Thought this was pretty cool. Throughout 2010 Anheuser-Busch is offering free entry to their parks for all active duty, reservist and national guardsmen. Check it out here.
Thanks goes to www.mysavings.com
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Busch Gardens, etc.
Thought this was pretty cool. Throughout 2010 Anheuser-Busch is offering free entry to their parks for all active duty, reservist and national guardsmen. Check it out here.
Thanks goes to www.mysavings.com
Monday, April 12, 2010
Fun stuff!
Happy Monday to all of our wonderful readers!
LeeAnne and I have really been trying to figure out a way to reward you, our fans/readers for helping us get the word out there about our blog. So I have come up with an idea. When we reach 50 followers, we will do a drawing for a free USANA product. And every 50 after that we will do another drawing. So spread the word and win free product!
LeeAnne and I have really been trying to figure out a way to reward you, our fans/readers for helping us get the word out there about our blog. So I have come up with an idea. When we reach 50 followers, we will do a drawing for a free USANA product. And every 50 after that we will do another drawing. So spread the word and win free product!
Friday, April 2, 2010
Moving Abroad
Today's topic is moving OUTCONUS. There is always a chance that you may at some time during either yours or your spouse's service in the military that you may make a move overseas. Some of the major things you will want to do before you ever get ready to move are as follows:
- Get a passport. If you have never had a passport before, it can take six weeks or longer to get it in the mail after you apply. The time is shorter if you already have one and are renewing it. You will need one for when you travel without orders.
- If you are not allotted a POV (personally owned vehicle) at your new duty station, you will want to prepare it for storage. Storage is provided by the government and they do turn your vehicle on once a month while you are gone to keep it in working order.
- Visit www.militaryonesource.com to find information about your new duty station and meeting any and all of your personal needs (jobs, child care, schools, healthcare providers). This site also has each branch of the military so that you can get information specific to your affiliated branch.
The government will be moving you, so please read my previous article when the government does a full move for you. You will have a limitation for weight, and you may not want to take all of your possessions. If you decide to leave some of your things in the states, you will need to ensure that they are safely stored as the government will not do that.
If you have pets, you will want to enquire if you can bring them with you. Hawaii and Alaska are considered OUTCONUS moves as well. Hawaii has a 30 day minimum quarantine for pets, so be prepared. This is to ensure that no diseases are brought onto the island to be spread to the native animals. Quarantines will be required at other installations as well, so be sure to check your duty station's policy. Some duty stations will have a no pet policy so make sure you have a plan should that occur.
The best advice I can provide for this type of move is to research, research, research! Do your best to know where you are going and what is available.
Monday, March 29, 2010
What a Surprise!
This was just too good not to share with everyone this week! Yesterday, I pulled a pair of my j. crew chinos from the closet to wear to church. I haven't worn these since September because they are a pale pink color; however, these have been my favorite pants since I purchased them almost four years ago after the birth of my daughter.
When I originally bought them, they were snug to say the least, but I thought, "no problem, I'll lose the weight!" Yeah, that didn't happen. In fact, I found out I was pregnant about six months later, packed on about sixty pounds, and post pregnancy was wearing size 12. Depressing to say the least! That was almost three years ago.
So my favorite pink pants hung dejected in my closet, waiting for me to shink a size and squeeze my plush behind back into them. Last spring I was able to do that, but it was a snug fit to say the least! Working out didn't help me loose the extras around my behind and so they were worn rarely.
Last fall I began a new eating regimen and changed my bad habits for good ones in order to be healthier. I began loosing weight though I wasn't working "hard" to. I shrank from that size 12 that had me in it's grip to a size 8! My chinos hang off of me and for the first time are loose on my hips, buns and thighs!
I wanted to share this personal change with all of you because for years I thought that it was impossible to lose those inches from my buns and thighs. Now I know that it is not! It is possible and if any of you are interested in learning how to live healthier and shrink your size, you let me know. We can all live healthy, happy lives and not be depressed when working out doesn't accomplish what you want to. Excersize is only part of the equation; it took me a while to figure that out.
I know my weight loss is not done yet, but I have learned that my patience has paid off and next winter when I put my chinos away, it will be for good because I know that they will be two sizes too big rather than one.
When I originally bought them, they were snug to say the least, but I thought, "no problem, I'll lose the weight!" Yeah, that didn't happen. In fact, I found out I was pregnant about six months later, packed on about sixty pounds, and post pregnancy was wearing size 12. Depressing to say the least! That was almost three years ago.
So my favorite pink pants hung dejected in my closet, waiting for me to shink a size and squeeze my plush behind back into them. Last spring I was able to do that, but it was a snug fit to say the least! Working out didn't help me loose the extras around my behind and so they were worn rarely.
Last fall I began a new eating regimen and changed my bad habits for good ones in order to be healthier. I began loosing weight though I wasn't working "hard" to. I shrank from that size 12 that had me in it's grip to a size 8! My chinos hang off of me and for the first time are loose on my hips, buns and thighs!
I wanted to share this personal change with all of you because for years I thought that it was impossible to lose those inches from my buns and thighs. Now I know that it is not! It is possible and if any of you are interested in learning how to live healthier and shrink your size, you let me know. We can all live healthy, happy lives and not be depressed when working out doesn't accomplish what you want to. Excersize is only part of the equation; it took me a while to figure that out.
I know my weight loss is not done yet, but I have learned that my patience has paid off and next winter when I put my chinos away, it will be for good because I know that they will be two sizes too big rather than one.
Friday, March 26, 2010
The Parial DITY Move
For the month of March, we have been discussing the different types of government moves available when you or your spouse receives orders to a new duty station. Today's topic is the partial DITY move. This is the type of move that my husband and I made when relocated from California to North Carolina.
When my husband received his orders, we looked at the three types of moves available to us and felt that this one met our needs the best. At the time, it was just the two of us with two cars and a dog moving across country.
We chose to have the bulk of our items moved by the government. What that meant was that the majority of our house hold goods (HHG) were shipped by a moving company that works in tandem with the government to move military personnel and government officials. The same rules applied to our HHG as previously posted in the full government move.
The movers came and packed up all of the belongings that we identified for them to take. They were quick and efficient, although it took them two days (half of each day), to fully pack and load the HHG from a two bedroom apartment into the moving van. Our items were then taken to a storage warehouse to await transit to North Carolina.
Previous to the movers arriving, my husband and I went through our personal items and removed those that would not be moved by the government. It is important to to do this before they come so that you already know what you are taking with you. I suggest you make a list and find a corner in your home to place these items. Those items should include such things as: jewelry (you never want this to be moved by anyone other than yourself), important files and papers, bedding (you may have to wait a few days or weeks until your HHG arrives at your new home), suitcases and personal effects, any irreplaceable items that you wouldn't want to take the chance of breaking (We packed my great grandmother's china into large tubs and hauled them with us as it is a family heirloom and is not replaceable if broken). We also brought a television and our surround sound system.
Since it was just my husband and I with our dog, we rented a trailer to haul behind our truck and placed our car on it. This may not be feasible for everyone. Prior to loading any of our items, with a full tank of gas in the vehicle, my husband had our truck pulling the trailer weighed and a weigh station. This is important as it is how the government determines how much of an allotment you are going to receive. He then returned to our apartment and loaded up both the bed of the truck and the empty vehicle being towed on the trailer. He then had to go back and reweigh the vehicles.
He also had picked up our operating allowance from the dispersing office on base. He took advantage of this type of move by requesting advanced funds to be provided for our move.
Weighing your vehicles after packing them up is an important step to this process. This is what determines how much you will be reimbursed minus any advanced funds already provided to you. You can make a profit off of this type of move if you are smart and budget wisely. Here are the things that are included in the money provided by the government for you:
When my husband received his orders, we looked at the three types of moves available to us and felt that this one met our needs the best. At the time, it was just the two of us with two cars and a dog moving across country.
We chose to have the bulk of our items moved by the government. What that meant was that the majority of our house hold goods (HHG) were shipped by a moving company that works in tandem with the government to move military personnel and government officials. The same rules applied to our HHG as previously posted in the full government move.
The movers came and packed up all of the belongings that we identified for them to take. They were quick and efficient, although it took them two days (half of each day), to fully pack and load the HHG from a two bedroom apartment into the moving van. Our items were then taken to a storage warehouse to await transit to North Carolina.
Previous to the movers arriving, my husband and I went through our personal items and removed those that would not be moved by the government. It is important to to do this before they come so that you already know what you are taking with you. I suggest you make a list and find a corner in your home to place these items. Those items should include such things as: jewelry (you never want this to be moved by anyone other than yourself), important files and papers, bedding (you may have to wait a few days or weeks until your HHG arrives at your new home), suitcases and personal effects, any irreplaceable items that you wouldn't want to take the chance of breaking (We packed my great grandmother's china into large tubs and hauled them with us as it is a family heirloom and is not replaceable if broken). We also brought a television and our surround sound system.
Since it was just my husband and I with our dog, we rented a trailer to haul behind our truck and placed our car on it. This may not be feasible for everyone. Prior to loading any of our items, with a full tank of gas in the vehicle, my husband had our truck pulling the trailer weighed and a weigh station. This is important as it is how the government determines how much of an allotment you are going to receive. He then returned to our apartment and loaded up both the bed of the truck and the empty vehicle being towed on the trailer. He then had to go back and reweigh the vehicles.
He also had picked up our operating allowance from the dispersing office on base. He took advantage of this type of move by requesting advanced funds to be provided for our move.
Weighing your vehicles after packing them up is an important step to this process. This is what determines how much you will be reimbursed minus any advanced funds already provided to you. You can make a profit off of this type of move if you are smart and budget wisely. Here are the things that are included in the money provided by the government for you:
- payment for rental vehicles/trailer
- packing materials
- moving equipment (dollies and hand trucks)
- gas and oil costs (so keep your receipts!)
- Highway tolls and other transportation expenses related to your DITY move
Once we made it to our new duty station, we had 45 days to turn in all of our applicable receipts from our partial DITY move in order to submit a full payment claim for our moving allowance.
If you are considering a partial or full DITY move, go to www.military.com/finance/pcs-moving-guide/moving/comprehensive-look-at-a-dity-move.html to find all of the paperwork you will need for these types of moves. It also provides a step by step list on what to do for your move. Good Luck!
Next week's posting will be on Wednesday for OUTCONUS moves.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Personally Procured Move
Since this month's topic is moving I'm going to cover the personally procured move (PPM) or what was once known as the do it yourself move (DITY move). My wife Shevaun asked me to write this post since I handled most of our move.
Unlike the full government move that was covered earlier in the month, where the government takes care of pretty much everything, with a PPM you take care of everything. While it is a lot of work to move yourself, the nice thing about this type of move is that you have full control of everything.
Before you start work on your PPM make sure to visit the personal property office on your base so that you can get the paperwork started.
Here are a few things to consider:
Money
The government will give you 95% of what they would have paid a professional moving company to do your move. So one of the incentives of a PPM is that you can potentially make a profit on the move if your payment is more than the cost of the boxes, packing supplies, moving van and gasoline. The one downside is that the government will take out taxes on that profit before they pay it to you.
Before you move you can get an advance on the amount of the move to help pay for all the expenses you are about to incur. The advance is limited to 60% of your move and is based upon an estimate of the total weight you are going to move. One of the big mistakes people make when doing a PPM is overestimating the weight that will be moved so that they can get a big advance. This can lead to problems if you have less weight than you estimated. In my experience it is best to low-ball your estimate so that you don't end up owing the government because you overestimated. The advance is really nice though especially if you move across the country like we just did. Our truck alone was $1500.
For an estimate of how much the government will pay you for your move you can visit http://pptas.ahf.nmci.navy.mil/
Packing
This is by far the hardest part of the move. First, getting all the boxes and other packing supplies can be more expensive than you might think and will really cut into any profits you thought you were going to make. Second, the actual packing part is a real pain. You will want to make sure that you pack everything really well, especially anything that is breakable, because since you packed it yourself the government isn't going to give you any insurance on the things that break during the move.
When we moved we knew a month in advance that we were going to move ourselves. We started slowly by packing up all the non-essential things a few weeks before the move, luckily we had a garage to put the boxes in. Then as the move date got closer we packed up the rest of our stuff. A few days before the move we were basically living out of suitcases and eating off of paper plates so we could have everything packed up and ready to be moved into the truck the day we picked it up. Which brings me to my next point.
The Truck
There are many companies that rent trucks for PPM's, and even some companies that will drop a trailer off at your place for you to pack up then they will drive it across the country for you. In my experience driving your own truck is the cheapest. I checked out U-Haul, Ryder, Budget, Penske, and ABF. Some of the companies offer big discounts to AAA members. If you aren't a AAA member it may be a good option to become a member before the move. The discount was so big. You'll want to price out as many options as possible to make sure you are getting the best deal possible.
On the day of the move I went to pick up the truck and they offered me several different options for insurance. Unlike renting a car when you travel, your credit card or personal auto insurance probably won't cover any accidents you may have while driving a moving truck. The types of insurance ranged from insurance on the truck itself in case of an accident to insurance that covered all the stuff in the back of the truck in case something broke during the move (this type is really expensive).
Loading/Unloading
When I got home with the truck we started moving everything we had already packed up into the truck. Because we had friends in the area we asked them to come help us out and it really didn't take that long since we had everything ready to go.
When we got to our destination to unload the truck, we didn't know anyone so we found some moving helpers on https://www.movinghelp.com/. I recommend this website to find helpers if you need it, especially for the big furniture. Like packing the truck, moving the boxes and furniture into the new apartment only took a few hours.
The Drive
Driving across the country in a giant moving van can be quite tricky, especially if you end up towing your car and/or driving in the winter like we did. You really have to be careful about where you stop and what hotels you stay in because the truck is hard to maneuver in small parking lots. We planned the whole trip out before we went and got hotels in the areas we wanted to stay in on www.priceline.com. Since we didn't care what part of the city we would be staying in we used the name your own price option and got some really great rates on 3 star hotels every night.
Another thing to consider is that you'll probably drive a little slower than the speed limit in that big truck, so you'll do less miles than you think. Make sure to think about when you plan your trip or you'll be driving more hours per day than you thought you would.
These big trucks also use a lot of gas and have big tanks, and depending on the type of gas station you stop at you may spend 15 minutes filling the truck up. We had a diesel truck and found that the best option was to stop at the big truck stops and fill the truck in the same lanes as the semi trucks. The pumps in these lanes typically filled the tank a lot faster than the regular pumps and we didn't have to worry about turning the truck around in the parking lot.
Weighing your goods
As part of a PPM you have to get official weight tickets of empty and full vehicles. It doesn't matter if you weigh the truck before you leave or at your destination or once in either place, you just need to get official weights. CAT scales area located all over the country and you can find the one nearest you at http://catscale.findlocation.com/ You can also get tickets at the weigh stations along the freeway or some moving companies will let you use their scales too. Scales usually cost between $5 and $10 per weigh.
Finally Getting Paid
One of the reasons that I suggest getting an advance on your PPM is because it takes a long time to finally get paid. In the Navy at least it is taking approximately 13 weeks for payments to be processed right now. When I went tot he household goods office on base they gave me a stack of paperwork and an addressed envelope with where to send everything once you arrive at your destination. Simply make sure everything is filled out correctly, put it in the envelope, put a stamp on it and send it out. I recommend taking your paperwork by the household goods office at your new base to make sure that everything was filled out correctly before sending it in.
Conclusion
While it is nice to be completely in control of your move and you can make you a little money in the end, it is a lot of work for the little bit of money you may make. You'll want to weigh the pros and cons for your specific situation before you decide to do a PPM, but I can attest that moving is much easier if you simply let the government take care of everything for you.
Unlike the full government move that was covered earlier in the month, where the government takes care of pretty much everything, with a PPM you take care of everything. While it is a lot of work to move yourself, the nice thing about this type of move is that you have full control of everything.
Before you start work on your PPM make sure to visit the personal property office on your base so that you can get the paperwork started.
Here are a few things to consider:
Money
The government will give you 95% of what they would have paid a professional moving company to do your move. So one of the incentives of a PPM is that you can potentially make a profit on the move if your payment is more than the cost of the boxes, packing supplies, moving van and gasoline. The one downside is that the government will take out taxes on that profit before they pay it to you.
Before you move you can get an advance on the amount of the move to help pay for all the expenses you are about to incur. The advance is limited to 60% of your move and is based upon an estimate of the total weight you are going to move. One of the big mistakes people make when doing a PPM is overestimating the weight that will be moved so that they can get a big advance. This can lead to problems if you have less weight than you estimated. In my experience it is best to low-ball your estimate so that you don't end up owing the government because you overestimated. The advance is really nice though especially if you move across the country like we just did. Our truck alone was $1500.
For an estimate of how much the government will pay you for your move you can visit http://pptas.ahf.nmci.navy.mil/
Packing
This is by far the hardest part of the move. First, getting all the boxes and other packing supplies can be more expensive than you might think and will really cut into any profits you thought you were going to make. Second, the actual packing part is a real pain. You will want to make sure that you pack everything really well, especially anything that is breakable, because since you packed it yourself the government isn't going to give you any insurance on the things that break during the move.
When we moved we knew a month in advance that we were going to move ourselves. We started slowly by packing up all the non-essential things a few weeks before the move, luckily we had a garage to put the boxes in. Then as the move date got closer we packed up the rest of our stuff. A few days before the move we were basically living out of suitcases and eating off of paper plates so we could have everything packed up and ready to be moved into the truck the day we picked it up. Which brings me to my next point.
The Truck
There are many companies that rent trucks for PPM's, and even some companies that will drop a trailer off at your place for you to pack up then they will drive it across the country for you. In my experience driving your own truck is the cheapest. I checked out U-Haul, Ryder, Budget, Penske, and ABF. Some of the companies offer big discounts to AAA members. If you aren't a AAA member it may be a good option to become a member before the move. The discount was so big. You'll want to price out as many options as possible to make sure you are getting the best deal possible.
On the day of the move I went to pick up the truck and they offered me several different options for insurance. Unlike renting a car when you travel, your credit card or personal auto insurance probably won't cover any accidents you may have while driving a moving truck. The types of insurance ranged from insurance on the truck itself in case of an accident to insurance that covered all the stuff in the back of the truck in case something broke during the move (this type is really expensive).
Loading/Unloading
When I got home with the truck we started moving everything we had already packed up into the truck. Because we had friends in the area we asked them to come help us out and it really didn't take that long since we had everything ready to go.
When we got to our destination to unload the truck, we didn't know anyone so we found some moving helpers on https://www.movinghelp.com/. I recommend this website to find helpers if you need it, especially for the big furniture. Like packing the truck, moving the boxes and furniture into the new apartment only took a few hours.
The Drive
Driving across the country in a giant moving van can be quite tricky, especially if you end up towing your car and/or driving in the winter like we did. You really have to be careful about where you stop and what hotels you stay in because the truck is hard to maneuver in small parking lots. We planned the whole trip out before we went and got hotels in the areas we wanted to stay in on www.priceline.com. Since we didn't care what part of the city we would be staying in we used the name your own price option and got some really great rates on 3 star hotels every night.
Another thing to consider is that you'll probably drive a little slower than the speed limit in that big truck, so you'll do less miles than you think. Make sure to think about when you plan your trip or you'll be driving more hours per day than you thought you would.
These big trucks also use a lot of gas and have big tanks, and depending on the type of gas station you stop at you may spend 15 minutes filling the truck up. We had a diesel truck and found that the best option was to stop at the big truck stops and fill the truck in the same lanes as the semi trucks. The pumps in these lanes typically filled the tank a lot faster than the regular pumps and we didn't have to worry about turning the truck around in the parking lot.
Weighing your goods
As part of a PPM you have to get official weight tickets of empty and full vehicles. It doesn't matter if you weigh the truck before you leave or at your destination or once in either place, you just need to get official weights. CAT scales area located all over the country and you can find the one nearest you at http://catscale.findlocation.com/ You can also get tickets at the weigh stations along the freeway or some moving companies will let you use their scales too. Scales usually cost between $5 and $10 per weigh.
Finally Getting Paid
One of the reasons that I suggest getting an advance on your PPM is because it takes a long time to finally get paid. In the Navy at least it is taking approximately 13 weeks for payments to be processed right now. When I went tot he household goods office on base they gave me a stack of paperwork and an addressed envelope with where to send everything once you arrive at your destination. Simply make sure everything is filled out correctly, put it in the envelope, put a stamp on it and send it out. I recommend taking your paperwork by the household goods office at your new base to make sure that everything was filled out correctly before sending it in.
Conclusion
While it is nice to be completely in control of your move and you can make you a little money in the end, it is a lot of work for the little bit of money you may make. You'll want to weigh the pros and cons for your specific situation before you decide to do a PPM, but I can attest that moving is much easier if you simply let the government take care of everything for you.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Military Day at Hersheypark
Hey Everyone, I get updates from my FRO (family readiness officer) about current discounts for military personnel and thought you all would just love this current offer from Hersheypark!
On Sunday, April 18th, Hersheypark is having a special day for the military and their families. This is a military only day, which means no civilians other than family members will be admitted into the park. On top of that, the park is offering an exclusive rate for all tickets (all ages). There will also be no parking fee! All you need is your military ID (no exceptions) when you get to the park to buy your tickets.
RATE: $25 per person (compared to Adult: $52.95 and child: $31.95) What an awesome savings!
Hours are from 10am-6pm
Military ID includes active duty, retirees, and reservists
100 W. Hersheypark Dr.
Hershey, PA 17033
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