All Branch Topic (ABT) Moving

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Onefellswoop87

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I honestly don't mind moving at this point in my life/career (my wife and kids seem to enjoy it too), but if I ever think it's a good idea to paint a room again, smack me.

Seriously.

Sure, it's semi exciting when moving in and getting settled, but moving out? Painting back to the original color effing sucks.

</rant>

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Anyone ever done a 'self move'? (I'm thinking about it, if they cancel my PCS move, I gotta get outta my house by 6/30). Use any of the shipping businesses, 1800packrat, pods, etc?
I did one once and then never again. I have packed many households since for moving, but the move proper, no.
 
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I did one once and then never again. I have packed many households since for moving, but the move proper, no.
I definitely don't want to do it myself. Would much rather prefer the traditional moving company as set up by the gov't. But if they cancel my move (set for 2nd week of June, already assigned to a moving company, already had our walk thru...I'm hoping it stays put), then I might have to. I gotta be outta my place by 6/30. Thoughts?
 
Where will you go if you move before 6/30? Move ahead of your household goods to to new city or stay put? A mover can take your stuff to storage and deliver later (done that before, not ideal, but it can be made to work.) Do you have to be somewhere else for a job by a date certain?
 
I did my own moves twice during my early years before kids. If it was still just me and the wife I'd probably do it again. Add in kids plus a lot more stuff and it becomes not worth it. I'd rather just pay a company to do it all even if the government wasn't going to reimburse me.

I imagine you are doing a local move and already made plans to "move down the street"? Because otherwise your entire PCS should be cancelled, not just your move. There's no military clause at your current place? They shouldn't blame you for current military and civilian environment right now.

Anyway, yes, moving yourself is possible. I used PODs once and found it convenient if you need to have your stuff sit for a few days on either the sending or receiving end. Obviously you pay extra for that convenience. Standard UHAUL works fine but you have to be able to move out of one place and in to the next as soon as you get there.
 
I did my own moves twice during my early years before kids. If it was still just me and the wife I'd probably do it again. Add in kids plus a lot more stuff and it becomes not worth it. I'd rather just pay a company to do it all even if the government wasn't going to reimburse me.

I imagine you are doing a local move and already made plans to "move down the street"? Because otherwise your entire PCS should be cancelled, not just your move. There's no military clause at your current place? They shouldn't blame you for current military and civilian environment right now.

Anyway, yes, moving yourself is possible. I used PODs once and found it convenient if you need to have your stuff sit for a few days on either the sending or receiving end. Obviously you pay extra for that convenience. Standard UHAUL works fine but you have to be able to move out of one place and in to the next as soon as you get there.
No is a cross country move. I don't see them canceling PCSs, just delaying them. That delay might screw me though.

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I guess I'm confused. So do you own your current place and sold it already or are you renting and gave notice? Why do you have to be out by 30JUN and where will you go without moded orders? If you are part of the stop movement orders then your current orders are essentially null and void and will be modified. Current PCS/move cancelled. You will stay in place until stop movement is lifted and you have new orders modified with a new detach date. Once you know your new detach date then you can reschedule your move. There are even ideas being floated about keeping people in current billet for entire extra year, off-cycle moves, prioritizing based on billet/family/kids etc.

I am mentally and physically staying at current place until new detach date is official and it looks like there is certainty the stop movement will be lifted. The SCRA allows you to give 30 day notice to your current landlord if renting.
 
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I guess I'm confused. So do you own your current place and sold it already or are you renting and gave notice? Why do you have to be out by 30JUN

Renting in my current place, lease expires 6/30, and owners want the house back. I want to leave too. Bought a house in my new destination. If I have to stay, I'm ok with that, would prefer to move my goods and my family, I can geo-batch for a while. If the moving company refuses to move me, I'm thinking about doing a DITY, hence my question. Seems like the easiest way to do a DITY is via these pack-and-ship companys (the PODS, Upack, 1800pack, etc), where they drop off containers, you pack it, they ship it. Anyone used these companies before? any recs?
 
Gotcha! Makes more sense now. I may be in similar situation except family would have to stay and I go.

I used PODS back in 2012 but it was for a 4 hour DC to Hampton Roads move. Was very happy with the process, customer service, etc. Not sure how they would be for cross country though.
 
I've done numerous DITY moves, because the Army consistently gave me orders less than a month out and trans was booked out way longer than that.

First DITY was just a Uhaul as a single guy. Second, I was married with kiddo #1 and owned a house. We don't live like spartans, but we deffinetly aren't the Jones'. We used the larger sized POD and then a small Uhaul trailer for the rest of our stuff that didn't fit. Third DITY was Bragg to Texas. Had 2 kids this time. Still used 1 large POD, but had to rent a large Uhaul as well. 2 PODs would have been nice.

Cons - Biggest complaint is cost. I have paid out of pocket each move because what I can pack into a POD/Uhaul doesn't cover the rental cost. Other minor gripe is the time it takes to pack everything up. Luckily my wife was super proactive and started saving boxes 6 months out and started packing stuff away 2 months out. Any other boxes I needed I got at Lowes. Packing the POD sucks, depending on what items you have (washer/dryer/fridge/furniture) you may need friends to help move (and think about once you get there). I have moved transmissions, short blocks, washers, and dryers. For the car stuff, I made wooden boxes inside the POD and ratchet strapped them down, then filled up the empty space with random garage stuff. I did basically the same thing for the washer and dryer, made a framed box for them so that I could stack items on top of them.

Pros - you pack everything yourself, so it's probably not going to break during packing and trans. It's also a good way to purge useless stuff since your putting a hand on everything you own. On the back end you'll get it much sooner too.
 
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The sweet spot is a partial DITY move (or whatever they call it now). Cherry pick all of the small, heavy stuff you've got and get paid by the pound to haul it. Let the movers struggle with the big stuff. Minimum effort, nice payout, government saves money - everyone wins except the moving contractors.

I would never do a complete self-move if I could possibly avoid it. Moving mattresses, large furniture, just painful. Ain't nobody got time for that. But a few thousand pounds of tools, ammo, fitness weights, decorative tungsten or depleted uranium knicknacks - easy money.
 
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