So I just got an email from the Scott AFB Housing office reminding me that we are set to report in less then 90 days...which actually means we will be leaving here even sooner! We are looking at pulling out of here on the 22nd of June, approximately 1 month after J returns from one of those "trips" he is currently on. 60+ days seemed like a long time from now, but now looking at the list of items to be accomplished before the move I may need to find a pause button! I have been busy posting on travisbookoo.com (a website created by military members to work like craigslist) and have been unloading a bunch of clothes, toys, and kid gear that we no longer need. It has been very rewarding to see the boxes/bags disappear and money show up in the wallet! It has been so much easier then to sit at a garage sale all day and hardly sell anything...I think I have made more money doing it online then I normally do with all the work of hosting a sale. I think both of us have started looking at our stuff in dollar signs...which could be a problem if you really end up needing it later on and end up re-buying it.
We have also been busy trying to look at the housing market around Scott AFB to see what houses are available for rent or to buy. At least we are moving in the summer and can take some time looking and not worry about getting the boys off to school right away. We haven't ruled out living on base, but we know that there is a wait list...so who knows when a house would become available. We have also had contact with our sponsor from the squadron, something that we really haven't had in the past moves, and have gotten some good advice about some of the local towns. If anyone knows anything about the area (schools, utilities, etc) please feel free to contact us, there is never too much information for me ;)
As new neighbors move in on the street I have been able to snag some of their boxes so that I can have some on hand and can start packing up the trailer. I have dug out the vacuum bags and have started filling them up with clothes that are to small for J and too big for N and doing the same with M's clothes that are too big for J. This is the third move where we had a large trailer to load up, doing a partial DITY (Do IT Yourself move) can be a lot of hard work but getting some extra money is always rewarding...at least for us it has worked out well. It really helps if we can get enough free boxes, coupons for packing tape, and can pay friends with beer and pizza for some occasional muscle on a few larger items.
Since I know I am not the only one going through a move this summer I thought I would offer some pre-moving tips on how to make your move go a little smoother.
Purge...if you have time go through your things and sell, donate, trash the things that you won't need or don't use. As a family of 6 (can't forget Diesel), we have a lot of stuff and are only allowed 14,500 lbs worth of stuff (minus professional gear...will discuss that on another point). Every pound over that costs us out of pocket money. Last time we moved we went over, since we do a partial that means we didn't get paid for that weight we moved. Most of the time when we get somewhere we end up garage sale/donate/throw out things we don't have room for, got broken in the move, or just don't want anymore. If you have the time, it pays to purge...but sometimes time is a luxury.
While you are purging you might as organize at the same time.
Organize...movers are sometimes random when they start throwing things in boxes. They are allowed so many days to come in an pack up all of your belongings...so they may not care that they are putting kitchen utensils with your 1/2 bath towels and rugs and labeling it bathroom. So try to put things away in the correct room to begin with, I know we deal with floating things around the house all the time..."Why is the xbox controller in the kitchen?!". Also if you put post it notes with a more specific name for a room like N bedroom or downstairs bathroom they will label the boxes the same way and you may not end up with as many boxes in the wrong room. At this time you should also inventory anything of significant value for your records. Write down serial numbers of electronics, take pictures, pull out anything that you wouldn't risk having the movers take.
At this point you should also separate things that don't count against your weight limit like professional gear (pro-gear)...as far as I can remember and what I have seen on line is that there is no weight limit for pro-gear here is a description of what qualifies as pro-gear:
Professional gear can contain items that the service member needs to perform official duties at the next or subsequent duty station. Tools and equipment that are specifically used for the member's military job, reference materials, such as books, papers and manuals, and specialized clothing, such as diving suits, helmets or chaplain vestments, are all considered professional gear. Official awards, or those earned through a professional organization, also may be shipped with professional gear.
Boy that stuff adds up too! Set it all aside and make sure the movers tag the boxes with pro-gear and estimate a total weight they are moving on their packing slips, if you know it is going to be tight on your total weight weigh it yourself so it doesn't get underestimated.
Clean...make sure your things are dusted, wiped down and garbage is out of the trash cans. You would be surprised to learn how many people have told the story of opening a box and find a bag of garbage that got wrapped in paper and transported across country, we had it happen with a diaper genie...ya not a great box to open! Cleaning also allows for the movers to write down accurate conditions of your furniture..or allows you to see exactly how marked up something is to argue with them about how they rated it....a huge upper hand if your stuff is destroyed, God forbid, when you receive your shipment at the next duty station and you need to file a claim for replacement. Also depending on where you are moving from and moving to groody things can grow on your rugs, high chairs, dishes, etc.. if they aren't cleaned well...also I know from moving to CA they have strict restrictions on shipments with outside gear. Make sure that all the dirt, spider webs, bugs, etc all wiped off or the inspector will fine you...your movers may also decline to move it when they come to load your stuff up.
I think that is a good start for the move...I should probably start doing and not just saying what to do...or even thinking about tonight's supper, ya I better start with tonight's supper...
