The Backward PCS: Part 2
Last month, I shared the first half of what I deemed an epic list of “backward” PCS tips. (And yes, I’m biased.) My Facebook friends contributed to the humorous list, and now I would like to share the second portion of the how-not-to-PCS strategies. (To get caught up and read the first post in this series, click here)
Got your chocolate in hand and ready to laugh? Let’s dive into to the rest of our Backward PCS adventures:
1. Throw out all your chocolate and start a diet the week before you depart.
As I mentioned in the first post, PCSing is really low key and a great time to make major life changes. Lots of restaurants across the country are helpful when it comes to making healthy choices, so go ahead, plan to run that marathon or fit into your pre-baby pants the week after you arrive to your new duty station. The odds are totally in your favor.
2. Take your time removing all “unpackable” items.
Don’t get in any hurry to empty the coffee grounds from the coffee maker. Leave stew in a crockpot on the counter. They won’t pack coffee cans full of paint. You don’t even have to take out the garbage on moving day! You can actually wait until you get to your new house and take it out then, because the packers will pack it up and put it in your new kitchen for you! Talk about removing the middle man.
3. Let small children do as they please.
PCSing is a calm, peaceful experience. Relax the boundaries and let them explore. After all, this will be the last chance your tiny humans have to trip up a stranger or color on the walls in your current house. My policy is the more underfoot they are, the better!
4. Savor the moment.
If one of your movers shows up drunk at 8 a.m., then gets in a fistfight with his “uppity supervisor,” causing the MPs to arrive and break it up, consider it a memory that will last a lifetime. You will never forget this day. You might even want to document it on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
5. Let the movers decide how to group and to pack different items.
For example, the toilet brush with holder should obviously go in with all of your bath towels, because they will eventually end up in the same room. Also, the lawnmower tire and the turkey baster should be paired together because they both start with T. Keep it practical, people.
6. Don’t save any money before hand because the military will give you lots of it to travel with.
Really, PCSing can be a big money maker. Some even say it is like winning the lottery. Lifestyles of the rich and famous, anyone?
7. When in doubt, choose quantity over quality.
Bribe the movers with a large tip if they can pack all your stuff in a specific amount of time, and be sure to have one of those big gameshow clocks to give them frequent time benchmarks. Also, if you can find a mover to just push boxes from the top of the stairs instead of carrying them down, that saves loads of time.
8. Have the movers leave all your drawers full and box them that way.
I promise the drawers wont break under the weight. Plus, when you get to your new house the drawers will still be neatly organized just the way you left them!
And now, the number one tip for a successful backward PCS:
9. Let your service member handle it all.
I mean c’mon… the person has led troops into battle. Surely they can move a household with the greatest of ease and efficiency with no major glitches, right?
Sharing all these tips helps me work up an appetite! I left my sandwich right here on the table next to the packers… but where did it go?
Which tip was your favorite? Did we miss any? Jump in the conversation and leave a comment.
