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Don’t break the bank when you PCS

August 6, 2011 By 1 Comment

PCSING againWhen I saw our DLA amount the first time, I was elated! Saving money on this move is going to be a breeze. Yeah, right.

The song and dance began:

  • Sorting out and selling STUFF that we don’t need anymore. Unfortunately, I also came to the realization just HOW little we actually get for items we had paid for at one point. I made a mental note to definitely give future purchases more thought. For donated items we kept our donation receipts.
  • In order to prepare our home for rent we would fix all needed repairs ourselves.
  • We needed to rent our home, since we could not sell it without losing our shirt. If we were able to rent our home ourselves we would be able to safe some money. Expenses for advertising would be  still worth it.
  • We researched homes in our new location via the internet and were actually able to save money by finding a rental before we arrived, below our BAH in our new duty station. An extra house hunting trip was not necessary for us this time. We still arranged and got paperwork approved for house hunting permissive TDY for our time in our new duty station.
  • I started making a list of where I am expecting funds to be returned to us. Be it because of pro-rations or deposit refunds. It can be a pain in the neck to get all your money back but stay on it.
  • Putting down a rental deposit and first rent let our savings melt away.
  • In some locations, the military has agreements with local companies so that they would not require military family to pay deposits or at least get the military discounts.
  • Yes, always ask for a military discounts. If the company does not have one, then at least you have tried.
  • Depending on where you are moving to insurance can be an extra cost. We had to get a Fire/Hazard insurance for our rented home and a renters insurance for the new home. Car insurance changed as well.
  • Before we traveled we were looking into signing up with militaryrideshare.com so that we can safe some green being green. Go and take a look at their site.
  • During our travel time we tried to stay on military installations or we popped up our camper. We usually just called a few hours ahead of time and really never had a problem getting accommodations. However: Dog had to stay in the car
  • Instead of eating out 2 or even three times a day. We went to a grocery store to get some yummy, healthier and cheaper choices. Best decision ever.
  • We were meticulous about our receipts. We might not be able to use everything in our taxes or on our military travel vouchers, but I will decide that at a later point.
  • Keep all your receipts for later deduction in your taxes.
  • If you are traveling by car or truck and you carry any personal items with you (and who doesn’t? You will need clothes after all), the you can get reimbursed for that weight. You can get your car weighed on post/base or you can go to a certified local scale. How to video here. More. Take a look at the weight ticket. This is good money, don’t give it away. If you don’t keep anything else, keep the weight tickets and pass them in at inprocessing.
  • If you really want to know what this moves is costing you, you’ll have to write down all your expenses, that are connected to this move.
  • If you are a fast traveller: If you are allowed to travel 3 days to get to your new destination but get there a day early, you’ll be reimbursed per diem only for the time you actually used. I am just saying.
  • On arrival you, rather your spouse will get to inprocessing where among other things the forms needed are filled out to get reimbursed and paid out your allowances. This could be DLA, per diem, mileage possibly TLA. There are special tips for TLE. Don’t miss out on it.
  • At the beginning of the new year, take your receipts to your tax office (maybe on post or on base?) and have them help you with these deductions.
  • If you know where and when you are travelling taking a good look at Groupon.com, Livingsocial.com and YIPIT.com to take advantage of special offers when they come up.
  • I also used coupons and offers that came in through the mail and I am also taking advantage of web  offers coming through Groupon (local daily deals) or YIPIT.com (how does $46 for highlights and a cut sound?)

After all was said and done. I took a look at our numbers and was very happy to find that we actually did fairly well. For the immediate cost. What is not included in my calculations are new sign up cost for children in programs and activities, which usually show up at a later point in time.

As always, I am sure I forgot something or you have some great ideas to safe some more green.

Filed Under: Allowances, entitlements, entitlements, Military LIfe, Military Money Matters, PCS'ing Tagged With: , , , , , ,

TLE explained

May 13, 2011 By 1 Comment

tle informationLucie Holloway who is a talented photographer,(you have to see her photos) shared her knowledge on some military entitlements when a fellow military spouse was asking about them.  There is a lot that can be said, but I think Lucie has pretty much covered everything:

You are  allowed TLE (temporary lodging expense) for up to 10 days. This means you can stay at on post hotel (or off post in certain cases) before heading out to your new duty station or when you are waiting/hunting for a house once you arrive to your new duty station. So for example, you can use 5 days of TLE at your old duty station and 5 day of TLE at your new duty station: http://www.defensetravel.dod.mil/site/faqtle.cfm#Q1

The lodging rate may vary post to post, I believe. Susanna says: Yes, it does . Find the information on the website mentioned above. Then there are percentages of which I think the most important numbers you need to know are: 1 member and 1 dependent = 100% , each dependent 12 and over receive 35% and dependents 12 and younger receive 25%. ( there are exceptions for this as well, but going through all that would be too much now) Your reimbursements will not exceed $290. If you want to know how to budget read here. Your 2011 allowances are here. And if you want to avoid the 10 biggest PCSing mistakes read this.

If you spend more than what the daily rates are (for per-diem or for TLE), you will NOT get reimbursed, so plan accordingly and wisely. Don’t book a 5-star luxury hotel for $500 a night. You will still be receiving your BAH as you travel to your new duty station, so if you do spend more than what the military will pay you back, don’t forget you have your BAH coming in too.

For TLE, a statement/certificate on non-availability is necessary (to be presented to finance when filling out reimbursement forms) if staying off post. In order to get this statement, the family must first check with the on-post lodging to see if rooms are available there. If not, then they can proceed to find a hotel off-post and be sure to receive this certificate.

Many on-post lodgings do not allow pets or have limited availability of pet-friendly rooms, thus the family is forced to stay in an off-post hotel. In this case, they may not get the certificate of non-availability (it may depend on the on post lodging and its staff) and may not get reimbursed for the expenses while staying off post. Even some hotels off post do not allow pets. The pet fees (on or off post) are quite high at some places and most of the time, non-refundable. Families will more than likely lose money, if they have pets, but as I said – the BAH should cover any additional expenses.

Speaking from experience and our recent PCS move: When we arrived to our new duty station, we checked with the lodging on post only to find out no rooms are available. Finding a hotel off post was a long process as all the hotels off post did not seem to be in a nice/safe area and 90% of the hotels near the post did not allow pets. Our options were limited and we had to search in a different area (about 15 -20 min drive to post), where daily rates were much higher and pet fees were $150 per stay, non-refundable. However, even if we did not have a pet, we would choose this hotel anyway as it was in a safe and nice area and provided comfort and everything we needed. The daily TLE rate for lodging ($77 for our new duty station – rates vary post to post, I believe) did not cover the whole amount of daily rate of the hotel off post that we stayed in.

We were also given many mixed information regarding the TLE rate for our new duty station. One person said this, the other said that. We got no straight answer until we were filling out our reimbursement paperwork and realized we made a few mistakes. I advise the spouses to attend briefings with the sponsor to learn and ask questions. The briefings I attended were with the finance/travel office (they talked about per-diem rates, MALT, POVs, TLE). Transportation office briefing was another one I attended with my husband (they talked about PPM (dity) moves, weight tickets, etc.)

The TLE covers food and lodging. If someone stays with family/friends, they are allowed to write it down on the paperwork and will get reimbursed for the food portion of it if and ONLY if the family and friends live within a certain mileage from the post (50miles or so). We stayed with a friend that lives about 70 miles away from post thinking we will at least get money reimbursed for food, but no such thing happened as we did not know the friend lived too far away!).

Before turning any paperwork to finance/transportation for reimbursemet after the PCS move, I would advise it is critical to make copies of everything from the move (hotel bills, gas receipts, toll tickets, etc.) The only thing we did not make copies of were food receipts. Turn it originals and keep the copies for your records to verify you got paid for everything you should when the money goes through.

We do not collect advance pay prior to moving. It is easier for us to keep track of our expenses using money out of our pocket. It seemed as an extra hassle and trouble for some to fill out more information on their paperwork prior to Simple, Powerful-Mac Cloud Servers from Go Daddy!PCSing. However, some families do not have the finances to proceed with their PCS move without advance pay.

Mariotts, Best Westerns, Holiday Inns, and Homewood Suites offer government rates. Of course, some of these discounted rates may not apply to all properties during holidays, etc., but for the most part, I have always seen government rates available.

I ALWAYS make sure I do a very extensive re-search about any hotels we are planning on staying at. We travel often and so I know what to look for in hotels and what suits us the best. I use www.tripadvisor.com to read hotel reviews. It’s an excellent website. My iPhone was also my best friend during our PCS move. I was thankful for its internet capability and found/researched about each hotel that way since we decided to “play it by ear” during our drive to our new duty station.

I never book hotels through Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, etc. I ALWAYS go directly through the hotel itself as I get one-on-one personal attention on the phone, always ask for military discounts, and it’s much easier to cancel/change a reservation, if necessary. So far, about 90% of the time, our hotel rooms have been upgraded upon check-in (and we travel a lot!). Whether it is because we booked directly through the hotel or not, I’m not sure, but I am still determined to never book anywhere but through the hotel directly. I sometimes use the travel websites mentioned above to look up hotels by their star rating and what’s available in certain areas around the property.I see one that I like, I go directly to the hotel’s website for pricing, etc. I found my technique extremely helpful and it works every time. Same goes from plane tickets. These days, all the websites seem to have the same pricing when it comes to plane tickets. It may vary by a few dollars, but I always think, “what happens if I need to make changes/cancellations?”

As always, I visit the Army Community Service upon arrival to our new duty station. This is where I get lots of information which helps me get to know the post/base better before I start exploring it on my own. I love the support and classes they offer.

Your husband should attend a briefing with the transportation/finance office prior to moving to get more info on rates and how it works. Good luck.

I would add the links to DLA and MALT :

http://www.defensetravel.dod.mil/site/otherratesDLA.cfm
http://www.defensetravel.dod.mil/site/otherratesMile.cfm

for TLE, a statement/certificate on non-availability is necessary (to be presented to finance when filling out reimbursement forms) if staying off post. In order to get this statement, the family must first check with the on-post lodging to see if rooms are available there. If not, then they can proceed to find a hotel off-post and be sure to receive this certificate.

Search & Win

Filed Under: Allowances, entitlements, entitlements, Military LIfe, Military Money Matters Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

10 Things you forget when you are moving

February 9, 2011 By 1 Comment
things you forget when PCSing

via http://sketchedout.wordpress.com

It seems quite odd to ask this question but really have you packed EVERYTHING? Nothing forgotten to turn on or off? Here are some of the most frequent things forgotten.

  1. Often forgotten: It’s obvious that Fido can’t go into the moving truck. Smaller pets are easily forgotten. Hamsters, fish, reptiles. Make sure those little pets have  a place in your car or a new home before you move. While you are at it, pick up your pets’ records at your current veterinarian. Ask them as well if they have any recommendation for your new location and what recommendation they have for transport.
  2. Often forgotten: Did you return items that you borrowed? Movies, Books….Did you ask your friends to return items that THEY borrowed from you?
  3. Often forgotten: Anything in the yard, particularly hidden and buried ‘treasures’. What a surprise that could possibly be for the new owners or renters of your ‘old’ residence?
  4. Often forgotten: Turn off the utilities at your old residence. I am sure you do not want to pay any charges of the new renters?
  5. Often forgotten: Turn on utilities at your new home before you actually get there! This way you are not left in the cold, dark, heat or heaven forbid: in silence.
  6. Often forgotten: DON’T pack the garage door opener! Check your car.
  7. Often forgotten: Pick up school records!
  8. Often forgotten: Don’t delete old contacts -just yet! Wait awhile before you do.
  9. Often forgotten: Leave your new address.
  10. Often forgotten: De-stress! Even though, you have a to-do list that’s a mile long – take care of yourself! Take a time out, when possible – and take a deep breath!

I would love to hear things that YOU have forgotten before!

Filed Under: entitlements, PCS'ing, Shipping Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The Top 10 Biggest PCSing Mistakes

January 28, 2011 By 4 Comments

When it comes to PCSing, the military has ever changing rules and requirements that can be very confusing. It is important to keep up with the basic rules so that you don’t wind up paying out of your own pocket for your move.

Avoid these 10 biggest mistakes:

10.Failing to keep the proper paperwork: Get an expandable pocket folder to keep your paperwork sorted and all in one place. If you are doing a Personally Procured Move, or PPM, (former DITY) it is best to save all your receipts.

9. Failing to keep JPPSO updated on your non-temporary storage: Every service member is entitled to at least 90 days of long-term storage. Know the rules and requirements. For example, make sure the JPPSO (Personal Property Shipment Office) has a valid address where they can contact you. Failing to do so can cost you $$$.

8. Not understanding the claim filing procedure: In the PCS brief and the PPM (former DITY) brief  you will receive information about the claim filing procedure. Read it, understand it, and keep it.  Have an inventory of the valuables in your home.

7. Overshipping: Think: Overseas move. Not all overseas locations have generous size housing.  Research how big your future quarters might be and consider this when you arrange your shipping.

6. Doing something that is not authorized on your orders: Take a close look at your orders.  If you have dependents does it say: “Dependents: yes”, or  “authorized to move household goods “with dependents”?  If not have the orders amended.

5. Taking the maximum advance on a PPM (former DITY move): You are authorized up to 60% advance pay if you do a PPM. You’ll easily end up owing money which will be deducted from your pay in one big lump sum.

4. Exceeding your weight allowance: Know your weight allowance. Drop weight if necessary. Sort, sell, throw out. Separate your Pro Gear- it does not count against your total weight.

3. Don’t Cheat! : It happens more often than you think! Generally, this is in connection with a PPM (DITY Move) and in regards to weighing the vehicles.  It can cost your career.

2. Not Communicating w/ your partner and family: Talk about what needs to be done and what your expectations are.

1. Having the wrong attitude:

It’s your attitude not your aptitude that will determine your altitude. ~Bruce Miller

There will be a time when moving (again), for whatever reason, will be extremely hard for you.  However, you’ll still have to move. The attitude you have will make or break you. Be positive for your  own well-being as well as the well being of your family.

Please come back next week, when we explore in more detail on HOW to do it right!

Filed Under: Allowances, claims, entitlements, PCS'ing, Planning Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Dislocation Allowance 2011

January 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Dislocation Allowance 2011You may be authorized a Dislocation Allowance (DLA) when relocating your household due to a PCS. This allowance is a reimbursement TOWARDS your relocation expenses.

Here are a few facts:

  • Generally, you are authorized only one DLA payments but there are exceptions – contact your finance office to get details.
  • You maybe authorized to receive DLA on your first move when the active duty service member has dependents that are moving WITH him to the new permanent duty station.
  • No DLA is authorized  when you move from your last duty station to your home of record (usually, when you are leaving the service)
  • PCS allowances are usually granted when your stationed for more than 20 weeks at one location (look at your orders!)
  • An active duty service member will receive DLA at the without-dependent rate if no dependents are moving and he/they are not occupying Government quarters at the new permanent duty station.
  • You will receive partial DLA if you are ordered to move into government quarters. With privatization and renovations going an this important.

read JFT Regulations here more about DLA

Dislocation allowances have slightly increased. You might see an increase of $30 to around $50. Not much, but everything counts. In order to get Dislocation Allowance your Active Duty Service Member MUST in-process at the finance office or online. If you have NOT presented your travel voucher, or you have been told that you have NOT received it, then re-submit it. Please ensure that you keep copies of all receipts and paperwork that you submitted. If you feel you have not been helped properly, leave a comment on ICE – Do NOT flame and leave your contact information so someone can get in touch with you.

dislocation allowance 2011 for PCS

Secondary DLA Rates 2011

more 2011 PCS allowances:

Filed Under: Allowances, entitlements, entitlements, Military Money Matters, PCS'ing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

2011 CONUS COLA rates

January 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Cost-Of-Living-CONUS COLAYou probably have heard of “COLA” (Cost-of-living Allowance) when you are overseas. However, there are some CONUS locations for which you may receive COLA.

CONUS COLA is a taxable supplemental allowance designed to help offset higher prices in high-cost locations in CONUS (contiguous United States). COLA is different for members with and without dependents

CONUS COLA is based on your geographic location and the zip code of your duty station. You will receive when your new permanent duty station is above the US average in non-housing costs . The first 8 percent above this average has to be absorbed by the military service member, if the excess in non-housing cost is determined to be even higher than the 8 percent then a COLA was determined by the military and you will see this supplemental on your LES.

Do you wonder…..

…..how much does a 1 percent CONUS COLA put in the average member’s paycheck monthly?

“For example, for calendar year 2010, at a location with 1 percent CONUS COLA, an E-6 with dependents and 10 YOS would receive $32/month; an O-3 with dependents and 10 YOS would receive $40/month”

…..if residing on or off base play a factor in the CONUS COLA formula?

“Residing on or off base makes no difference. CONUS COLA is based on average, not individual, purchasing patterns by members.”

…if CONUS COLA remains in effect during periods of field duty?

“Yes. CONUS COLA remains in effect, without change, during all periods of TDY, including periods of field duty.”

….if CONUS COLA is paid during terminal leave?

“Yes, as with BAH.”

How much CONUS COLA are YOU getting? 2011 rates are available

Take a look below to see if you are moving to a COLA location?

STATE MHA or Location INDEX (2010)

CA
LOS ANGELES 3%
MADERA 2%
MARIN/SONOMA 3%
OAKLAND 7%
RIVERSIDE 1%
SAN BERNARDINO 5%
SAN FRANCISCO 8%
SANTA CLARA COUNTY 5%
CT
NEW HAVEN / FAIRFIELD 2%
FL
MIAMI / FT LAUDERDALE 1%
IL
CHICAGO 3%
JOLIET ARMY DEPOT 3%
MA
BOSTON 1%
ESSEX COUNTY 1%
PLYMOUTH 1%
MI
DETROIT 7%
NJ
ATLANTIC CITY 4%
FORT MONMOUTH / EARLS NWS 1%
NORTHERN NEW JERSEY 3%
PERTH AMBOY 1%
NY
LONG ISLAND 7%
NEW YORK CITY 13%
STATEN ISLAND 12%
WEST POINT 3%
WESTCHESTER COUNTY 8%
PA
NAS WILLOW GROVE 2%
PHILADELPHIA, PA / CAMDEN, NJ 7%
WA
SEATTLE 1%

Filed Under: Allowances, entitlements, entitlements, Military Money Matters, PCS'ing Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Calculate your Moving Budget

December 25, 2010 By 1 Comment

Budget your moveAfter you have received your orders and you finally know where you will spend the next 2, 3 or 4 years then – among other things- it’s time to look at financial entitlements.

Find out what you will receive for this PCS move before you start panicking on how to pay for it, but please neither jump in the air thinking this is free money. The best thing is to roughly figure out how much you will receive and then deduct all the costs that you know will incur during your move.

Go ahead start now. You are allowed advances on these entitlements, but they will not be paid out until shortly  before your soldier signing out on post/base. Know, that some entitlements  vary by rank, location, designated duty station (i.e. overseas)

Dislocation Allowance

The entitlements that you will receive will depend on whether you stay stateside or have an OCONUS (overseas) assignment. Among others, you will receive a Dislocation Allowance for the expenses incurred in relocating the member’s household on a PCS. See how much you will receive. Regulations vary  on your very first and your last PCS/ETS.

Mileage

If you are traveling by one or two cars (POV’s) then you will get reimbursed $.165/mi per POV (2010). Yes, last year it was $.24 and the year before even $.27, let’s just hope it does not go any lower. You can go to google maps type in your duty stations and get a distance. This is NOT the distance the military will use to calculate your total, they will use the straight line distance. The good thing is it’s not too much different from the actual distance. In our case, we are moving from Fort Lewis to Fort Carson, Google’s result is only 50 miles more. You may also go to Defense Table of Official Distances Website - know that in our case, for some reason, the straight line distance that JPPSO used for calculations was differed a little bit from than the data that Finance used for their calculations.

Per Diem

In this case those formerly mentioned 50 miles will cost us a couple hundred dollars. The military allows 1 day per 350 miles(2010). Since the straight line distance according to their records (we received the paperwork at the finance brief) the distance from Lewis to Carson is 1,429 miles, allowing us 4 days of travel**. Google indicates it is 1,474 miles which would entitle us to 5 days of travel and therefore we would have been paid another day of “Per Diem” -

The soldier receives 100% of the per diem allowance*, the spouse and all children over the age of 12 get 75%, children under the age of twelve receive 50%. 1x 100%, 2 x 75% and 1 x 50% of a per diem rate of $116…I’ll let you do the math. Before I go on I do have to say that I heard that there is a cap of $290/ per day but I do not have confirmation on this.

  • **Travel by Commercial Air = 1 day Travel in the USA
  • **Travel by Bus or Train 1 day travel for each 720 miles traveled
  • **Travel by Private Auto 1 day travel for each 350 miles traveled

* As per 2010

Filed Under: Allowances, entitlements, entitlements, Military Money Matters, PCS'ing, Planning Tagged With: , , , , ,

Moving OCONUS is so confusing!

October 18, 2010 By Leave a Comment
moving OCONUS,PCS, PCSing, Europe

Courtesy of lifelessonsmilitarywife.blogspot.com

This morning there was a question on the Military Duty Stations Facebook Wall:

Ashlie asked:

We r moving to Germany, my husband leaves October 19th to go to Germany first and all the in processing, and get into housing on base for us then the kids n I are heading there after he finds a… house n things;) so my question is will we even get any help with money for moving? And will we get it for him to be able to get over there and get the things we need and pay for his, kids and my traveling expenses? I’m kinda confused on how thus PCS works? So we need to sign up for it or do we automatically get it with moving?

It’s all so confusing -

So, I’ll tell you what I would do. Knowledge is power and the more you know the better for your nerves.


To let you know the military compensates you for your move. If it’s enough is a matter of opinion and frankly a matter of where you go,what family status, and rank you are and in the end how you choose to spend your money. One of those reimbursements is called DLA (Dislocation Allowance) and is more or less a catch all name for the things you need to (re-)purchase during your relocation. You are able to get advances on most of those allowances.

My recommendation is:
1. go or call your family services – in the Army that would be ACS- and see what they have in overseas classes and workshops
2. Take an Overseas PCS class at JPPSO or your Transportation office.
3. Take an Overseas PCS “Finance” class
4. If you take a look at ALL the Germany installations you will find a lot of ‘how it’s done in Germany’ tips. This is WHY this page was started.

If you husband has taken those classes before, don’t be shy! Sign up anyway – because you are the home manager and you will need a lot of information
to get your family safe and sound through this deployment.

Oh last but not least after all said is done, go to militarydutystations.com and post all your experiences for the next wife that has similiar questions.

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Filed Under: Allowances, entitlements, OCONUS, PCS'ing Tagged With: , , , , , ,