A reader recently emailed me asking about the cost of moving back to the mainland from Hawaii and about allowance etc. This is my personal experience about how our move hit our pockets big time!

httpv://youtu.be/1iNj281vDeY

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Krystel is the mom of two and an Army Wife. In addition to Army Wife 101 she is the Co-Founder of SoFluential.com a digital media agency that connects brands with the military market. She has appeared on MSNBC ,FOX LA and formerly was a weekly contributor to HLN's "Raising America". She has written for various outlets including Sheknows and Lifetime and is a big fan of cupcakes and french fries.

5 Comments on Ask ArmyWife 101: PCSing FROM Hawaii Back to Mainland is Expensive

  1. My experience PCSing from Hawaii was a bit different then yours. We were not living in base housing so we were getting BAH and were able to pay for the hotel that we stayed in out of the BAH we were receiving. We made a little bit of money on our PCS as the hotel was cheaper then the rent for our house.

  2. Wow. Hmmm, you get that great treatment when going to Hawaii?!! Pffft, it was nothing like that when coming to Germany! Coming to Germany was like you were saying how it is to PCS back to the states! Haha.

  3. We just left Hawaii Dec 1st 2011 A few tips to people leaving and heading back to the mainland. You do NOT have to stay in the on post Lodging as long as the hotel you are staying at is cheaper than the on post hotels rate! ( even if they are not full) We ended up staying at the Hale Koa down town because with their kamaiana prices we paid 158 a night for 2 rooms instead of the 275 a noght for 2 rooms on Schofield! ( yes we got the money back) You are also now allowed to use your government travel cards for PCS moves. You can have it turned on right before you fly and turned off once you are outthe hotel at new duty station. ( this rule came into effect in 2009 just alot are not told about this, and yessssssss we used it to pay for our hotels then just pay the bill off when it comes!) I did not know untill drilling the Fort Bragg hotel about a room with a kitchenette in it that IF you have alot of people there are 2 and 4 bedroom houses on Pope over by the flight line .( which if I remember right is running us 75 a night) We are in a 4 bedroom which sleeps 8 people in beds, has a kitchen in it( full sized one) and has a washer and dryer in it also( with no extra charge). I about fell over at how roomy this place is!( I would almost move in here if they left me! lmao
    Those are some of my tips hope they help everyone ( but over 10 years in the Army I have learned to question these places about everything dig for any information you can and find what will save you $$$)

  4. This is actually REALLY good to know. My husband is looking to go OCS, he has his battalion board at the end of this month, and while he’s gone(if he makes it through battalion and brigade board) I’m not quite sure what I’m going to do, or HOW to go about doing things without him. He normally is the one who deals with everything army-wise, I just get him things that he needs. Like, how long does it take for HHG to ship from Hawaii to the mainland? Also, how about a car if you had one shipped back to the mainland from Hawaii? I have a lot of questions, sorry(I’ve only been married to him for 6 months, and he’s been in for a year and a half so I’m not familiar with the army).

  5. Great advice for anyone moving back CONUS from not just Hawaii but any overseas duty. When we returned from Japan it took us about six to nine months to adjust to not receiving COLA. We had prepared with savings but it was still hard financially. And don’t forget to save for you pets, too! It isn’t free to fly with them and the military doesn’t cover boarding costs or any cost for that matter just the space on the plane.

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