Snail mail while housesitting
June 17, 2010 6:29 PM Subscribe
What should I do about my mail while housesitting in between permanent residences?
Lease for current place is up at the end of this month. Moving into a house for a couple I am housesitting for during the month of July. Moving into my own place in August. What do I do about my mail? I rarely get important letters but I do like to shop on Amazon and it will be textbook-buying season.
Do I get a PO box for that month and forward my mail there? And then have it forwarded to my new address once I move in August? Do I just have it held for that month and pick it up at the beginning of August when I begin getting it forwarded to my new address? Bonus: mail is already being forwarded from my previous address in this city. I'm a grad student and it looks like moving each summer has been unavoidable. Any experience or advice?
Lease for current place is up at the end of this month. Moving into a house for a couple I am housesitting for during the month of July. Moving into my own place in August. What do I do about my mail? I rarely get important letters but I do like to shop on Amazon and it will be textbook-buying season.
Do I get a PO box for that month and forward my mail there? And then have it forwarded to my new address once I move in August? Do I just have it held for that month and pick it up at the beginning of August when I begin getting it forwarded to my new address? Bonus: mail is already being forwarded from my previous address in this city. I'm a grad student and it looks like moving each summer has been unavoidable. Any experience or advice?
Regarding having mail held: I recently found out (the hard way) that unlike mail forwarding, a "vacation hold" placed via the post office affects all residents in a house or apartment, not just the addressee who filled it out, so be careful with that if you have roommates.
If you're shopping on Amazon, you'll know roughly when each package will come, so can't you just have those sent to the place you're housesitting? A lot of Amazon stuff gets sent by some carrier other than USPS, and PO boxes can only accept USPS mail. Private places (like Mail Boxes Etc.) will accept UPS or Fedex stuff, but you cannot fill out a mail forwarding order to have the USPS forward mail from one of those private PO box addresses.
posted by needs more cowbell at 6:38 PM on June 17, 2010
If you're shopping on Amazon, you'll know roughly when each package will come, so can't you just have those sent to the place you're housesitting? A lot of Amazon stuff gets sent by some carrier other than USPS, and PO boxes can only accept USPS mail. Private places (like Mail Boxes Etc.) will accept UPS or Fedex stuff, but you cannot fill out a mail forwarding order to have the USPS forward mail from one of those private PO box addresses.
posted by needs more cowbell at 6:38 PM on June 17, 2010
Have it sent General Delivery to your local Post Office.
posted by Confess, Fletch at 6:58 PM on June 17, 2010
posted by Confess, Fletch at 6:58 PM on June 17, 2010
Response by poster: Oh gosh I feel so silly--obviously the correct solution is to have mail held and anything important sent to the house where I'll be staying, since of course I am in control of where I'll have packages sent, etc. Goodness. Sometimes all it takes is spelling out my thoughts and having a couple people chime in. Thanks y'all!
posted by LokiBear at 7:03 PM on June 17, 2010
posted by LokiBear at 7:03 PM on June 17, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by philip-random at 6:36 PM on June 17, 2010