Traditional PCS season may be coming to an end but by now, military families are up to their necks with papers, receipts, damaged items and PCS stickers. This year, two military spouses, Moni Jefferson and Maria Reed, set out to change the way we PCS with a little help from technology. They’ve developed the My Ultimate PCS App to simplify and declutter the way we move—and if there’s any one thing we can guarantee in this military life is we will move.
Say GOODBYE to bulky PCS binders and HELLO to handheld simplicity!
This one of a kind app (currently available on IOS) was developed by two military wives who happened to have the same idea at the same time. Both Jefferson and Reed are powerhouses in the military spouse community. Moni Jefferson is the CEO of Moni Jefferson PR, founder of Military Life Apps and creator of the ever growing Milspouse Creative Facebook group. Maria Reed is the creator and producer of the hit online series, Moving with the Military. The show follows Reed and her husband as they tackle DIY home makeovers and crafts to make temporary housing feel like home.
Both entrepreneurs say that My Ultimate PCS was born out of their shared passions for military families and a strong need in the community for a new, and simpler, way to PCS.
“Moving is stressful. Yet, military families do it every three years. Putting it all in one place will help military families transition better,” Jefferson explained.
Q&A with the creators
Military Families Magazine recently had the chance to sit down with both Jefferson and Reed to discuss the spark that led to the creation of the My Ultimate PCS App, the story of their first PCS and their favorite App features.
The duo originally connected about two years ago which led to Reed being interviewed on Jefferson’s Milspouse Creative platform. Still, they never officially met until last year’s Military Influencer Conference. It turns out, these two would be a match in military community heaven when a few months later they began conversing about developing a new resource for military families.
Q: Was there a pivotal moment that led you two to create the idea for this App?
“I knew that Moni had developed other apps so I reached out to Moni to share my idea about a PCS app and surprisingly Moni had the same idea. So, we decided that two heads are better than one and collaborated on the app. My Ultimate PCS is about collaboration and community so it was a perfect fit,” Reed said.
Q: Briefly tell us about your first PCS. Is the My Ultimate PCS App something you would have wanted to survive your PCS?
Moni Jefferson: “Oh my gosh yes! I wish I had something like this to keep me on track, guide me and help me feel confident in the new journey I was going on. Maybe, I could have actually enjoyed the process instead of trying to figure out what to do.”
Maria Reed: “My first PCS move, I was like a deer in the headlights. I had no prior connection with anything military and I was kind of in shock. I didn’t know what any of the acronyms were, all the different documents we needed, and my husband sounded like he was speaking and a foreign language. I would have loved to have had this app on our first PCS move. It would have helped get me organized and ease my anxiety.”
So, what exactly does the App do?
The App is amazingly convenient with everything from inventory picture files to checklists and a helpful note session. While Jefferson is in love with the calendar integrated checklist, particularly for busy moms and business owners, Reed says she can’t choose just one favorite. She obsesses over the HHG inventory section, which offers cloud back up. This is particularly important to her after losing her phone during a previous PCS resulting in the loss of all inventory pictures as well. She says that the resource section is super helpful.
“All the research is done for the military spouse to make life easier. This section is growing and evolving and I love that,” Reed added.
App features –
- PCS checklist integrated with calendar reminders/events
- Photo inventory integrated with digital folders for organization
- Lists of links to outside resources
- PCS countdown feature
- Notes
- Various Checklists
- Profile feature
My Ultimate PCS is expected to launch its Android version in the coming months. Jefferon and Reed are also looking forward to expansion and creating a military spouse portal to connect users to resources in the community, like publications and events.
The pair are on a mission to “simplify military family lifestyles because it’s such a unique journey.”
The App is available for download at: My Ultimate PCS on the App Store.
