Casey

Shipping a Vehicle Overseas – Top 3 Tips

April 23, 2012 by Casey

Ship Vehicle Overseas If you have orders to Germany, Hawaii, or some other amazing overseas location, then you need to ship a vehicle. The military pays to ship one of your cars, but you will have to foot the bill for a second.

Here are my top tips for shipping your primary vehicle overseas with the government:

1. Ship early, so your car is waiting for you at your new base

You will likely be without your vehicle for two weeks either at your old base, or at your new base. I firmly believe you should go without at your old base to make sure your car is waiting for you when you arrive overseas.

At your old base you can either a) borrow a car from a friend b) share rides from coworkers or c) get a rental car cheaper than one costs overseas.

You need a car BAD when you arrive overseas. The military will likely put you in a hotel that is off base. You have to check into your new job. You have to look all over for a house. Even if you get a house on base, you will need a car. The wait for base housing is usually two weeks or more, and you will need a car during that time to get to work.

But what about your sponsor? Yes, a sponsor can help you out and drive you around a bit. But honestly they’re not expecting to drive you around for 10 days straight. They have to go to work sometime.

You need to hit the ground running, which means using all your time available in your first 10 days. You probably made many more friends at your last base that can help you while going without a vehicle. But you will know few people overseas initially.

Bottom line: figure out how long it takes to ship your car and get it sailing early.

2. Read the rules before going to the Vehicle Processing Center (VPC)

You will ship your car through one of the many government VPCs. Overall, I think they do a great job. But they are strict on their rules! Make sure your car is clean, you have the right documentation, and have your gas tank filled to the right level.

I’ve been through the VPC in Charleston four times. On almost every occasion I saw someone begging to be an exception to the rule. Just follow their instructions and the process is smooth! I would even call them before you leave and make sure you are prepared.

The VPC will remove everything from your vehicle. Make sure you pack your important documents so they’re available when you arrive overseas. I failed to pack my insurance card and got a ticket for it when I was pulled over after arriving in Hawaii.

3. Wash your car shortly after picking it up

The destination VPC is supposed to wash your car before you pick it up. But many do not have car wash facilities available and give you a voucher instead. Do not ignore this! You car traveled over open ocean and has been around a lot of salt water. You need to wash it quickly to get that crap off.

I hope these tips were helpful! Stay tuned for the next article on this topic – shipping a second vehicle overseas commercially.

Skype: Receive Calls While Deployed

April 18, 2012 by Casey

Skype for Military Skype is awesome. Walk through any barracks lucky enough to have internet access while deployed, and you’ll hear that familiar “boo bee boop” ring tone.

Beyond using the free version of Skype, I recommend setting up a Skype phone number. That gives you a US based phone number, that rings when you are logged into Skype. Why is that great?

1. Your loved ones can call you from a cell phone while out and about

Due to the time zone difference, my wife was usually doing something outside the house when we talked on Skype. I didn’t have to wait until she was home, and could talk to her while at a friend’s house.

2. Relatives can call you without using a computer

I gave my Dad the phone number and he called me several times when he knew I was off work.

Do you have any tips on using Skype while deployed or overseas?

The Best Military Boots

March 15, 2012 by Casey

These are my 6-year old Rocky S2V boots. They’ve been to seven countries and twelve states. They are the best military boots available, hands down.

I’ve worn these on the back porch of the squadron on Friday, drinking beer after a week’s hard work. I’ve worn them while training Airmen, while briefing Colonels and 3-Star Generals.

They’re dusty. Touching Iraqi soil for the first time – no big deal. Yeah right, I was scared. Back and forth to the chow hall. Wandering around the BX. In the barracks with friends. Talking to my kids on skype.

At the airport – saying goodbye to my wife. Too many times. At a homecoming coming down the ladder, smiling. At a new unit introducing myself. At a farewell lunch saying some parting words.

Standing tall at my promotion. At a retirement shaking hands.

I was lucky enough to score these for free at my first unit. Right now I’m on my third pair in 14 years!

Why These Boots Rock

Rocky boots are comfortable from the start, but also last a long time. That’s a tough combination to find.

The boots issued before a deployment (Bates?) are tough, but hurt your feet and take a few months to break in.

Oakley and Nike boots are as comfortable as shoes, but fall apart within a year. I saw a friend’s Oakley’s fall apart within nine months of light use. If you search the internet, you’ll find the same theme.

nike military boots

The only thing bad about Rocky’s is that they’ll hit your wallet a bit harder than the other boots. It’s hard to find them under $180. Given how long they last while remaining comfortable – I think it’s worth it!

More Discussion

Read others’ opinions on boots at:

A review from a soldier:

Online Backup – Top Three Services Compared

March 10, 2012 by Casey

We have hundreds of pictures stored on our desktop computer. During every PCS move or deployment, I’m scared that the movers will damage the computer or lose it. No amount of money would replace those pictures.

I recently discovered online backup and now have some peace of mind that my files are safe.

Online backup supplements my current backup plan, which involves hand-carrying the hard drives to my next base.

How it Works

Online backup works by uploading your files to a remote server. Software on your computer runs in the background and monitors for new files or changes. You can download your backed up files any time.

Tip: It will take 10-30 days to complete your initial backup. If you’re moving or deploying soon, plan to start your backup ahead of time.

Online Backup Services Reviewed

I researched and tried three different backup solutions: Carbonite, Crashplan, and Backblaze, before deciding to commit to a single service. All three support PC and Mac computers.

Carbonite – $59 One Year Subscription

Carbonite has been around a long time and is considered very reliable. However, their service is expensive when compared to Crashplan and Backblaze.

Pros:

You can browse pictures and files through the web; their iPhone app is great at this as well
Carbonite puts green icons on folders that are backed up

Cons:

Most expensive option
External hard drive backups are only supported by moving to a more expensive plan ($99)
Video files over 4GB must be manually selected for backup

Crashplan – $49.99 One Year Subscription

I found Crashplan to be the most flexible option. This is the program that I ended up paying for and am very happy with it.

Pros:

Backs up external hard drives
Backs up all files regardless of size
They do not delete old files
Option to start backup by sending external hard drive

Cons:

Some users say it slows down your computer. I haven’t noticed this personally.
Interface is a little confusing

Backblaze – $50 per year

I liked Backblaze a lot and would have chose them over Crashplan and Carbonite if it weren’t for one small issue.

We have an iMac with an external hard drive connected. That hard drive is also configured as a “time machine” backup for the iMac. Backblaze does not back up any files on an external hard drive that is configured for time machine. I did not want to redo this drive and split off the time machine backup. So I went with Crashplan instead since they support time machine drives.

Pros:

Slick interface; very easy to use
Fastest backup software
Ability to locate your computer if stolen or lost

Cons:

Does not support external hard drives configured for time machine

Summary

My top recommendation for online backup is Backblaze, followed very closely by Crashplan, then Carbonite. I went with Crashplan due to the minor issue discussed. But if you do not have the same issue I would recommend Backblaze over the other options.

Should you Rent or Sell your Home Before your Next PCS?

March 7, 2012 by Casey

We recently got orders to Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii (woo hoo!). Along with those orders came a decision on what to do with the home we bought near Shaw AFB. We chose to rent out our home due to the low cost and quick turnover.

Weighing the Options

We reviewed three points before making a decision:

1. How much can we sell our home for and how long will it take?

This is the most important factor as it drives the budget you will need to sell your house.

We set up an appointment with our realtor to discuss a likely selling price and average time on market, and found that we would need to bring about $2,000 to closing (at a minimum), and expect to list our home for about 3 months AFTER we move out.

Given our mortgage and utilities we would need to budget $5,000 for those 3 months. So our overall risk in selling the home was about $7,000 just to give it an honest try.

2. How fast can we rent our home?

Shaw AFB recently expanded, adding over a thousand Army personnel to the housing market. Due to this increase, homes were renting fast, and going for reasonable rates.

3. How much will it cost to rent our home?

We planned on renting our home for $1,400 a month. But our expenses came out to:

$1,120 – Mortgage principal and interest payment
$158 – Property tax
$140 – Property management fee of 10% monthly
$54 – Home insurance
TOTAL = $1,472

At $1,400 rent, we pay $72 out of pocket every month. We did not pay advertising costs to rent the home because we used AHRN.

The Benefits of Renting Out a Home

By renting, we were able to immediately cover our mortgage after moving out of our home. We found renters within one month.

We are claiming the interest and expenses incurred to rent the home on our annual taxes, which reduces our tax bill.

Our renters are slowly paying down the mortgage on our home, which gives us room later to sell the home at a reduced price. We can also use the equity as leverage to purchase another home.

Is Being a Landlord Risky Business?

Since we had a very new home, we were less concerned with repairs and damages that may pop up while renting out our home.

If you have an older home you may want to get a home warranty, or set up a reserve fund to pay for costly repairs. As a home owner, you are legally bound to fix anything that breaks in a timely manner!

If you lose your renters you may have to pay out of pocket for your mortgage while looking for another tenant.

Your tenants may damage your home beyond their security deposit.

You can mitigate the odds of this happening by carefully choosing tenants and screening credit scores.

Renting to fellow military is usually a safe way to avoid this, as they will have to pay you for the damage. If you rent to someone with nothing to lose, then the cost of small claims court will likely outweigh the costs to get your money back.

Your best protection against these risks is to save back an emergency fund.

Will you Rent your Home Out?

Let us know how you handled this situation in the comments!

The Pros and Cons of Purchasing a Brand New Home

February 29, 2012 by Casey

Brand New Home

Buying a new home is like buying a new car. You can pick the exact options you want, while not worrying that a previous owner beat the crap out of it.

Beware though – there’s an added price to achieve that “new home” smell (that would be paint).

Pros

1. New homes come with warranties

In the first year the builder should fix anything that breaks. Additionally, your A/C unit, water heater, and appliances should have warranties that last at least 10 years. You should not worry about big repairs for the first 10 years of home ownership.

2. A new home requires less negotiation

While you should not blindly pay list price, you will find that new homes have narrow room for negotiating.

3. You can pick options and customize

If you like tile floors and brown carpet, then go for it. You do not have settle for a previous owner’s orange formica countertops.

4. The builder will probably pay your closing costs

New home programs are built to quickly and easily get you into the home. They will likely cover closing costs as an incentive.

Cons

1. New homes typically do not come with landscaping, blinds, or a refrigerator!

This can easily add $5-10K to the cost of your home. But when you sell the home, stuff like blinds and a fridge are standard equipment. So don’t expect to get all your money back. If you are looking for a home with a fence, sprinklers, and a deck, you will get a much better deal by purchasing an older home.

2. There is less room to negotiate on price

If you’re looking for an amazing deal, then you should avoid new homes. Home owners are more likely to accept a low offer if they need to move on. The builders will wait for a buyer that pays close to the asking price.

3. Home builders may try to up sell you on options

I’ve seen new homes that do not come with light fixtures or painted walls in the garage. If you have to pay for basic items, then look elsewhere. The builder may be selling at affordable prices, but you will immediately need to spend money to make the home livable.

Summary – should you buy a new home?

Due to the start-up costs, your smartest move financially is to purchase an older home.

However, we purchased a new home at our last base and enjoyed the experience. Our home was in pristine condition the entire time we lived in it. We also have peace of mind now that we’ve rented it, knowing that things are less likely to break. Overall I see nothing wrong with purchasing a new home if you can afford it and it makes you happy.