It can be an overwhelming decision to move all of your house hold goods (HHG). We have completed 6 very successful DITY moves. This has given us the ability to learn a lot through trial and error. On thing is for sure, it always makes it worth it in the end when we make a profit of a couple thousand dollars. This has sped up our 7 Baby Steps in our financial peace journey.
If you want to read a little more about why we have always chosen to do DITY moves check out Why We Do-it Yourself (DITY) Move!
BREATHE! It really isn't that bad of a process. Stay focused and organized. You can do this!
Check out our other DITY Move posts:
MOVE.MIL
The service member will need to go to move.mil:
Click on their branch of service.
Click on the Link to Defense Personal Property System (DPS)
Click on Start a New Move
Opens Self Conseling Wizard preparing your DD2278 for the next step
Transportation Office
After completing what you can for your DD2278 you will need to go to or call your transportation office to have them review your PPM paperwork (DD2278). This sometimes takes a few days so in the meantime work on the next steps.
Set Your Movement Dates
Plan to stay in the hotel a few days before your loading day. You get 10 days of Temporary Lodging Expense (TLE). We like to use 4 days in a hotel at the location we are leaving in the hotel where we are leaving and the other 6 days at our next location. Always allow for a day to load a truck and a day to unload.
You need to look into a tentative route that you will probably be taking. This will give you an idea on the time it will take you to travel. Plan to drive realistic distances. The truck will make the drive slower compared to driving the old family roadster. Every Penske truck we have rented has achieved 70 MPH. Once I rented a Budget truck that was governed and would only go 55 MPH. Key takeaway is that you may want to check or be prepared to only go 55 MPH. Take it slow. Use extra caution and leave plenty of space.
Unless you are choosing to put your HHG's into storage you will need to have your next location set up for move in. He have always had our next location set up. Sometimes this means we may need to stay at our current duty station an extra day or two. Do a little backwards planning and you should be able to have a good idea of what you need.
Once you have a plan, get your move paperwork completed with Transportation and reserve your moving truck.
Transportation Options
Price out transportation options for moving your House Hold Goods (HHG)
MAKE YOUR RESERVATION NOW! We have added links below and it is never too early to make your reservation! You can call and ask for a military discount or change your date later to your account. The earlier you make your reservation the better date you will receive.
We highly suggest that you go with U-Pack. It will give you the ease of not having to deal with weighing your HHG's or transporting them.
The moving truck rental company will ask how many days you want the truck for. They determine the number of days you get for free based on the number of miles your moving. You can add days when your moving if you need them. If you add days upfront, you will not get money back by turning the truck in early. I made this mistake once...never again.
Insurance
Check with your renter insurance policy but typically your items are covered during a move without additional insurance. Car Insurance may also cover your rental truck as well.
Supplies
Price out the supplies you will need. Pre-order 1-3 months ahead. We typically get a lot of our supplies from Amazon.
Some expenses can be deducted from the taxable profit amount, so save all your receipts!
Go to our list of items we use at 18 Must Have Moving Supplies, Amazon Moving Supply List
Boxes - Deductible
Bubble Wrap – Deductible
Packing Paper- Deductible
Packing Tape- Deductible
Duck Tape (Fun/Different Colors) - Deductible
Cargo Straps – Typically Non-deductible
Moving Blankets - Typically Non-deductible and may be included with your transportation option
Plastic/Stretch Wrap - Deductible
Mattress Bag - Deductible
Plastic Tote - Non-deductible
for all supplies kept ready for arrival at your next duty station
Furniture Sliders- Typically Non-deductible
Shoulder Moving Straps - Typically Non-deductible
Simple Tool Set – Non-deductible
With fittings for all you furniture
Padlock - Non-Deductible
to secure HHG in truck (long shaft)
Ziplock Bags - Non-Deductible
to hold furniture hardware
Sharpie Markers - Non-Deductible
for labeling
Box Cutters - Non-Deductible
2-3, you will miss place these 245,867 times!
Hand Truck or Dolly - Non-Deductible
May be included with your transportation option
Start Packing
Try to start packing about 2 months ahead of move date or asap.
Make a list of things that can be packed ahead of time. Start with non-essentials. Picture frames are a great example. These are usually not things we need. They also need a little more time packing and protecting correctly. Taking care of items on the walls first also gives you time to patch and repair any holes.
We made the mistake of using huge boxes during our first few moves. Loading a few large boxes seems great until you move them. The people helping you and your own back will appreciate smaller boxes. My favorite size box to use are “medium” size. Having a majority of the same size boxes makes it a lot easier to stack on loading day.
Using boxes you receive from your monthly subscription services like Amazon Subscribe and Save seems like a good idea but oftentimes these boxes have a much thinner wall compared to moving boxes.
Ask around or help a neighbor when they move in and ask for their boxes before they put them out for recycling. I break the boxes down and even flatten the packing paper.
Good moving boxes can be used multiple times. We typically build a shelf or two above our garage door to store good boxes for the next move. This helps with our profit margin. Purchasing boxes can be expensive and using the wrong boxes can result in costly damage to your goods.
Boxes need to be full. Full is the sweet spot between when the gas pump automatically shuts off and when gasoline comes shooting out of your tank. If you don't fill the box it will crush down and smash contents. Fill the top of boxes with soft things to help protect the contents.
Pack your boxes in a way that items will be unpacked in the room they belong in.
Label your boxes well. Give each room a specific color or patterned duct tape. When you are unloading all you have to do is match the tape to the room. No need to read what is in each box. Labels are important after unloading when you are trying to find a specific item.
Plan Your Route
This is important. You will need to plan your route first before you proceed with the following steps.
Book Lodging
Look at your route and plan your stops. Remember, sometimes you won't be going the same mileage one day as another. Speed limits and traffic patterns change the length of time from point A to point B.
Weigh Station Location
Once your route is planned you will be able to figure out if you will be weighing your HHG's at your current duty station or your new station. You can save money by weighing multiple times within a 24 hr period. Check with your current and future duty stations because sometimes the have a weigh station that you can use for free. Free.99 is always nice!
The weighing is a step that you will be able to skip if you use U-Pack!
Pick Up Rental Truck
If you have chosen to go with a rental truck like U-Haul, you will want to make sure you do a few things. Always check for damages and take pictures of any. Make sure you document them before signing your agreement.
Loading Day
As long as you are as prepared as you can be, loading will only take a day. One nice thing about using U-Pack is that you typically have 3 days that the unit is at your house. This gives you 3 whole days to strategically pack your unit.
Weight Tickets
Remember to weigh your truck empty and full. Keep all agreements, weigh tickets and receipts. You can do your empty and full weights at your destination. We do recommend doing it before leaving just to make sure you do not forget that step in the process.
Time To Travel
Load up and travel to your next adventure, stay safe, and have fun! Make sure to keep all your fuel and toll receipts. Let's make this DITY as profitable as possible!
Unload Your HHG's
This process can be made super easy if you took the time to label your boxes well. Doing the duct tape system will prove to be an amazing time saver and relieve a lot of stress.
You may need to hire some help to unload. Check out TAKL (use code 4E168EB and save 10% of your first job) and get some hourly help. We use the app and have enjoyed our experience.
Returning Rental Truck
Making sure you clean it and fuel it up before checking it in will make for a very seamless process. This again can be a much smaller step if you decide to use U-Pack for your move. Using U-Pack you won't have to worry about driving the rental somewhere to drop it off and also you won't need to worry about any fuel.
Paperwork to Submit at Transportation Office
Receipts
They will want to see your original all paperwork and receipts but will also want to make a copy. Keep receipts together by category (fuel, tolls, agreements, supplies, lodging, etc.)
Rental Truck Agreements and Final Receipt
Weight Scale Tickets and Receipts
Fuel Receipts
Toll Receipts
Packing Material Receipts
Paperwork
Travel Voucher - DD1351-2
PPM Paperwork- DD2278
GET YOUR PROFIT
When you receive your payment use it to pay off some debt or build wealth and give! If you are looking at some easy to follow steps to becoming debt free and living a life of financial freedom check out Budget: 7 Baby Steps - Dave Ramsey or Frugal vs Cheap - How Two Budget Personalities Get Along
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