Smooth Move

While I’m doing my best to ignore it, we do, in fact, have a PCS coming up.  This is bitter sweet because we love moving, love seeing new places, love meeting new people, but the worst part of our lives is leaving the people we’ve grown to love.  We’ve left family and friends in every state/country we’ve moved from and cherish those relationships.

In spite of me trying to ignore the fact that come December we will have to say goodbye to yet another set of new friends and family, it’s coming.  I ran across this blog by Ginger (who happens to be very involved in PWOC) and she shares a great way to make PCSing easier.

After reading her post I started my very own moving notebook and stole her title:  Smooth Move.  Doesn’t that just sound right?

So here’s the general idea.  You compile everything you will need for an upcoming move into one notebook making it much easier to find papers and information at a moment’s notice.

I’ve customized the cover to say, “From Germany to South Carolina” but we are fully aware that the Army could change that without consulting us.  Regardless, we know a move is coming and I still need to get prepared.  If they change our destination, I’ll just print out a new cover.  Here is the table of contents within my notebook:

1. Orders up front and lookin’ pretty
2. Moving Calendar
3. Checklists
4. Items to Sell
5. Housing for New Location
6. Clearing Wiesbaden
7. Previous Inventory, Storage & Shipment Information
8. Shipment Information for the Upcoming Move
9. Car Storage and Transport
10. Travel Arrangements/Itinerary
11. Last Things to Do (places, people, and purchases)
12. Information on New Location
13. Miscellaneous–gotta have one of those!
14. Moving Tips

If you have a pet you’ll need a section devoted to that.

The author of the blog Bow of Bronze  keeps the folder from each move, starting over each time.  Not a bad idea… kind of like a scrapbook of each move.  I especially like her suggestion to have the immunization records on hand.  I do that as well, but usually stick them in my “office in a bag” an idea I got from FlyLady.

What I plan to do with this information is compile the two books just before we move.  My “office in a bag” is bulky and not easy to get into for every day, quick use, but it’s perfect for traveling because it zips completely up.  I will keep my “Smooth Move” in a plan 3-ring binder until it’s time to pack up.  At that point I’ll transfer everything into the 3-ring part of the “office in a bag,” keeping all the important information safe.  Amy, the author, also has other posts on moving that I will be going back to read.

Here you'll see that I've transferred all the items from "Smooth Move" into my "office in a bag." This is how I'll carry the Smooth Move during the actual moving process. For now, though, it'll remain in the white 3-ring binder.

My "office in a bag" contains the check books all the time, but while we move it also includes immunizations, orders, Passports, and all the other vital information we need.

Here are some additional resources for organizing a PCS:

Very informative post at Organized Home!

Tons of info and tips at Moving Nation.

You can find a checklist and timeline of what to do and when before a PCS at Military.com.  I actually just printed off all the check lists and placed them in the calendar portion of my Smooth Move notebook.

(Not that I am going to need this information any time soon, or anything.  Just being prepared…)