Please Mr. Postman

Happy Wednesday! ...otherwise known as "Hump Day." It's still not Spring yet but the sun is shining in my neck of the woods. We're expecting highs in the upper 50s today. It definitely feels like Spring is on its way. Spring is such a great revitalizer. Just the idea of it puts you in a better mood after dealing with a cold, harsh winter. It brings about new life and beautiful weather. The weather is perfect for kite flying, picnics, and other outdoor activities. It's even great for walks.

I bet Letter Carriers from the United States Postal Service (USPS) enjoy the Spring because they no longer have to worry about sleet or snow when delivering the mail everyday. After all, the USPS's infamous (unofficial) creed is "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." By now, you're probably wondering: Where is this going? Well, I'll tell you. I've been snubbed by the USPS! Overlooked! Given the cold-shoulder! Slighted!

My situation really isn't that serious but I tend to get a little dramatic sometimes. Danielle and I have been living in our high rise since June. When moving in, we covered all the bases of moving: security deposits, renter's insurance, rent, transferring our driver's licenses and voter registrations, and we completed a change of address form with the USPS. Danielle did her's via mail and I did mine online. To do it via mail, you simply fill out a change of address form/card, which you can pick up at any Post Office, and drop it in any USPS Mail Box. To complete a change of address online, you need to go to https://moversguide.usps.com/icoa/icoa-main-flow.do?execution=e1s1 and follow the simple directions.

The advantage of doing it online is the speedy processing of your request. However, the slight disadvantage of doing it online is the $1.00 fee you are charged. To verify the legitimacy of your change of address and to avoid fraud, the USPS requires people who are changing their address online to input their credit or debit card information. The credit/debit card is then charged $1.00. Thus, if a random $1.00 fee from the USPS ever shows up on your credit card or bank statement, A.) someone submitted a change of address for you B.) your identity has been stolen (you might want to take care of that ASAP).

After having been through the "Change of Address" process, I figured it would be a piece of cake when I had to do it again at the beginning of February. Danielle and I moved into a new (bigger) apartment in our building and we took on a boarder (a.k.a. my brother, Wayne). I submitted both my change of address and Danielle's change of address online. I was able to do Danielle's online because we have a joint bank account so using my debit card didn't throw up any red flags for the USPS. I submitted the changes of address four days before we were scheduled to move into our new apartment and indicated the date on which I would like my mail to begin being forwarded to my new address. I immediately received an e-mail confirmation that the USPS had received my change of address form. About three days later, (one day before my scheduled move in date), I received a packet from the USPS, at my old address, confirming my change of address.

For about two weeks, I realized I wasn't receiving any mail. I don't know why it took me so long to realize that but that's how long it took so that's that. Thus, I went to the front desk in the lobby of my high rise and asked if I could have the key to my old mailbox. After explaining my situation to the front desk worker, she gave me the key only because no one has moved into my old apartment yet. When I checked my old mailbox, there was two weeks worth of mail inside. Because it was a Saturday (this past Saturday to be exact), I did not call the Post Office or USPS Customer Service right away, although I should have.

On Monday, I went through the same process and discovered that there was mail for me in my old mailbox.Then yesterday, I had the same issue yet again. Finally, I called USPS Customer Service yesterday. They apologized for the issue and promised to resolve it. However, I have to wait two to three business days before they get back to me with a resolution to my problem. Needless to say, I was super annoyed. My frustration lead me to call my local Post Office. When I called my local Post Office, I immediately explained my issue and they put me on hold for about two minutes.

The woman who had put me on hold came back to the phone and apologized for the inconvenience. She told me that she had not seen my usual Letter Carrier this week and is under the assumption that he is not in this week. I'm not sure how that affects the past two weeks that my mail hasn't be forwarded but I let her continue what she was saying. She explained that whoever is his back up must not have realized there was an address change. Thus, she put a note on my "account" (whatever that is supposed to mean; I didn't realize that I had an account with the Postal Service) and the Back up Carrier will begin forwarding my mail today. Hopefully, there will be no issues with my mail today. However, I am going to ask the front desk for the key to my old mailbox again just to make sure.

I thought I was being proactive by filling out my change of address form four days before moving but it turns out there was more that I could have done to avoid the situation. This is what else I could've done and what you could do to avoid a situation like mine:

1. Be MORE Proactive
• It turns out that it can take 7-10 business days for the USPS to actually process your change of address request. I confirmation I received was a confirmation that they had received my request. I waited four days before moving to submit a change of address form. In the future, I will submit a change of address form at least 10 business days prior to my scheduled move in date.
2. Update All of your Account Information
• No, I am not talking about this mysterious "account" you may have with the USPS. I am referring to any credit card accounts, bank accounts, magazine subscriptions, cell phone services, Netflix subscriptions, student loan accounts, etc. that you may have. I remembered to update a few accounts but forgot to update some others. So I was receiving mail to my new address from the accounts that I had updated but, for the accounts I hadn't updated, that mail was going to my old address.
3. Report Any and All Problems as they Arise
• It took me about two weeks to realize my mail wasn't being forwarded. Then, it took my three days to report it. Don't do what I did. If there is a problem, address it immediately. You could lose important mail if you wait to confront the problem. Luckily, I was able to retrieve the mail I had lost but not everyone will be as lucky.

With these tips, you can avoid being overlooked by your Letter Carrier and the United Stated Postal Service. This may not solve all of your mail or postal-related woes but at least you'll know where to start when confronting or trying to resolve your issue(s) with the USPS. As Vernon Sanders Law once said, and my little brother @shaneburgo tweeted this morning, "Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first and the lesson afterwards."

Until next time, show some appreciation for your Letter Carrier and have a Happy Humpday!

Sincerely,

J.A.B.

The First of the Month

Today is Tuesday, March 1, 2011. For some, it's just another Tuesday. For me the only thing exciting about Tuesday is "Glee" and "Raising Hope" on Fox. Well, "American Idol" is on tonight instead of "Glee" so I guess we can forget about that being the reason Tuesday is special. [Sidenote: I will admit, however, I really like this season of American Idol.] Some might even recall that on this day in 1781, the Continental Congress adopted the faulty Articles of Confederation as the official law of the land for the United States of America. Yeah...that's not special either. After all, we saw how long that lasted.

Sure it may be the 208th Anniversary of Ohio's statehood, the 144th Anniversary of Nebraska's statehood, K-Mart's 49th Anniversary, Mark-Paul Gosselaar's (Zack Morris from Saved by the Bell) 37th Birthday, and Justin Bieber's 17th Birthday, but today is special for another reason. Today...is the first of the month.

The first of the month means a lot of things to a lot of different people. As a kid, it meant that we were getting our monthly Welfare check. Yes, I will admit, I was a Welfare recipient for a large part of my childhood and adolescence. On the first of the month, we got a new wad of food stamps to spend on food (obviously) and a cash stipend for miscellaneous expenses. I can remember my parents giving one of us (my brothers and me) an interestingly colored "dollar bill" to go to the corner store (that we lived above...literally) to buy candy and junk food.

We loved the Strawberry Shortcake Rolls (we called them Jelly Rolls) and Swiss Rolls. We also used to stock up on Air Heads, Lemon Heads, Jaw Breakers, Fire Balls, and the bubble gum with the tattoos in the wrapper. I remember one kid who lived in the projects across the street from our apartment put his tattoo on his..."place where the sun don't shine" and his mother gave him a beating after she caught him flashing the kids outside. Yeah...that was awkward...

Now, it is 2011. The Welfare system has moved to EBT cards and has stopped distributing Government Cheese (Google it). As for me, out of college and on my own, I have more important things to worry about: BILLS. I'm not sure where the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area is ranked in terms of cost of living (because I don't understand any of the charts I looked up on Google just now) but I'm pretty sure we have a pretty high cost of living. Sure, there are a ton of jobs, several tourist attractions, and nice neighborhoods to live in here in the DC Area but the prices add up.

On the first of the month, our rent is due. Our apartment building provides an easy way to pay our rent via an online portal, which is convenient. I live in a high rise so we have to pay for parking also. Trust me, it is super convenient to have access to a parking garage when living in a city. You don't want to risk getting your car towed or stolen or broken into.

The worst things that the first of the month brings to my household are STUDENT LOAN BILLS! Between Danielle's student loan bills and my student loan bills, we pay quite a hefty sum every month. We have three student loan bills due on the first of the month. Then we have a few due on the fifth and sixth of the month, and two more in the middle of the month. We tried consolidation but that failed thanks to our nonhelpful loan companies.

Oh well, I guess they still need to be paid off anyway. So far, our student loan bills haven't broken the bank for us, which is a great position to be in compared to some of the positions that other people our age are in. I just wish I didn't have to spend my money on paying back student loans. I'd rather be jetsetting across the globe and fulfilling my goal of visiting all 50 States and all 7 continents before I die. However, the "real world" doesn't work that way for most people, me being one of them.

Here are some things I have learned in regard to keeping up with my bills and expenses:

1. Do NOT spend money you don't have!
• Credit cards and other lines of credit may seem like a dream come true when you really want that little something extra that you really don't need but would be really cool to have; but don't let temptation get the best of you. You'll be setting yourself up for a trap that will take you years to get out of. I'm only 22 and I am already experiencing the perils of credit card debt (thanks college). It's not fun. 
2. Everything in Moderation
• Stick to the essentials. There is no need to go beyond the bare necessities. Cable sounds fun but when you get the bill in the mail, you'll be second guessing your choice of a fancy cable package. You might really enjoy Skippy peanut butter but you better get used to the Walmart brand to help save yourself some money.
3. Stagger your Bills
• You definitely do NOT want all of your bills to be due on the same day. That is 100% unrealistic and impossible to take on. Set up payment arrangements with whomever you owe money to. Have some bills due during the first half of the month and others due during the second half of the month. It helps you to stretch out your paychecks to make them last a little longer and possibly give you some extra pocket change.
4. Budget
• You absolutely need to keep a budget! You need to monitor that budget closely and often. Sure, life will throw unexpected expenses your way from time to time (i.e. medical expenses, car repairs) but if you have a budget, you'll know how much money you have to work with. Make a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and list out your expected expenses line by line. In addition to your expected expenses, give yourself a miscellaneous expenses line to cover any abrupt and unexpected costs.

With these tips, you can avoid stress and the horror of uncertainty. You might still be living paycheck to paycheck but you'll at least have a little peace of mind to help you sleep better at night. I have only been living on my own since June 2010 but it did not take long to learn the tips that I have just given you. Everyone's experience will be different but sharing these lessons I have learned will help people in many different circumstances. 

I'm glad I traded in my food stamps for real money. Happy March!

Sincerely,

J.A.B.