Setting aside all the physical and mental stresses of moving (which is no easy task, because there are more than enough of those), the process is always an expensive one. Even with all the swell and helpful benefits, advances, and reimbursements available to those moving on PCS orders, expenses add up. Many of them outside the scope of what the military covers for those moving and/or changing stations on official orders.
Unseen Costs of a PCS Move
Things like last minute incidentals, new appliances or furniture for your next home, or the endless buckets of coffee you’ll be drinking on your cross-country dive are among the many costs you may incur during/after a move. And, depending on how much stuff you move and how you move it, your PCS allowance may not even cover all of the basic costs.
Whatever the specifics, the fact is that when you move you’ll almost definitely have to pay for some stuff out of pocket. No way around it. But what can you do? After all, it’s not like you can go without a thing like a new bed if you sold your last one before moving. Your only real option is the obvious one: to keep an eye on your spending and try to keep it to the essentials.
But that’s not the only thing you can do to make a PCS move (or any move, frankly) a relatively cost effective affair. And we want to tell you all about it because it’s a pretty fantastic way to cover some costs and save big by earning gift cards for good at retailers and brands from Starbucks to Sephora and more. It’s called Shopkick and it’s one of the handiest and most comprehensive reward apps out there.
Saving Money With Shopkick
A quick rundown of how Shopkick works: after you download the app and set up your account, you begin accumulating points (or “kicks”) towards gift cards for dozens of major brands and even large retailers like Amazon. All you have to do is shop. Seriously, that’s it. Partner a credit or debit card with your Shopkick account that racks up kicks whenever you use it. Scan your receipts. Shop online via one of their dozens of partner brands. All of that adds kicks to your account, building credit towards your next gift card.
All that sounds like a pretty good deal, right? Well Shopkick goes above and beyond and also offers kicks just for watching product videos via the app, scanning barcodes of select products (even if you don’t buy them), or simply walking into select partner stores. So you can build points toward your next gift card without spending a cent. Can’t beat that.
Obviously, all these easy ways to build up kicks towards a stack of handy gift cards is useful at any time. But when you’re making a big move, one of the most complicated and difficult parts of life that members of the military must go through every few years, that extra financial breathing room will be more than welcome. So go on, grab those Starbucks coffees and hit the road. You’ve got some moving/saving/earning/buying to do.