Thursday, June 25, 2015

You're moving overseas, now what?

As I mentioned yesterday, my husband and I will be moving to Germany in the spring of 2016. Obviously we were given a lot of advance notice! Some people aren't so lucky and only end up with 3-4 months notice and have to really hustle to get everything finished. As of right now, we're in the opposite boat so to speak. As far as official "stuff" there's absolutely nothing we can do. So we will wait it out for now!

That being said, there's a whole lot of unofficial stuff that you can start doing to get ready for your move. (While we are going to Germany, a lot of this could probably be applied to any PCS overseas!) I'll touch on some of the more "boring" stuff today and then tomorrow we'll get into some of the fun stuff!

1. Start researching everything!

The internet is FULL of information about moving overseas! There are blogs from people who have lived or are living over there and there are articles from every source imaginable. And let's not forget about Facebook! One of the very first things I did when we found out our new duty station was to join all of the Facebook groups. I'm more of a lurker right now, but I've gotten answers to questions that I didn't even think to ask just by scanning through every now and again.

2. Write things down!

It's been helpful for me to start jotting everything down as it comes to mind. Questions, things I need to do, things I've read, whatever. Figure out what works for you, but seriously, write it down and get a system for it now. You'll thank me later! I have a little notebook that's always in my purse and I will jot notes down on there, but the big thing is that I made a Google Sheet (so an online Excel document) for our move. I have five tabs on it: To Do, To Buy, To Sell, To Store and Unaccompanied Baggage. If you're not familiar with Google Sheets it's just an online version of an Excel spreadsheet. The best part is that as long as you're signing into your Gmail account you can access it! I even have it linked on my iPhone and iPad so that if something strikes me I can write it down. I'll do a simple post soon about what each tab means and what kinds of things you may want to add to your lists.

3. Start saving money NOW!

Brace yourself for this. I've heard that it's not uncommon for people to spend $8,000-$10,000 on a move to Germany. So I cannot stress this enough: start saving your money NOW. Now, let's break that down a little bit. You will get a Dislocation Allowance (DLA) from the military (figure out exactly how much here). So that will knock some off right away. BUT, the military will only pay for us to move ONE vehicle overseas...so if you need or want a second car you'll have to spend some money. There are lots of used vehicles being sold all the time - Bookoo (kind of like Craigslist) is an awesome resource for this so that's one option and obviously you could spend or as much or as little as you want. The other option would be to pay to ship a second car over, but this could easily cost you up to $2,000. Then let's talk deposits. If you want to live off base, it's not uncommon for you to have to pay a deposit of 2-3 months rent. So if your rent is $1,500 you could easily pay $3,000 or more. Hopefully you'll get that back, but it won't happen until you leave! (Note: There is apparently a way to get a loan/advance from the military to help cover this, but it has to be paid back before you leave Germany so you can't count on getting your deposit back from your landlord to pay back the loan.) What if you have pets? Hopefully you'll be lucky enough to find space for them on the rotator, but if you're flying at the peak of PCS season it may not be available. Which means you'll be flying them commercial. The rates for this can vary immensely. If they fly in cargo while you're on the plane it's cheaper, but could still be a few hundred dollars. If they fly alone it could bump up to $1,000 per pet. This doesn't even touch on the cost of new furniture you might need when you arrive or electric items that have to be replaced because they won't work in your new country. Bottom line, put money away for this move! Are there ways you can earn a little extra money before you leave? I work full time, but I've also taken on some babysitting jobs and am helping out a friend with her Etsy shop. My schedule is a little more flexible since we don't have any children yet, but think of ways to earn a little extra to save or maybe just pay down a bill so that it's one less thing to worry about when you move.

4. Stop buying things that you can't or won't use at your new duty station!

My husband has been dying to get a new TV and I probably would have caved this summer, but with these orders we will be holding off on that. Plugs are different, the voltage is different. Sure, you can run items on a transformer, but they're big and bulky and they just suck up energy. Be mindful of things that can't be packed: liquids, cleaning supplies, nail polish, perfume house plants, candles, Scentsy, etc. Use up what you've got or else you'll be throwing it out or giving it away. You bring some of these items in your checked baggage, but my guess is that you won't want an entire suitcase dedicated to your Yankee Candle collection. Think about how the weather may be different and stop shopping for things you can't wear over there. We are in Florida now and we have 4 months of Hot and 8 months of Hotter. I have accumulated a lot of flip flops, swimsuits and sundresses. Sure, I can use some of this over there, but I'm more likely going to want a new pair five new pairs of boots and some cute winter accessories.

5. Get your passport!

You will have to get a no-fee passport through the military. This is the passport that gives you the ability to live in Germany (or wherever you're going), but if you want to travel then you'll need a regular passport too. This can take 8-10 weeks, so it's best to go ahead and get this out of the way!

Obviously this is just a rough start to get you moving in the right direction. Check back tomorrow for more ways to prepare for your move!

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