Military Moving Question

jackieandbilly · July 2011

Hey ladies! Since we're all familiar with moving around a lot, I thought this would be the best place to ask. Do you guys move everything in the house when you move? I'm specifically thinking about spices, expensive detergent, saran wrap, ziploc bags, stuff like that. I was at the market today buying more spices and wondering if that was stupid because we're moving- obviously no perishable food or anything, but should the cupboards be absolutely bare?

We'll be moving end of September (before the wedding- going back to MA to get married in October yay), then reporting to new duty station end of Oct/Nov 1. I know the movers will move everything and have it to the new place, just wondering what the best plan is here. Thanks for your expert opinions!!:)

firsttimersluck · July 2011

There are a few different ways they will move you. If you are a full household they will do two sweeps, one to come move the stuff that you need to get to your next station the fastest, and then the stuff that can take a little longer. If not, it'll all be one fell swoop.
And beware, those guys WILL swoop! It's amazing how fast they can throw crap in boxes o.O haha!

canned stuff, closed boxed food, spices that can be closed, all those kitchen things like ziplocs WILL be packed. If you don't want stuff packed, make a safe room like a bathroom that you tell them not to touch. :]

calindi · July 2011

I don't move liquid things since it runs the risk of spilling. Obviously fridge and freezer stuff gets thrown out. I don't store dry food products, but if they're literally going from one house to another (and not a storage unit in between) then I'll wrap them in trash bags and box them up. The trash bags are so that if one opens or breaks, it doesn't spray the contents all over everything else. I really don't want to open boxes covered in Paprika, ya know?

I always move plastic wrap, baggies, etc. since there's no good reason not to and it's a waste of money to throw it out. Just tape the boxes shut and throw them in a bigger box.

Beachy730 · July 2011

We did a full household move and they did it all in one move.

The movers generally call it the 5 P's that they won't move:

1. Perishables

2. Pets

3. Plants

4. Poisons (cleaners)

5. Phlammables (really flammables, but they like the "P" concept)

Basically they won't move anything from your fridge/freezer since that is all perishables. Spices, pastas, canned goods, etc. are all fine to move. Basically, if it's okay to sit for 2 months in your cupboard, it's okay to sit in a moving truck for 2 months.

They will not move cleaning supplies, or laundry detergents, or anything like that. So don't stock up on any liquid cleaners because they will have to be thrown out.

Flammables include lighters, candles, propane, and alcohol. Sometimes they might sneak in a candle or alcohol, but definitely not lighters or propane.

Once the move is set up, they will arrange to come in for a walk through with you to guage the amount of stuff you have, and how many boxes and packers to bring. This is when they will go over what is able and not able to be packed as well. They will also tell you to have a designated area that are things you are personally moving, like your clothes for the time being, pet items, etc. But make sure you put everything in there you need because you'll be shocked at how quickly they pack things up. We had to go buy a new dog leash, and twice I had to go buy garbage bags.

Oh, and make sure you tell them not to pack your garbage, or they will pack it, completle with a full garbage bag. When we were unpacking our boxes here, we realized they packed our recycle bin from our last place, with recycleable items in it.

shan87 · July 2011

I would make a list or eye ball your items and see which ones you will need in the meantime (btwn moves). Seperate accordingly.

I am going through a similar process, but my inbtwn time is only a week.

Were you able to get a DoD contractor to move you? If so, I can help you with some of the hiccups we came across.

calindi · July 2011

The first thing I usually do is pack a suitcase as if I was going on vacation for two weeks (or however long you'll be without your stuff, plus 5 days on either end since it will likely be packed up before and not unpacked immediately after the move). Only once I have my suitcases packed with everything I'd need, then I start packing other things up. If you're planning on bringing boxes with you, pack those up as if they're going in the car. Then it's pretty easy - you can just move those boxes and your suitcases out of the way of the movers - stick them in the shower or something so they're obviously not to be moved.

jackieandbilly · July 2011

Thanks so much for all the advice guys!

Not sure about the DoD contractor....I think it's a regular moving company, but I know the stuff will sit in storage in SC for several weeks until we arrive end of October and tell them our new address(once we find an apartment!)

mehgank · July 2011

I used to work in a Household Goods office where we booked shipments for when people move. The one piece of advice I always gave my members was: read the It's Your Move pamphlet. So many of your questions get answered in there. Here's the link:

http://www.fincen.uscg.mil/hhg_files/its_your_move_sep07.pdf

What's cool about it is that it applies to all branches of the service (Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard), so there's nothing that's specific to one service that neglects the others.

For me, my general rule of thumb is "nothing liquid", unless it's small like nail polish.

LuluP82 · July 2011

We ended up having a really, really full car, because we didn't want to ditch things like laundry detergent and liquor that they wouldn't move. We have moved A LOT before, and never had this problem, but the military movers will not move that stuff. They also left behind a bunch of stuff they should have packed in the truck. So just be prepared. In retrospect, I would have packed the car first, and then moved everything to the middle of the living room so they wouldn't "forget." They left an entire closet that I clearly said should be packed, for example.

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