KateHorrell

Helping Military Families Make The Most of Their Money

Three Things To Buy Before Your Next Move


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Moving is hard work. Whether you’re moving yourself or having someone else move you, there are a couple of tricks to make the move easier. Well, actually, there are many tricks (you can see pages and pages of them in Printables to Make Your PCS Move Smooth and Organized), but there are a couple of key… | Read More…

What Military Moving Expenses are Tax-Deductible?


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PCS moves are expensive.  Even with all the allowances, you’ll sometimes have some out-of-pocket expenses, especially if you have pets.  Thankfully, unreimbursed moving expenses can be deducted from your income taxes, and they’re a most valuable type of deduction. Disclaimer: No article can address every specific tax situation. Do not make any decisions based solely… | Read More…

My Military Moving System Fix


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Last month, NPR republished a story on how the military doesn’t have much control over the system that handles moving household goods of service members who receive Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders.  I think we’d all agree that is a relatively true statement.  Or complete understatement.  Either way.  The generally consensus is that the… | Read More…

Military Spouse Professional Gear Allowance


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If you’re a military spouse, and you work or volunteer in the community, you may be eligible for your own military spouse professional gear (pro-gear) weight allowance when you execute permanent change of station (PCS) orders.  That’s the good news.  The bad news is that there aren’t a lot of things that qualify.  In particular, computers… | Read More…

Tips and Tricks for Your Best Household Goods Delivery Ever


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I’ve had lots of positive feedback to The Ultimate PCS Guide to Packing Out, and a request for a similar piece talking about household goods delivery.  Thankfully, this one won’t be quite as long! Generally speaking, a regular delivery of household goods will take less than a single day.   A little preparation before the delivery arrives… | Read More…

The Math of Buying and Selling Houses, Military-Style


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The topic of home ownership for military families is a hot one.  I absolutely agree that there are many reasons that a military family may want to buy a house:  the pleasure of being able to do whatever you want to the house, the guarantee that you won’t have to move mid-tour, the difficulty in… | Read More…

Keeping Your Pantry PCS-Ready All Year Long


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Like many military families, my family has a pre-moving tradition of figuring out how to eat all the food that has accumulated in our freezer, refrigerator and pantry. After over two decades of doing this, I think I’ve finally got the process down. Better yet, I’ve figured out how to make this part of our… | Read More…

What Is A Certificate of Non-Availability?


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I’m working up some big posts about Permanent Change of Station (PCS) allowances for Temporary Lodging Expense and Temporary Lodging Allowance, and I realized that not everyone might understand about Certificates of Non-Availability (CNA) and how they work. Military members are almost authorized some temporary lodging while executing a PCS move. It is intended that lodging… | Read More…

Keep Your Costs Down On An Overseas PCS


This post may contain affiliate links, from which I may earn revenue to support this free site. All opinions are my own, and I only promote products that I use and love!

Each year, thousands of military families execute a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move to a location that is outside the Continental United States (OCONUS.) Despite a generous array of allowances, there are still plenty of out-of-pockets costs. Careful planning can help you to ensure that you keep those non-reimbursed expenses to a minimum. Learn… | Read More…

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Disclaimer

Kate does not represent the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, or any government agency. This blog is strictly for informational and entertainment purposes only. The content on this site should not be considered professional financial or legal advice. I may receive compensation through affiliate or advertising relationships from products mentioned on this site. All reviews on this site represent the personal opinions of the author. All references to third party products, rates, and offers may change without notice.