Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Bandito's Mom on July 1, 2011 at 11:40pm

Here it is, anyone with input about DITY, Base Housing, Cars, etc.... I would love some input

 

Permalink Reply by Chipmunk on October 11, 2017 at 9:58am

Bump 

Permalink Reply by Emily-aaronsgirl11 on July 2, 2011 at 12:19am

Sooo. I was getting ready to write a long post explaining everything I know. But then I realized that I learned all that info from somewhere! So I'm going to just post a great list of discussions on another group that you should check out. :)
Phases  - If you read some of the comments on this post, they discuss specifics of "Phase Married" :)
Lots of Random, Helpful Info. :)  Everything is included here. :)
DITY vs. Navy Move.

Permalink Reply by Bandito's Mom on July 2, 2011 at 10:37am

Adding other comments, from earlier discussions:

From Emily-aaronsgirl11:

Bandito's Mom- Yes, he'll be able to be a passenger. When they drive down to GC, he'll even be allowed to drive and wear civis. 
There's a "Phase Married" as the guys called it. The married guys don't get as strict of rules as the single ones... I've always had conflicting answers to the "Can he drive during Phase 1" question, so I'm not sure what the official answer is... But I do know that they are allowed to drive when they're moving. :)

Permalink Reply by Emily-aaronsgirl11 on July 2, 2011 at 11:18am

I found the answer! haha. Casey answered it back in May 2010, so I'm assuming it still holds true.
She said that married sailors ARE allowed to drive during Phase 1. But only to school and back home. I think a lot of couples only have one car down there (at least to start out) so it seems like a lot of the wives during A school tend to drive their hubby into work and then have him text her when he gets out so she can pick him up. 

And they obviously don't have to be in uniform in their own home, but if they go out and get caught not in uniform, they could get in trouble.

 

There are two types of moves. A DITY move (do-it-yourself) and a Navy move.
A lot of people pick DITY to move down to Goose Creek since it has the most benefits.

DITY-
You are responsible for moving all your own stuff. The Navy will give you a set amount to move it from your home to GC, and many times that's much more than you need so you ended up banking a good amount. A lot of couples I've talked to received part of that money up front and the rest a few months later. However, that's not always guaranteed. So if you plan on doing a DITY move you may have to pay a good amount up front, but you WILL get that money back. :)
Your sailor will get down to Goose Creek and go through a series of briefs. The married guys go through a housing brief where they sign a contract with base housing. Sometimes they get a walk through of their house, sometimes they do not. Depends on the luck of the draw. Once you have a house, he can fly home (almost immediately, I believe) and come get you, any kids, and all the stuff. He's given a certain amount of days of leave depending on the  distance you're traveling. I don't know the exact ratio, but they give you PLENTY of time to move. They have restrictions on how much you drive per day and how many days you stop, so you can take your time if you'd like and stop at certain locations along the way. :)
 You do need to keep allllllll of your receipts from the move for paperwork later. I don't know specifics on that since I've never done this myself, just what I've heard from several other ladies.

Navy- Once your hubby gets the housing all set up (generally on the Wednesday after he gets there), you buy a plane ticket/start movin out. :) The Navy will hire a company to come to your house, pack EVERYTHING, and move it to GC for you. Don't pack things ahead of time, because they just have to unpack them and pack them again (at least I'm told). The downside of this is it could take a month or so for your stuff to get to Goose Creek, so be prepared for that. Once it gets there though the movers will unpack everything for you. It's all completely paid for. But, your husband does not get to come home to help with a Navy move. 

I've also heard of a partial Navy move. Where you can pack whatever will fit in your car and drive to GC and the Navy will hire a company to do the rest. Then the Navy will reimburse you for gas costs, etc.  I don't know a lot of details for this one.

 

 

Base Housing- Is wonderful down there. Probably some of the best base housing around. There is a lot of housing and no wait list. So don't worry about getting a house, there will be one for you!  Say you and your hubby have no kids, then you get a two bedroom. Say you have 2 kids, you get a four bedroom. 
I have a feeling four bedroom is the max, but I'm definitely not positive on that. :)
There are three types of housing: Old, Renovated, New. But they're all pretty nice. :)
Old and Renovated look the same on the outisde, but on the inside their slightly different. The inside of the old I was in had hardwood in the kitchen and then carpet throughout the rest. I thought I was in the inside of a renovated that had the same layout, but I've also heard of some renovated that have hardwood floors throughout. None the less, they're both really nice.
I've never been on the inside of a new house, but I have recently seen pictures. And they're pretty gorgeous. Probably like officer housing on a lot of bases. Looks like hardwood floor throughout.. bedrooms are carpeted. They look super nice on the outside too. I'll ask the girl if it's okay if I post pictures here. :)

I have heard of a lot of girls that have major problems with bugs and such. But the housing people (Balfour Betty) are pretty good about things. They'll pay to have an exterminator come in. And if the problem still exists, they may even just get you a new house. They're also pretty good with maintenance things also. I've heard girls that call them every time they need a lightbulb change, but I think most people just call them for the big things... like when a water heater is broke or something of the sort. If you have a problem anytime, you just have to call them and they'll send someone over. :)

Okay, I think I've covered most of what I know, but if you have any questions, I'd be happy to try and answer them. :) 

Permalink Reply by Bandito's Mom on July 2, 2011 at 1:46pm

Wow, you are quick.  Thank you for being a fountain of information.

 

Permalink Reply by JessicaB-Sailor's Sweetheart<3 on July 12, 2011 at 12:52am

Question, do married Nukes get BAH even if their spouse is not living with them yet? I have have about a 3 month period after I get married where I can't come down immediately. Would we not get BAH because I wouldn't be technically there yet?

Permalink Reply by Bandito's Mom on November 9, 2011 at 11:55pm

Thought I would bring this back to the top and add to it as my son and DIL go thru the process

I was surprised to know that son was informed during BC alot about what was going to occur when he moved to GC. 

A letter was even sent to his wife with a bit of an explanation.  That there would be a class about DITY that son would have to take and then he would head home either the 1st Wed, or the 2nd Wed after arrival to GC.  Letter told DIL to not make set arrangements until after PIR,,,,

How very hard this is, because now that he is coming home, he has to report to base within 10 days, but the time is actually shorter, because he has to be there 3 days earlier to sign his BAH lease which is only done on certain days (not daily)  No leisurely goodbyes, no prepacking in case he was delayed a week, no stopping and seeing the country along the way, especially, no extra nights in New Orleans (LOL). 

But, lots and lots of positives.  They were assigned a 3 bdrm, 2 bath house in the renovated housing.  They can rent a washer and dryer for $1 a day (don't know if that is each or for both), think they may have a refridgerator too.  We can find their house on google maps and see where they will be.  Interesting, no fences, and car ports instead of garages.  The renovated houses are single story, but duplexes.  Wonder why they bothered to have the connecting wall when they look so spacious.

I don't know anything yet about the finances of what they are doing.  But, they hired HelpUMove and the truck arrived today.  DIL is busy packing up some tonight, major loading tomorrow, the company picks it back up the next day and then the next morning son and DIL drive away.

 

Permalink Reply by Bandito's Mom on November 10, 2011 at 11:54am

Before leaving GC Sailor had to give an itinerary of the route and scheduled stops.  Guess they were making sure he stayed within rules.  Sailor did say he got a military discount (50%) on his flight home.  Will try to find out more about that, he flew US Airways

Permalink Reply by Bandito's Mom on November 11, 2011 at 11:40am

Thinking there should be lessons in how to pack boxes. 

Basic rules:

Don't overpack.  Don't make the box too heavy to move

Lots of Medium boxes are easier to work with then less Large boxes

Heavier items on the bottom, lighter items on top

Fill boxes all the way and evenly so that they stack well

Be ready and packed before PIR!!!!! 

Soooo, stressful to try to finish packing as you are loading the truck.

......

Get a handle on how much stuff you really have. 

Estimated 5ft, will be shocked if it fits in 8ft

Vertical packing is a giant jigsaw puzzle,

more on how they did later

Permalink Reply by Bandito's Mom on November 11, 2011 at 9:50pm

Yep, it will work out and I needed a reminder that the best lessons are the ones that are hard earned.  Also, needed a reminder that not everyone moved lots and lots.  Have done lots of moves and hubby has it down to a fine science.  Was a shock to realize that some people have rarely moved and may have no real clue as to how to pack.   I am hoping that not too much gets broken, glad I won't be there for the unpacking.

Also remembering that not everything goes according to plan.  Pod was supposed to be picked up between 3-5, now looking for them to be there by 6:30ish.  Totally messing up dinner plans.

Permalink Reply by Bandito's Mom on November 12, 2011 at 10:43pm

With HelpUMove, you pay by the feet.  But the Navy pays by the weight.  Will be interesting how that works out.  Must tell HelpUMove that you need them to weigh both at beginning and end of trip.  DIL estimated 5 ft and they used about 7 1/2 feet.  But there are spots in the truck to put some separating beams and they are every 2 feet.  So, there is a gap from where their goods are and where the beams are.  Hoping that things don't fall as it is moved.  HelpUMove doesn't have anything on their site about how that works. 

Sailor and DIL plan to keep to the Itinerary that Sailor turned in to the Navy.  When we suggested that they might want a bit of flexibility, he said that he needed to keep to the plan.  Good thing DIL had already made a driving route with hotels that accept pets.