The PCS Budget
October 21, 2006|
Where does one start when trying to budget for a PCS? I'm sure that different people make different choices, but I like to start with researching the housing situation at our new duty station.
What is the on-post housing situation? Do you want to live on post and, if so, how long is the wait list? This first question has a great deal to do with starting a budget. If you decide you want to live on post and the wait is fairly short, you have to decide how long you can afford to live in temporary quarters. Then you can decide whether to wait for permanent quarters or to start looking off post.
If you have to (or decide to) look off post, you first need to know what your BAH will be so that you know what price range you need to be looking at. When renting, you need to plan to pay the Security Deposit and any Pet Deposit/Fee required. When buying, you need to find out what loan amount you are qualified for and then decide what you can afford to put down as earnest money, how much closing costs will be, and if necessary, how much a down payment will be.
Aside from being the most expensive part of a move, I would say that finding housing is probably the most stressful part of a PCS, also. Even after finding a place to live you may still need to be concerned with your budget. Do you have adequate storage in your new home or will you need to purchase new shelving or even rent a storage unit? Do you have carpeting or do you need to purchase new rugs? Some items seem so minor, but really add up in the end.
Aside from housing, leave could also be a huge factor. If your spouse is taking leave in transit, that could affect your money situation. You can expect to receive DLA upon arrival at your new duty station, but may also request an advance prior to travel. If you do this, you may have more money during leave, but find yourself running short when you reach your final destination. It is imperative that you keep track of your spending and have an idea of what you will need later. Of course, it won't be an issue if you have already budgeted for your leave/vacation. Not always an easy thing to do, but a great idea.
Now, knowing myself like I do, I'm sure that after I publish this post at least a couple of other things will come to mind. Of course, I'll be upset with myself for missing them. However, I trust that if I did pass over something important one of you more knowledgable spouses out there will set me straight. And I'm grateful for it. :)
Since I haven't done an in country PCS in decades... I will be interested in learning all I can. Never did qualify for on post housing before. Lived in housing in Augsburg, wish I hadn't sometimes, would have been nice to live off post, but at the time, it wasn't financially feasible.
So, does it make more sense to live on post or off? I don't like the feeling of "ghetto ization" that I used to see, but I remember the rip off rents that were charged by the landlords in army towns.
LAW
Posted by: LAW | 10/21/2006 at 07:06
I was just thinking last night what a money-saver it will be to do an in-country PCS. When we left Germany, I had to get rid of all food, cleaning supplies, 220-volt appliances, German phones, etc. And then turn around and buy it all again when we got here. I'm looking forward to saving money this time by loading food and cleaning products in the car!
And don't even get me started on the dog's transatlantic plane ticket! His flight cost more than ours...
Posted by: Sarah | 10/21/2006 at 08:58
I remember the PCS sales... transformers that weighed a TON. I didn't have a pet at the time.
I figure this time, the cat goes in the carrier (a little stoned, I think) everything else will get shipped, except The Pan (grandmother's pan)
IF we end up doing TDYs (which is always a possibility) then just store everything, and maybe look at leasing a large travel trailer. anything's better than those extended stay places...
LAW
Posted by: LAW | 10/21/2006 at 09:05
The person of this post mentioned temp quarters and i'm not sure what they are talking about? I have never PCS's over seas so maybe that is what they are talking about. There are no temp quarters that I have ever heard of the choices you have is to rent an apartment where you get stuck with a one year lease then when you get housing your doomed to break the lease with is really not a good thing because you end up loosing ALL the money you dumped into the apartment. You can stay in the on post hotel which is a rip off on its own charging regular off post hotel rates per night, these are not Temp Quarters in my mind. So please explain to me the Temp Quarters you were talking about???
Posted by: Brenda | 10/21/2006 at 09:42
My experience w/ temp quarters is staying on post in one of the "hotels." But the posts I have been to actually have a MUCH lower fee than off post hotels. We have been fortunate in our PCSes. The longest we had to stay in temp quarters was 10 days. I know many people who actually end up living in temp quarters for a month or longer.
We have lived on and off post. We lived off post at our first duty station b/c the wait for housing was like two years. We rented at first and then ended up buying a house (which we rent out). Our last two duty stations we lived on post - housing was readily available (aside from the 10 day stay in the temp housing) and we liked living on post. Now we live in a non-military town and we have purchased another house. It was not our original intention, but renting in this town was not an option when we first got here (NOTHING for rent until June - and we got here in mid-May). Sooooo, we had to buy. I really like our house though so it has all worked out.
I guess I would say "go with your gut" (and your financial situation) as far as living on or off post.
Posted by: Joan D'Arc | 10/21/2006 at 10:27
In Augsburg and Stuttgart (and I think other places in Germany), they were the top floor of the apartment buildings. These used to be the rooms for the maids! a living dining area, kitchen, bath and about 6 - 8 bedrooms. You had to remember to lock the bedrooms you didn't use, or you had to clean them/pay to clean them.
Now, the temps I have heard about near Huachuca are just those extended stay places, have a small kitchen, bedroom/living room. I don't know if we are going to live on post or not, depends on where we get posted.
Posted by: LAW | 10/21/2006 at 10:31
I have lived in base housing as well as in the private sector. One person made a comment about breaking the lease and losing their money. Whenever you rent a place there is a thing called a military clause that will not make you legally responsible for the lease. I have used it when we got orders and had to leave our apt. before our lease was up. I know of others who have also been able to use it to get out of cell phone contracts and gym memberships. You should be able to obtain info about it from base legal. We always sign contracts with the intention of fulfilling them but you just never know when and where the military is going to send you and that is the reason they have this military clause!
Posted by: coastiewife | 10/21/2006 at 11:04
Brenda,
Joan explained Temp. Qtrs. pretty well. Some areas also have quarters other than just the hotel-type room. At our last post they actually have 2 bedroom apartments that are also available. There was a kitchen and even a fully equipped laundry room in each unit and for $43.00 a night, you can't beat the price. However, an extended stay of a month or so could put a hurt on you financially. It would most likely run over your BAH rate.
Coastiewife, you're right about military clauses, except when it comes to breaking a lease to accept on-post/base quarters. I believe that was what Brenda was referring to.
Finally, I knew that I'd missed some important topics when budgeting for a PCS. Just remembered something else to consider when making an overseas PCS. Having to ship a vehicle can be costly, too. Yes, the military will pay to have one POV shipped, but what if you have a second vehicle to store or to sell? Then, upon arriving at your OCONUS duty station, you may have to consider other transportation until your vehicle arrives. A rental or taxi service costs could add up quickly.
Posted by: RedLegMeg | 10/21/2006 at 13:21
military clauses in leases are pretty much non exsistant now thanks tothe SCRA of 2003. you can break your lease but you're still responsible to pay for an additional 30days after you leave. i know this because i just had to take our old landlord to court when he kept our security deposit because we PCS'd. i had to fly me, and our two kids (7yrs & 3mos). he tried to keep it to pay for his advertising costs and to cover the rest of the rent until he got a new tenant. he even counter sued for $512!
he of course lost and the judge gave him a good lashing for his greediness.
Posted by: dizzylizzie | 10/22/2006 at 07:18
As far as breaking a lease goes I guess it depends on who you are renting from. When I had to break my lease because of the fact we were leaving PCS all I had to do was give my 30 day notice and give the landlord a copy of the orders and that was it. We moved out no questions asked and we got back every penny of our deposit.
Posted by: coastiewife | 10/22/2006 at 10:59