On the Move with the Military

On the Move with the Military

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Financial Tips for Military Spouses

PCSing is a stressful time in a military family’s life and can be made worse when financial hardships occur during a move. When planning for your next PCS, always expect things to go right, but also plan for things to go wrong.

My husband and I do our best to try and plan out every aspect of the move, but it always seems like unexpected costs or unforeseen events come up. We always make sure we have $1,000 in our budget to cover car issues or other unexpected incidents during a move. If you don’t have $1,000 readily available, you may be able to request a money advancement before your move through your installation’s Transportation Office.

If you do a Personally Procured Move (PPM), also called a DITY or do-it-yourself move, one thing you can do that could end up saving you money is to make sure your home goods are insured or covered. It’s not uncommon for moving trucks, cars or trailers to get broken into on the road, which could end up costing you a lot of money in the end. If you decide to do a household goods (HHG) or move using a government moving company, double check all the paperwork to make sure the moving company writes down that your electronics are in working condition. It’s very common for things to break during an HHG move, so it’s important your goods are listed as working or else it may not be covered.

One little way you can save money is to go to the installation lending closet once you arrive at your new home and borrow basic household items required to cook, clean, etc. Eating out every night for a week while you are unpacking your house can get costly, especially if you have children!

MilSpouse Money
Mission Response:

These are great tips for a PCS. Thank you for sharing. We love this picture and it looks like you had some fun documenting the trip! We’re sure the more seasoned military spouses out there have a lot of experience and have learned many great hacks over the years. Hopefully the newer spouses will benefit from this wisdom!

One important to-do item on a PCS checklist is to review your insurance coverages. This is not just for home goods while in transit, as Jaime points out (which is super important), but also calling to update coverage for your home goods and automobiles in your new location. Rates can vary from location to location, so it’s important to know and plan ahead.

If you are authorized a money advancement like Jaime’s family, remember you have to pay that back. Plan for repayment in your post-PCS budget so you’re not caught off guard.

We have an entire section of the website dedicated to PCS moves. Here we have videos from other spouses, worksheets to help you start planning for your next move, and some financial planning considerations to keep in mind. Additionally, we provide 10 tips to make your next move a little smoother. Also remember that if things do not go according to plan, the military relief societies stand ready to help with no-interest loans, grants and other community support programs. Check out this blog for more information.

One other thing to consider with a move is change of climate! I bet Jaime learned the climate is a bit different in Colorado than Georgia. Do your homework and if your family needs new wardrobe items like hats and gloves or hair products to de-frizz your hair, it all adds up so be sure to plan ahead and account for any extra expenses.