Many people opt for a DITY move because of the opportunity to make a profit by moving themselves. Others may choose a DITY move because they want to handle the move themselves and believe their items will be safer in their own hands. Either way, if you have received orders to move to a different duty station, you can design your DITY move so that it is both profitable and safe.
What can you do to plan your DITY move? It is helpful to put together an estimate of both the weight of what you are moving and your expenses. If you have moved before, you can use your previous weight amounts as an estimate. If not, you can ask people you know who have moved how much weight they moved and try to compare. When it comes to expenses, think carefully about everything you can expect to pay for, down to the last detail, and make a list with estimated costs. When in doubt, slightly overestimate to give yourself room to go over budget. If you underestimate, you may find yourself losing money on your DITY move instead of making money.
As you plan your expenses for your DITY move, you may have to make some judgment calls between safety and costs. Clearly, hiring experienced movers and buying the best quality packing materials will improve the chances that everything will arrive intact but increase your expenses. Doing everything yourself and using only basic packing materials will save you money but may put your things at risk. Also, doing all the packing, loading, and moving yourself may be incredibly stressful and time consuming. If you can, try to plan out where you are willing to cut corners and where you want to spend a little extra to make your move more comfortable.
Throughout your DITY move, keep in mind that you need documentation of everything to get reimbursed. You should check with your duty station’s moving office to make sure you understand the rules and what you need to be reimbursed. You will have to get your truck or vehicle weighed by a certified scale both before and after you load. You will need you weight tickets, as well as receipts for all your expenses. With the right documentation, you can get reimbursed in full and ideally make some extra money. Keep in mind that you will need to keep your weight tickets and receipts to do your taxes, since you are taxed on the income you make. Also, it is a good idea to keep them in case you move again and can use them to plan your next Dity move.