DITY move or Don’t?

 As a military spouse, you probably bear the brunt of a PCS (DITY) move. Beforehand your service member, like a hopeful gold digger of old, told you tales of all the money you could make (maybe thousands of dollars!) if you moved yourselves. But you’ve heard the do-it-yourself rumors, too. Those horrific stories of families who, like the pioneers, came to the end of road busted, broke and bedraggled.
So is a DITY (now called a Personally Procured Move or PPM) worth the hassle? It depends. On these pages you’ll find the scoop on what has changed in recent years. And you’ll hear DITY stories from milspouses who’ve done it.
Here’s the biggest news: Reimbursement rates decreased in April 2017, when the services changed to the Defense Personal Property System. The new system made moving companies bid against each other and that competition lowered prices for the military. That change was a cost-saver for the government, but it generally decreased the reimbursement for military families. They now receive about 95 percent of the amount the military would pay a moving carrier for the same work.

Military Moving Options and Choices

If you are considering moving by taking advantage of military moving programs like DITY move or PPM move, you already know that you have a lot to think about. Not only do you need to find a home to live in and probably use an agent to find a moving company, but you have all the considerations to think about when it comes to moving everything too.

Researching Your Personally Procured Move

Now that you have thought of the reason why you want to do a DITY move, the next thing you should do (before you pack) is to research. Before you turn your nose up at this suggestion, it is important to realize the importance of proper research and evaluation before taking steps for relocation. Think of it in terms of being a consumer. Say you want to buy a brand new Ferrari and you have to spend every single cent of your savings to be able to afford one. Coming to a decision of buying the Ferrari is life-changing, not because of the purchase itself, but because you will be spending all your money without any thought for future needs.
Surely, you would not just waltz into an automobile showroom and purchase the Ferrari right off the bat. You would probably be examining every single detail and every inch of the car, noticing every minute scratch or bump, checking the condition of the engine and tires, so on and so forth. It is the same and even more with relocation. You would need to know what kind of conditions you would be living in, especially if you are taking family and loved ones with you. Unlike the brand new Ferrari which has a warranty, you cannot just repack after a few days in your new abode and say you have had enough and want to go back home.

10 Important DITY Move Tips that you should know

10 IMPORTANT TIPS
If you are considering a DITY move – now called a PPM – remember these tips from your fellow military spouse

Personally Procured Move Checklist

Military men often choose to do a DITY move because of the potential financial benefits, but are then overwhelmed by the complications of a personally procured move. Below you can find a list of crucial things that have to be done correctly before your DITY move.

DITY Move Calculation: Pros and Cons

There are definitely two ways of dity moving to one place to another; one is do-it-yourself, known as a DITY move and another is to hire a professional and qualified moving company. If you are still figuring out what to do and how to proceed, you should know merits and demerits of each. When you decide to move yourself you have to engage your physical and mental strength into moving and have to face all the stress that comes with the moving decision.

Moving To A smaller home? Sort through goods and downsize them

Here's another article which contains advice regarding your upcoming personally procured move. On account of financial loss and monetary constraints most family have to decide to move to the smaller house and this could be just hapless situation for them to do what they don’t want or they might be doing it with their all discretion. Whichever the matter is; expensive can be keep to the minimal of the moving day and extra goods can be purged and downsized so that only necessary items can be taken along in the move and additional moving cost can be cut down to the low.

Moving with plants and taking them in the car or in the truck

You might have accumulated different classes of plants in your home’s lawn and you wish to take them all with you to your new home when you are in a process of a personally procured move, because you spent money to have them grown and now you can’t leave them behind as they have become just like your pet and you can’t put them on the disposal of new buyer. So you have decided to take them with you; and for you have made corresponding arrangements. You have sprayed them and packed them up in the plastic paper. There is a certain pattern in which your plants are to be packed. Read online tips on how to move plants and don’t forget to check if any particular class of plant you are taking is now outlawed otherwise you can end up paying colossal fine to the customs and have to face the music. Make sure your plants are disinfected and aren’t carrying any inflection with them that can spread across other plants or in the area or is harmful for human beings.

Bad And Good Things About Moving

In the best case scenario, doing a personally procured move to a new neighborhood is exciting and appeasing because you can open your mind and world- there is a new world out there when you move somewhere you have never explored and you get a chance to elicit your confidence and feel a strong sense of adventure and fun thereby feeling more free and lively.  There is nothing to worry about the adjustments in the new place because humans are meant to adapt to different cultures, environments, and atmosphere; and this is the reason that we are classified into different classes and are living in different locations with different cultures and values. You will have impact on your personality and demeanor when you move to another place and here are five key gifts of relocation that prove that moving is way more a positive experience than a bitter memory. It is a good learning experience and requires a lot of efforts, but overall, you get something good out of your move and here are five positive changes;

Tips for Packing for your Personally Procured Move

Moving is a time-consuming business so the sooner you start your packing, the smoother the move will be. Whether you are having the movers pack for you or doing it yourself, the sooner you get organized the better.

It is well worth having the movers pack your gear for you, but many people simply can’t afford the added expense and so decide to pack everything themselves. If you do this then start collecting boxes. You can buy these from a moving company or do what I always do and go around local shops, including wine-merchants and off-licences which generally have some good sturdy boxes which are not damages. This is a way of recycling which you may not have thought of and will reduce the overall carbon footprint of your move a little. You can use shredded paper and old newspapers for packing material too, and make your move a comparatively green one.

1 Week Before Your Personally Procured Move (Calculate!)

As your personally procured moving day gets even closer, here are some other things to keep in mind:

   -  You will want to very clearly label and separate out those items that you want to take with you during your dity move (such as important documents, high value items - jewelry, collectibles) and those items that you moving company will be transporting for you.

How does a DITY move really looks like?

Ever wondered how does the process of a DITY move really looks like? Check out this fast-forward video I found on youtube which displays the DITY moving process of a military family. Don't forget to use the DITY move calculator for your own help!

DITY Move Calculator

DITY Move Calculator

 **!Please see this post for updated information!**
Here's a neat tool I found on the net which gives you an estimate about the costs and payments of your next DITY move! Read More to access the DITY Move Calculator.

Moving Military Inspiration

Are you in a moving process? Are you considering doing a DITY move? Then check out those lovely photos I found on the net. :)