Tag Archives: mail

Confirmed! Postal Price Increase

You might have read the earlier post about my thought that the postal rate was going to be increased. Well I can now say that this information is confirmed. The postal service released an announcement late yesterday that stated that there will in fact be an increase in first class stamps and other postage starting in May, on May 11th to be exact. This does give you time to stock up on the forever stamp to save money. The Forever stamps can be used as first class postage at any time, even for future increases. Right now, you’ll pay the … Continue reading →

Postal Increase: Stock Up on Stamps

Sending snail mail is one of the most frugal things you can do, because you really get a lot of service for a little stamp. Imagine, you can send a letter anywhere within the United States for only 41 cents. You can’t even buy a candy bar for that amount without some serious couponing. And, it doesn’t take that much more to send a letter overseas. But, as you may or may not know, the postage rates are going up here in America, starting on May 12th. The first class stamp will rise from 41 cents to 42 cents. Media … Continue reading →

Some Odds and Ends

Yep, another installment of odds and ends. I hope you find them useful. Return Address Labels You can find return address labels in tons of cute styles and different colors. They are handy to use when sending off mail, but do keep something in mind. The ones with the cute little faces that show a mom, dad, teen, child, infant, and even a pet, complete with each family member’s name might look adorable. Yet, do you really want everyone to know how many children you have, their approximate ages, and their names, complete with address? Just something to think about. … Continue reading →

Organizing Your Front Entry

Having an organized front entry really says a lot about your home. It is the first thing your guests and neighbors see, and it really sets the tone for the rest of your home. Does it welcome everyone home or frustrate them as soon as they get in to the door. Everyone has a front entryway, even if your home doesn’t have a formal one. This is the place where you enter your home and drop mail, book bags, coats, keys and whatever else you happen to have when you enter. Our old home entered directly into our living room, … Continue reading →

Christmas Gift Shipping Tips

Want to increase the odds that your card or gift will get there by Christmas Eve? Check out these tips from the United States Post Office. The Post office says that 85 percent of all of the hand addressed cards get read by a card reader. This is the fastest way possible, with 36,000 pieces of mail sorted in one hour. If the machine can’t read the handwriting on an envelope, a digital image is taken of the piece and sent to one of eight data centers. There, a human tries to read the address and type it in to … Continue reading →

Sending Articles as a Way of Touching Base

Do you ever feel like your “reaching out” to prospects and customers (or colleagues, vendors, etc.) is getting boring? Or maybe you have a hard time figuring out when or how to touch base with people without seeming pushy or dorky? One easy way to make a “non asking” connection is to consider sending articles that you think will be of interest to individuals you are trying to cultivate. With the advent of the internet, it has become so easy to include a link or paste a page and send along an article to someone in your contact circle. This … Continue reading →

Unsealing An Envelope And Other Frugal Mail Tricks

Have you ever sealed up an envelope only to realize that you forgot something, such as signing a check or including a rebate form? Normally you would have to open it up, and throw the used envelope away, right? Well here is a handy trick that you can use to save that envelope. Just put it into the freezer for a few hours. Take it out and then run a knife under the flap. It should pop open very easily. The glue will still be good, so you can seal it right back up again. This will also work with … Continue reading →

Tips when Visiting Your Summer Home or Taking Extended Vacations

When traveling for extended periods of time or going away to a seasonal home, such as your summer home, for a few weeks or even a few months, you may wonder what to do about special concerns such as mail, other deliveries, maintenance, and security. When it comes to mail, you can simply put a stop on your mail delivery and rent a box to store your mail if you have someone available to check it for you from time to time. If you don’t have assistance from someone at home, you can rent a mailbox from a service such … Continue reading →

The Forever Stamp Goes on Sale Today

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A new “forever” stamp goes on sale today, April 12, 2007, emblazoned with the Liberty Bell. The idea behind the stamp is that many people are sick of postage rate hikes (okay, make that everybody) and the consequential 2 cent stamps that you have to buy, in order to use up your now outdated postage stamps. I have to admit: I was given a large roll of 37 cent stamps several years ago, and I am still working my way through those. The postage rate is now 39 cents, and will be going up to 41 cents come May 14th. … Continue reading →

Blockbuster vs. Netflix

Ever since Jaime Egan posted her blog about renting DVDs online, I’ve been curious to give it a try. I didn’t do it right away because we were in the midst of selling the home we were living in and I didn’t want the hassle of changing addresses and what have you, so I put it off and frankly forgot about it. But about two weeks ago, within days of each other, I received flyers in the mail from both Blockbuster and Netflix. “Ah!” I said to myself, in the same tone of voice one would use to say, “Eureka!,” … Continue reading →