -- coveralls, coats, scarves, and gloves -- and it’s all tucked away in the attic. It’s sat there for three years, hoping to one day see the light of day. Now, looking back, I probably should have sold the lot. Donated or give to friends -- anything that would allow it some extra use while keeping us from having to haul it here and there. But I didn’t and so it sits. Who knows where our next station will be -- maybe we’ll need it? Maybe we won’t. But when it comes to PCSing, it’s already a huge pain, so cutting down how much you have to move is a huge help. Losing a few bucks on the deal can even be worth the convenience of having fewer items to move. So, should you hold onto items you can’t use at your next duty station? Unless they hold some type of sentimental value or were especially expensive, I’d say no. You can always buy more. And chances are, wherever you’re headed has a choice of what you need -- others will be doing the same thing you did on their way out. They purged what they couldn’t or wouldn’t need. Consider donating or selling your items that you will PCS with before your next move. This is an easy way to cut down packing, hauling, and reorganizing at the next stop. And if it can’t be used anyway, that makes your decision all the more easy to make in the first place. Let it go! Bethaney-milspouse Do you clean house before a big move? What have you held onto that you wish you’d have purged?

Should You Sell Your Out of Season Gear When PCSing? What have you held onto for far too long, even though you can’t use it at your current duty station? Living in Georgia, I have a box of snow gear — coveralls, coats, scarves, and gloves — and it’s all tucked away in the attic. […]

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Early Preparations for PCS

by Mandy Baker
Early Preparations for PCS

It’s only the beginning of the year, but PCS seasoning is looming over us all. We are anxiously awaiting orders to see where our new home will be. Our fingers are poised over our keyboards so we can start that research process as soon as we get the official word from our spouse. PCS time […]

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