I got an email from a reader yesterday asking about mail, residency, and a permanent address. Each time you apply for a job, a library pass, or a blockbuster card they ask you for your address, and they are not looking for “Target parking lot, second space under the lamp post.” Lucky for us, there are quite a few options and it’s best to start thinking about them before you become mobile. This is going to be a multi part post (because it's a big issue!) so today I'm covering...
Mail:
- First thing, before you give up the sticks and bricks, use the address to sign up for a PO Box. You have some options:
- USPS has a variety of PO Box sizes. I have the smallest one and it costs me about $25 for six month. They offer very large boxes for much more money, but having a small box will not prevent you from receiving package.
- UPS offers mailboxes and mail forwarding PLUS they boast that you can use them as a street address, not just a PO Box.
- Fed Ex also rents PO boxes and offers mail forwarding
- For those of you who will be traveling a lot there are mail forwarding services that specialize in full time RVers. These are a few, but there are so many more!
- Family and Friends are often much less transient than we, and that can be used to your advantage. Ask if you can have mail sent to their home. Periodically they can forward your mail to whatever town you find yourself in and that will save you the expense of renting a PO Box.
- Remember to have them tell the post office that they are forwarding your mail. Very often they will send it along for free. It can also be sent COD so your friend/family won't have to dish out the cash.
- The USPS has been pushing postage rates up for years because fewer things are being sent through the mail. The world has been launched into cyberspace and the best way for you to save some time and money is to embrace it. Banks, credit cards, libraries, schools... just about everyone has the option to go paperless now. By the time you switch everything over to email notification you will be receiving very little physical mail.
~ Things To Remember ~
Say you're going to be in... Phoenix next week and want your mail. You can call the Post office in Phoenix and tell them you're going to be receiving a package. They will hold it for you (for a limited time) so you can pick it up while in town
Stay tuned, tomorrow I'll cover permanent addresses and maybe residency too!
no matter what you'll always have a "home address" here :)
ReplyDeletethis is so neat! One day i might start living like that, i already have the old jetta.
ReplyDeleteGreat info as always Ash !! Thanks !!
ReplyDeleteAsh, another option for receiving mail is General Delivery. There are definite things to know about it, but it's free and every city or town has it. For the relatively stable, who can plan ahead a week or two, that's another option.
ReplyDelete