Owning Your Move

Moving is hard, and it seems like things are always changing. So how can you make the most of an otherwise crappy situation?

Organize. Being organized can go a long way to helping you feel confident in the process of moving.

• Organize the important things you need (like in a PCS Binder!) and the things to take with you.
• Organize your home: declutter, group like things together, and make sure things are in the room they belong in for easy finding when unpacking.

Have a game plan. Having a plan for how you want your home packed can help in the success. Movers often come in, scatter to the four corners of the house and get to work, which makes it hard to monitor. While you cannot prohibit them from doing their job, you can ask them to start in certain areas so you can monitor better. This will vary based on your needs and home layout.

For me, I need my kids’ rooms packed first because I need them to stop adding toys to the car pile! Once those rooms are done, I ask for the living room, dining room and kitchen because I can monitor them easily with our open floor plan. Lastly, my husband and I divide and conquer: he goes to the garage with some packers and I go to the primary bedroom.

Set expectations and tone. When you first meet your crew each morning, you are setting the tone. Don’t start Day 1 being harsh, mean and treating them as the enemy. The golden rule of treating others how you want to be treated applies. So set the tone and be a team.

It is also a great time to set expectations. Is there a specific bathroom you need them to use? Is there bottled water in the fridge they can grab? At the end of Day 1, what rooms do you need finished?

Be involved in the process. The worst thing to do is sit on the couch watching TV, or stay secluded in a room while trying to work. On pack and load days you need to be available and involved. Movers will have questions to verify things, and you will need to double check that cabinets, drawers and closets were emptied and packed, that your name is spelled right, and more. When you are available and actively involved, it is less likely for a bad situation to happen.

Know the regulations. We keep them on our Resources page to make this easy. The important ones to know are:

• DTR Part IV, Appendix B: Tender of Service
• DTR Part IV, Attachment K1: It’s Your Move
• JTR Chapter 5
• The Claims & Liability Business Rules

The first two govern your moving companies and the physical movement of your household goods, the JTR covers your financial and other military entitlements, and the last helps with your claims. It is highly recommended to read through at least the first two. Knowing the regulations helps you know what is supposed to be right and wrong. Then when something doesn’t seem right, you can open the regulations and say, “Excuse me, but the DTR says it should be done this way.” Knowing the regulations means being able to advocate for yourself.

Ask questions. There is nothing wrong with asking questions if something just doesn’t seem right. You can ask the crew to stop working while you call your move coordinator or local transportation office to verify. Do not let a bad situation happen.

Know who to call. Have the contact information written down and easily accessible. See Who to Contact for the full chain.