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Showing posts with label PCSing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PCSing. Show all posts

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Live Classy,

Long time no chat!

San Diego Neighborhood Guide, by LiveClassy.com is amaze-balls. Seriously, Check this out! This is a moving option for our future and I feel upon this website and thought I should share! Tootles! 
 #SanDiego
#SoCal

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Moving Binder

Organizational moving binder is the key to keeping sane. I made a two moving binders one for me and one for a good friend. We both used them (hey we're type A what can I say). I got the idea of a moving binder from a different blog so I'll share it with you.

Shannon Brown "How to Move a 1000 Miles"

 Needed Items:
  • 3 Ring Binder (3 in. or larger)
  • 1 or 2 Pencil Cases
  • Sharpie or other Permanent Marker for each room of house (include storage and garage)
  • Shipping labels 
  • Dot stickers (either white and color them or pick colors that match your room color markers)
  • Plastic sheet covers
  • Scissors
  • Box cutter
  • Tape
  • Tape Measure
  • Pocket Tab Dividers
  • A few Pencils
  • A few Pens
  • Post-it note 



Moving Binder
Title Page
  • Hard copy of PCS orders
  • Moving/Packer Information
  • Packing Box Inventory (Stickers, labels, list of what is in each box)
  •  En Route Travel Info (Printed directions just in case, Hotel confirmation, Pet boarding information, Copy of PCS orders, misc. traveling information)
  • New Home Lease and Utilities Information
  • New Town Information
    • Important Base phone numbers and addresses
    • Map of new location and base
    • Location and hours of local grocery stores, Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club, Costco, Exchange, and Commissary
    •  Base gate hours (per location)
    •   Post Office hours where your P.O. Box is locate
  • Food (phone numbers and locations of  local restaurants and take out joints near your new home and/or hotel and menus if possible)
  • Interior Design (size of furniture pieces, lay out of new home, and other home decorating )










Moving Binder Title Page

Moving Binder Front Page

Box Inventory List 

We used our binder to keep all receipts (gas, trailer rental, hotel, food, weigh tickets). It was fabulous. It also keep all the paper work the movers gave us. Two vehicles on the road, with two drivers, two crazy dogs. It definitely keep us sane and organized.
 

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Moving Entitlements

I get asked frequently on social media what am pay can we get for things. I don't have time to rewrite all the information but here are two fabulous links to moving entitlements.


About.com PCS Entitlements



Moves happen all the time plan ahead save up money for them. You'll have to spend money on your new home no matter where it is. We moved into a house once with out a single light bulb that was awesome. So plan ahead so you don't have to put it on a credit card or have to take out an advancement in pay. 

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Renting

Renting a home from the other side of the country via a source online is a scary thing. During our most recent move we had an idea of where we wanted to live, but we didn't find a living arrangement on our trip there. I spent hours searching online at local property management websites and craigslist.org . We eventually found a place on craigslist.org and its pretty wonderful.

I've been introduced to a national website www.zillow.com and its a fabulous place to start your research.  One thing I like about Zillow is that the property manager normally have their links at the bottom of page, thus making it easier to get in touch with them. If your move is many months in advance you can start your search 8-6 weeks out by emailing property managers your needs (bedrooms, bathrooms, pets, fenced yard, etc).

Some property managers are less than truthful or don't take care of their property. Things to look for in photos:
-Time Stamp (if the photo is more than 3 months old ask for more recent photos and or a video walk through).
-Broken items (I've seen so many photos with broken cabinets, cracked windows, or mirrors). I truly believe that if a property manager takes care of their property they will not take photos and post the property until its ready.
-Trash in the yard or on property. My current property manager has a someone come do the front lawns every week. I rarely see any trash on the drive or in the lawns.

The Neighborhood:
Take a digital walk in the neighborhood. Using Google maps you can take a digital walk through the neighborhood. Things I looked for are the cars similar or nicer than yours, if not then you'll have the nice car in the neighborhood and could be a target. Find out the rent of other similar home in the area. Check the crime rate many websites this function.

It's important to have phone numbers, fax, and a physical location for the property manager. If it sounds to good to be true it probably is. Beware of scam artists.


Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Jewelry Storage and Organization

When I look at my house I see how much we've out grown it. My messiest areas are the bedroom "Catch all Drawer", Closet, and Master Bathroom.  I decided I was gonna take on one area.

My jewelry was an overwhelming mess in gallon size ziplock bags. Its so tangled I could never find the pieces that I wanted. I own several jewelry boxes but no of them match my current bedroom colors so they were put in boxes in storage or sitting half full in the closet.

I pulled out the jewelry which needed to be inspected, sorted, some of it donated or saved for a future child "Dress up Box". 



Look at this mess! Yuck over whelming. Bangles, earrings, and Pageant Bling OH MY!

I decided that I also wanted to organize my medications, nail polish, hair ties, head bands, and fertility devices and tests.




I regularly check my over the counter and pharmacy medications to see that they have reached their expiration dates. So I took the time to check that it wouldn't go bad before Christmas (when I'll have more time on my hands).

Donations made were lots of jewelry two jewelry boxes that don't make the decor of my home. It feels great to have things more organized and I love that all they have to do when we move is Tape the drawers shut and put them in a box.

Finished Product:


Above is the my nail polish, medications, and bandages. 


Hair ties, head bands, bangles, and fertility stuff. 



Jewelry (necklaces, rings, ear rings) in the closet for easy accessibility when putting together outfits.

At some point I want an antique jewelry box, but with so many moves coming up in next few years I don't think its a good investment. This will keep me organized for now. My really nice jewelry is keep in the original boxes from the jewelers.

Edited 07/29/10
Y'all know that if I find something better than what I'm doing or that I think is neat I won't hide it from you! Well I was on pinterest and I found this. I loved it. We don't have very much medicine in our home, but If you need a good storage/organization strategy I think this would be very excellent.



http://raquelenglish.com/ship-shape-organized-medicine-cabinet/

Fabulous! 

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Clothing Organization

So this is a super tough topic to write about my love of clothing! I love shopping, I love finding deals. I shop Goodwill, sales racks, and boutiques.  But with all that clothing it takes up a lot of space and clothing weights a "ton". I had two closets (one in my parents home and one in my college house) when I sorted through all of my clothing I donated of 5 trash bags of clothing and threw away 2 trash bags. But getting rid of some excess that you don't even wear will make room for more new items and will ease your move. 

How I sort through my clothing is by size and by season. My very first decision starts with the question. "Did I wear this in the past season?" If I did not then I have to decided is it a classic, would it work better in a different climate, is it a Ball Gown or formal wear? If I don't have a good reason why I didn't wear it or I've never worn it; I will donate it. If it has stains or is torn I up-cycle it in a craft, use it to make cleaning rags, or I throw it away. Amy H. said "Take out anything you haven't worn in the last year. If it is a special event/ occasion outfit/garment and may be worn again - that can stay. Everything else, sell or give away." which firms up my belief if you didn't wear it this year are you ever gonna really wear it?

I organize my clothing by size first. So I own 3 sizes currently (y'all know how it goes skinny clothing, normal, and "oh crap I need Weight Watchers fast!").  My skinny clothing which doesn't fit currently is neatly folded and put in 18 gallon storage tubs. I normally sort by "Summer" and "Winter", because I grew up in a place that had all 4 seasons. My winter gear (coats, heavy jackets, ski accessories, and snow boots) is normally in one box (its all so puffy). I normally try to keep the season together, then sort by size I put tissue paper between the size layers. I store my formal gowns in Cotton storage bags at the back of the closet.

Shoes, shoes, shoes! When I moved to our current location I was moving minimal amount of things Shoe boxes did not come with. But then shoes got scratched just sitting in piles in the closet and it was driving me crazy. Current location is Tucson, AZ the dust is amazing here it gets everywhere! So after 18 months of dusting off shoes every time I wore them; I decided enough was enough. I bought 6 shoe boxes at the dollar store ever time I went. Eventually I had enough to put every pair in a box. Love my now organized closet. I saved a lot of space.


Other clothing topics.

I don't do yard sales. I love shopping at them I don't host them. I get rid of things every month. I  never just let it build up in my town house (its so small).  But my Aunt Nessy L. said that Ebay has been a great option for her and the extras they have around the house. Which made me think of lot sales on craigslist.. Both are great option of how to get rid of some extras around the house and possibly make a little cash.  Please do craigslist.org with caution there are some crazies out there. This would be especially good if you have children.

My husband prior to this move had never gone through his clothing since he moved out of his house when he joined the U.S. Navy.  He seem unaware to the fact that 7 years ago he was a size M and he is now a size XL. When I helped him go through his things it was like pulling tooth and nail (next time I'll just wait til he's gone and go through it by myself). Seriously go through or have your husband go through his clothing.


Found a great website! Thought I would share! 

http://orgjunkie.com/2012/04/org-junkies-tips-for-parting-with-your-clothes-free-printable.html

Monday, July 2, 2012

Bases and Places

Oh new places are filled with new faces!  Oh that was corny.  Moving on here are some of my favorite easy to use websites filled with info on new locations.

http://www.mybaseguide.com/

https://www.facebook.com/militarydutystations

https://www.facebook.com/MilitaryTownAdvisor

http://militarywom.com/

http://militarybases.com/

http://baseguide.com


The one thing all of these websites have in common is .... They are hit and miss! One my have your base the other may have no information. These are not my complete list, they just are the best ones I've found.





Why this blog?

I've decided to write this blog because I'm a moving fanatic! I have a love/hate relationship with moving.

I love sorting through all of my stuff in my home and making sure I've downsize and got rid of the clutter. I hate the waiting around of moving. Oh we're gonna move in a year, not much we can do now except to wait.  I am a list maker, I want organization, and I want to have a plan A,B, and C.

I've been the administrator on the www.navyformoms.com group PCS-ing/Moving through experience that I've gained a lot of resources. Maybe these resources will help you in your future move.

Our first DITY move.

*Note the laundry basket with cleaning supplies.
** Note the laundry basket of with clean household items like (towels, sheets, other things).