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So you got tentative orders to possibly move to a new duty station, aka soft orders.
What do you do now? After all, these orders are subject to change.
Doing these six things ahead of time will ease stress and take off some to do items for later.
Read on for six different ways to prepare for an upcoming military move while you’re still on soft orders.
Start to declutter
This is the PERFECT time to start going through all of your belongings. Yes, ALL.
Take it nice and easy. Focus on one room or area at a time.
When you do, ask these kinds of questions as you sift through your things:
- What is this used for?
- Do I need this?
- Am I saving this for something? What?
- Would this be better off donated?
- Is this trash?
Create three piles. One to keep, one to donate, and one to throw away.
You could also use this set of printable pages to help you effectively declutter!
Once you have worked your way through your home, even if the orders change or alter, this will still benefit you!
Create an inventory sheet
An inventory sheet is basically a giant list of everything you own.
Regardless of where your orders send you, having an inventory sheet will be a huge benefit.
In the event that you are robbed or your belongings are damaged, an inventory sheet is what you’ll reference back to when processing insurance claims.
When doing a HHG move or a partial DITY/PPM, the movers are required to have an inventory sheet of your belongings, and will create one if you don’t make one yourself.
However, having your own inventory sheet will give you peace of mind, no matter how you chose to move.
Here is a great printable bundle to help you know what to add on your inventory sheet.
Gather important documents
Theses include all birth certificates, marriage licenses, social security cards, passports, medical documents, car documents, home information (title, insurance) or rental information (rent agreement, insurance), and anything else that is important to you.
If you don’t already have a system for organizing these documents, start by dividing them by type of document using these folders.
Research your new area
Don’t go too crazy, but it doesn’t hurt to do some research about where you may be headed.
Here are a few ideas to get you started.
- What are our on and off base housing options?
- Where is the nearest hospital?
- Does my town have [insert favorite store]?
- What is the main attraction in the area?
- How far is the nearest airport?
- How long of a drive/flight is it from here to my family?
If you want more help learning about your new area, or need help doing this research, check out my coaching page!
In a coaching session, I bring all the finished research to you so that you can focus your time and efforts in other areas.
Don’t make set plans yet
Before you start booking plane tickets and hiring movers, WAIT.
DO NOT make any purchases, big or small, pertaining to your move until AFTER you have received hard orders.
You will not be reimbursed for any purchases you make that need to be cancelled due to altered orders.
The likelihood that you actually go where your soft orders send you is pretty shaky. But not impossible.
Looking into travel costs and potential homes is just fine. But don’t start making solid plans until you know for sure your destination and date.
Hurry up and wait
This is a common phrase in the military. There’s a lot of waiting around to hear what’ll happen.
Receiving soft order can be so exciting! As long as it’s somewhere you’re excited about…
Remember that soft orders are just that – Soft. Tentative. Subject to change.
For the milso that is super excited to move, it is absolutely ok to be excited. If you’re anything like me, you want to pack up your home right away and tell all your friends.
Just remember that soft orders can change.
For the milso that wishes to move anywhere but there, it is OK to not be excited. You don’t have to love everywhere you go. Or even like it.
Just remember that soft orders can change.
