Three little letters can strike terror in the hearts of military families far and wide: PCS.  Oh, the dreaded move.  Even if it’s a move that will take you to a place you can’t wait to live or get you out of a place you hate, there’s always so much stress involved.  How long before you stuff arrives?  Will it arrive in one piece?  Will it arrive at all?  It’s enough to drive a reasonably sane spouse to the edge.  And occasionally even enough to push that same normally reasonably spouse right over the edge and into the depths of insanity.

I grew up a Navy brat and am now and Army spouse.  Moving is something that’s practically in my blood.  I’ve done it so many times (17 times over the course of my life) it just seems normal now to move.  I’m a pro!

Here are a few tips to help make your move successful and (relatively) stress free:

1.  GET RID OF STUFF!  Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell, but I figured that would get your attention.  As soon as you get your PCS orders, start going through your stuff.  It’s amazing how much you can accumulate in just a couple of years.  Look at your stuff closely and decide what you really need and what you can live without.  Besides assuring that you are within your housing weight limit, it’s a good excuse to get rid of junk and evaluate what you really love. Your next quarters might be small (okay, they WILL be small) and you don’t want to be packed in like sardines.  Also, if you’re going to Europe and won’t have a yard, get rid of, or store your patio furniture, outside kids toys, gardening tools,washer/dryer, etc.  If you’re going to Europe you won’t have a yard and will have to figure out how to store all that stuff in your tiny basement storage.  The government will store stuff for OCONUS tours, so take advantage of it! And remember for getting rid of stuff, Craigslist.com is your friend.  Sell it or give it away!

2.  Document, document, document!  Take your digital camera (you know you have one), and take photos of everything.  Print off the pics of your electronics and write the serial number of each item on the back of the photo.  Keep these photos with you.   Hopefully you will never need them, but shoudl something get damaged or turn up missing, you’ll have proof that a) you owned it and b) what condition it was in.

3.  Pack your valuables and special photos and take them with you.  Don’t leave expensive jewelry, great-grandma’s watch or your wedding/baby photos for the movers to pack.  Make room in your suitcase or car for it.

4. Pack and hand carry your medicines! Make sure you have enough medication to get you through your move and at least a month afterwards. Make that appointment ASAP. You know how hard it can be to get an appointment at a MTF.

5. Ensure that if a framed photo or piece of art will not be ruined if the glass breaks. A few days before the movers come, I buy a roll of blue painters tape and put it over the glass of all my frames. I make a large “X” from corner to corner and then a “t” that runs down the center of the “X”-for large frames (16×20 and up) you may need to run a few lines across the “X” and “t” This also works great for mirrors. There is nothing like pulling a mirror out of a box and having shards fall all over you.

5. If you’re going to be sending unaccompanied baggage, sort that out before the main shipment and set it aside. Some things you might want to send ahead of time: small tv, dvd player, dvds, cds, and books to keep you and the kids occupied, computer, printer, a few towels and sheets, a blanket per person, cookware, some dishes and silverware, a microwave, a few small lamps, extra clothing (and heavy coats if you’re PCSing to a cold climate), and some favorite toys to make your kids feel at home.

Plan ahead and stay calm and it will be fine.

Stay tuned for Surviving a PCS part two: The Big Day and Surviving a PCS part three: We finally got our stuff.  Now what?