Today I organized the beginning of our PCS (Permanent Change of Station) binder.
I decided to ‘decorate’ the cover with vintage postcards – aren’t they fun?
Keeping everything organized in one place was a lifesaver when we moved to Germany, so we are doing the same for our move to El Paso. We also keep all of our “important documents” folder with our records, vehicle titles, birth certificates, etc. to hand carry to our next duty station so it is readily available for reference and most importantly – nothing is lost!
Copies of Orders
Moving documents/forms
Notes from meetings/ briefs
Clearing documents
Inventory of the household
Car titles + insurance info
Master list of moving office phone #s from the leaving and receiving base
Powers of Attorney (General + Specials)
Single page of identification numbers (Social Security numbers, Birth dates, Passport #s)
Single page of banking, insurance account numbers + emergency phone #s
Bill termination notices and contact information
Birth, Marriage, Adoption certificates
Wills, Medical POA documents
How do you keep your important papers organized during a move?
Does anyone else have a soft spot for vintage postcards?
Be sure to call your bank and credit card company to notify them of your move!
That way you aren’t stranded at a gas station waiting for them to life the fraud alert from your card!
April 26, 2012 at 3:20 pm
We do the same thing. We fill a binder w every single pertinent document and bring it all along.
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April 26, 2012 at 3:47 pm
This is such a great idea. I can’t believe I didn’t even think of doing this during our last PCS because I have binders for everything! I will definitely do this during our next pcs. Thanks for the awesome idea!
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April 26, 2012 at 4:24 pm
We do the same thing whenever we PCS. We also have learned to keep all items that we don’t want packed and shipped out of sight. This means by locking it in an empty room or putting it in a vehicle.
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April 26, 2012 at 5:00 pm
You have the right idea! Binders, paper protectors, and a super cool cover are a great way to start a PCS. Now print out a moving-checklist (http://www.militaryavenue.com/Articles/MilitaryAvenues+Moving+Checklist-23858.aspx) to put in there and you are on your way to one organized move
Happy PCSing!
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April 26, 2012 at 5:17 pm
We do the same thing! Learned it from my Dad who was in the military 50 years ago and still has all his original orders!
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April 26, 2012 at 6:44 pm
I do the same thing, and it has been a life-saver!
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April 26, 2012 at 6:52 pm
Great idea, my sister and her family are stationed in Hawai right now and when they moved the first time she was in chaos.
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April 26, 2012 at 11:08 pm
I googled ‘Permanent Change of Station binder’ to see if maybe I could figure out what to put in it and I got your website! I have always read your blog and I love it. I have gotten ideas from your blog.
I was wondering what you put in your binder. I didn’t have anything like this when we moved the first time and I was a wreck. I want to set something up, for the next time we move!!
Thank you
April 27, 2012 at 12:27 am
You have very great ideas, I’m glad to stop on your blog and learn so many things about it… I do appreciate this simple but worthy. It motivates me to do the rest effectively…
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April 27, 2012 at 1:27 pm
This last move was my first PCS and I was going CRAZY with the way my husband was storing all the documents we were receiving (he was basically stuffing them in random folders and then throwing that in his backpack). I went around to three different stores before I finally found the notebook for us. It zips closed, so I don’t need to worry about things falling out, has three rings for binding things, folders for holding things, and even a zippered pouch, which really came in handy. I’m actually looking forward to use it again!
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April 28, 2012 at 8:22 am
Awesome. Nice thoughts on your post. Fantastic list of resources. Thanks for sharing.
April 30, 2012 at 2:17 pm
what an awesome idea!! I’m starting to think about how to do a cross country move. The first time we did it 4 years ago, we just loaded everything up in the car and made it happen. This time there will be movers and our stuff will be separated from us, so I want to be careful!
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April 30, 2012 at 6:06 pm
Love this idea
and you are seriously all OVER pinterest 