If your career takes you into the military, the government will help pay for your moving expenses. And trust us, odds are that you will move quite a few times. The average family in the U.S. military will move about every two to three years. That's an average of three times more frequently than non-military families. The government will hire a professional moving company to assist in packing and moving your belongings.
On the flip side, lots of military families choose a do-it-yourself (DITY or PPM) move and the government will reimburse your family for up to 90 percent of the cost associated with your move. A considerable number of families opt for the DITY move because they can turn a small profit. 1-800-PACK-RAT has a history of assisting families in the military for a very cost-efficient way to move, particularly if you’re one of those folks who hates the idea of driving a cumbersome moving truck. Two handy tools to help keep your move on budget are a weight estimation tool and a DITY move calculator.
The first step is to figure out how much your household goods weigh. This is the number you will need to plug into the DITY move calculator later to estimate the overall cost for your move. There are lots of weight estimation tools on the Internet, or you can inquire with your transportation office on base for their recommendations. We have a few listed on our website that may work for you on our resources page. Things that factor into the weight are how many people are in your family and how many rooms are in your current home. It can be a time-consuming process, but worth it to add some cash in your pocket.
One important thing to remember is that you are required to stay within a maximum weight limit, which is determined by your rank and the number of dependents in your household. No matter which option you choose, the government won’t pay for goods that exceed that documented limit.
So, once you have the estimate for your household goods and you know where you’ll be traveling, you are all set to plug your numbers into the calculator and get a rough estimate of how much money you may be able to save if you choose the DITY move.
1-800-PACK-RAT would love to help with you family’s military relocation, and we offer a 10% discount for our military friends with the promo code MILIME10. We also offer short or long-term storage in one of our nationwide storage facilities if you need it. Give us a ring or go online today to get a free quote now.