Snowbird mail

[pbedell]

Hello, we are brand new villagers having just bought in Liberty Park. We will be snowbirds/snowflakes. How do others deal with receiving mail while at your main residence and vise versa? Do you forward ALL mail to your primary residence? Put a hold on Villages mail? This is our first time considering spending an extended time away and I would love advice on how veteran snowbirds deal with this issue.

Thanks,

Pat

[dewilson58]

Forward all mail.
Go online to USPS and set your dates.
They will want a credit card to verify it's you.
They charge $1.


Have your end date about 3 days prior to returning North.
It has worked great for us.


Two options: Forward mail for all in the Northern household, or do it by name.

[davem4616]

timing is everything

USPS will hold and will forward mail...timing is your challenge

after living that life for years we finally went as 'green' as possible with all the bills....that makes a huge difference

Good Luck

[Stu from NYC]

As a backup would give mailbox key to neighbor and ask them to forward any mail that is important to you periodically.

[asianthree]

As a backup would give mailbox key to neighbor and ask them to forward any mail that is important to you periodically.

Seriously, it’s a $1.25 to forward mail, until u change date. To send mail in a larger envelope starts at $1.10, plus how does your neighbor know what is important to them is junk mail to you.
OP forward the mail I stop mail forwarding 2 weeks before we arrive

[vintageogauge]

Seriously, it’s a $1.25 to forward mail, until u change date. To send mail in a larger envelope starts at $1.10, plus how does your neighbor know what is important to them is junk mail to you.
OP forward the mail I stop mail forwarding 2 weeks before we arrive

A backup is needed due to the fact that some of the mail slips through. It happened to us just recently after we signed to have our mail forwarded. A simple text with a photo will solve your question regarding junk vs important mail. Better safe than sorry.

[Stu from NYC]

Seriously, it’s a $1.25 to forward mail, until u change date. To send mail in a larger envelope starts at $1.10, plus how does your neighbor know what is important to them is junk mail to you.
OP forward the mail I stop mail forwarding 2 weeks before we arrive

It is the post office they do make mistakes. My suggestion was a backup just in case. Ask your neighbor to call with what comes in.

Reimburse them for cost of sending mail and on your return take them out to a nice dinner to say thanks

[asianthree]

It is the post office they do make mistakes. My suggestion was a backup just in case. Ask your neighbor to call with what comes in.

Reimburse them for cost of sending mail and on your return take them out to a nice dinner to say thanks

With informed mail u know what is coming. Every month my lawn guys letter is not forwarded, i check report mail, and they forward. Have not had a problem since 07 forwarding mail in TV. We pay for a home watch who once a month checks post box, but never any mail or junk mail, in box

[Joe V.]

With informed mail u know what is coming. Every month my lawn guys letter is not forwarded, i check report mail, and they forward. Have not had a problem since 07 forwarding mail in TV. We pay for a home watch who once a month checks post box, but never any mail or junk mail, in box

I have informed mail. It daily sends me images of mail at my Houston address. I sold that house and left Houston 3 years ago and moved here.

I never was able to get the USPS to fix the issue. So now I just look for 'surprise' mail in the PO box here.

[davem4616]

if you are traveling back and forth 8+ times during the year like we were previously for business and elder care support dealing with the USPS and 'snail mail' is a lot more challenging than for folks that relocate for the season and then goes back

best advice is to go as 'green' as you can with as many bills as you can...have the bill automatically charged to a credit card, or if you trust them taken directly out of your bank account

when we were traveling back and forth often I finally gave up on the USPS because of their 'sluggish' service and had everything that was still 'snail mail' sent to a UPS box that I rented. When up north I would call the UPS store, they'd tell me what 1st class mail was in the box and overnight it if I needed it (especially any incoming client checks)

real estate tax bills most likely will be the only bill that you won't be able to go green with...but that one is easy to manage

[SIRE1]

This is the reply I gave to a similar question to mail forwarding. We are snowbirds, in The Villages for 5 months and in Michigan 7 months. Based on our experience, I have some recommendations for mail forwarding.

First, set up either email delivery of many of your bills (e.g. credit cards, cable, utilities) or set up EFT for them. The forwarding process is sometimes very slow and bills may not arrive before the due date.

Second, use the US Post Office web site to enter your forwarding request. Using the web site cost $1 but at least you know it was entered and the dates and forwarding address are correct. We used to send in the post card, which is free, but had some bad experiences when the info was entered into their computer incorrectly. By using the web site at least you will know what is entered into the post office computer system. It always amazes me that it cost me money for saving the post office from doing something they have to pay someone else to do, but that is the process.

Third, set your start and stop dates with enough lead time for mail that will be in the pipeline. We usually set the START forwarding date about 5 days before we leave. That way, any mail that has already been processed will arrive before we leave. And STOP forwarding about 10 days before you plan to leave. That way any mail that has already been processed and directed to the new address will arrive before you leave. It really does take around 10 days or so for forwarded mail to arrive vs. the 2-3 days for mail sent directly to the new address.

Fourth, for mail that you expect to receive on a regular basis (e.g. credit cards, cable TV, utilities, bank statements) , use their company web site and change your address on their Profile page. That way, this mail will be sent directly to your new address and avoid the long forwarding lead time delay. Then, before you return, use the company web site and change your address back. And remember, even though you submit a forwarding request to the post office, in addition to the junk mail that won't be forwarded, they also do NOT forward certain financial related mail. For instance, some of the income tax statements are not forwarded (learned this the hard way when we first became snow birds). So these must either have the address changed on the company web site or you have to print on your computer. Also, new and reissued credit cards are not forwarded, even though they are mailed in a regular looking envelope. So if you are expecting newly issued credit cards or even new books of checks, you must use the web site to change your mailing address.

Also, be aware that the post office will only forward magazines for a month or 2 (can't remember what it is but it is not long). So if you are going to be gone longer than that, make sure you go to the company web site and change your address on their Profile page or contact them by phone. That way, this mail will be sent directly to your new address. Then, before you return, use the company web site or phone again and change your address back.

Finally, Remember, if you change your address on a credit card web site, the new zip code is your address (we have a credit card that always requires me to enter my zip code at the pump when I get gas, and I have to remember which zip code to use).

[Stu from NYC]

With informed mail u know what is coming. Every month my lawn guys letter is not forwarded, i check report mail, and they forward. Have not had a problem since 07 forwarding mail in TV. We pay for a home watch who once a month checks post box, but never any mail or junk mail, in box

We have informed mail also and regularly we get stuff that is not shown. Often they will tell us that mail has not been scanned.

That is why I like to have just in case protection.

[Fredman]

You can have the post office bundle your mail and they will send by priority mail once a week. I believe it costs $17 per week That is what we do and it works out fine

[camaguey48]

Hello, we are brand new villagers having just bought in Liberty Park. We will be snowbirds/snowflakes. How do others deal with receiving mail while at your main residence and vise versa? Do you forward ALL mail to your primary residence? Put a hold on Villages mail? This is our first time considering spending an extended time away and I would love advice on how veteran snowbirds deal with this issue.

Thanks,

Pat
Snowflakes? That's funny

[GaryKoca]

We just fill out the forwarding cards at both places and take them directly to the local post office, here and there. Avoids any charges.

[davem4616]

Snowflakes? That's funny


I chuckled too when I read 'snowflake'

I think the term that she intended was "snow bunny" because she'll be hopping back and forth

:)

[mepoole]

Hello, we are brand new villagers having just bought in Liberty Park. We will be snowbirds/snowflakes. How do others deal with receiving mail while at your main residence and vise versa? Do you forward ALL mail to your primary residence? Put a hold on Villages mail? This is our first time considering spending an extended time away and I would love advice on how veteran snowbirds deal with this issue.

Thanks,

Pat

We simply use USPS temporary change of address, online $1.05 on your credit card, to move our mail back and forth between our two addresses. We usually set the change date 5 mail days prior to the actual date.

[sktb888]

Hello, we are brand new villagers having just bought in Liberty Park. We will be snowbirds/snowflakes. How do others deal with receiving mail while at your main residence and vise versa? Do you forward ALL mail to your primary residence? Put a hold on Villages mail? This is our first time considering spending an extended time away and I would love advice on how veteran snowbirds deal with this issue.

Thanks,

Pat
We forward our mail and also sign up for "USPS Informed Delivery." All this is done online. Here is a link to the informed delivery info. It's great!

Informed Delivery (https://informeddelivery.usps.com/box/pages/intro/start.action?iom=B807-82ID-USRS-PS-USP-GO-XXX-AW-XX-X-INF&utm_source=google&utm_medium=search&utm_content=b807_82id&utm_campaign=informeddelivery2018&gclid=CjwKCAjwnef6BRAgEiwAgv8mQYvY6LJZe9icxG0DCbhj YV9M1CysECVIy-NAz-0Sp5TlEiGc5VHFIxoCL4EQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds)

[merrymini]

The post office is a pain in the neck. You cannot count on them.
Get informed delivery.
Get all your important bills paperless.
Get your neighbor or home watch person forward anything that may look important from either end.
I hear that snowflakes, unlike snow birds come and go and do not spend 6 months in the villages.
That is why mail forwarding is more of a problem than snow birds have with mail being forwarded.

[William S. Cook]

In order to win attorney fees on a denied homeowner claim policy must be mailed to a Florida address.
William S. Cook
Public Adjuster

[Teachbeach]

IThis is the reply I gave to a similar question to mail forwarding. We are snowbirds, in The Villages for 5 months and in Michigan 7 months. Based on our experience, I have some recommendations for mail forwarding.

First, set up either email delivery of many of your bills (e.g. credit cards, cable, utilities) or set up EFT for them. The forwarding process is sometimes very slow and bills may not arrive before the due date.

Second, use the US Post Office web site to enter your forwarding request. Using the web site cost $1 but at least you know it was entered and the dates and forwarding address are correct. We used to send in the post card, which is free, but had some bad experiences when the info was entered into their computer incorrectly. By using the web site at least you will know what is entered into the post office computer system. It always amazes me that it cost me money for saving the post office from doing something they have to pay someone else to do, but that is the process.

Third, set your start and stop dates with enough lead time for mail that will be in the pipeline. We usually set the START forwarding date about 5 days before we leave. That way, any mail that has already been processed will arrive before we leave. And STOP forwarding about 10 days before you plan to leave. That way any mail that has already been processed and directed to the new address will arrive before you leave. It really does take around 10 days or so for forwarded mail to arrive vs. the 2-3 days for mail sent directly to the new address.

Fourth, for mail that you expect to receive on a regular basis (e.g. credit cards, cable TV, utilities, bank statements) , use their company web site and change your address on their Profile page. That way, this mail will be sent directly to your new address and avoid the long forwarding lead time delay. Then, before you return, use the company web site and change your address back. And remember, even though you submit a forwarding request to the post office, in addition to the junk mail that won't be forwarded, they also do NOT forward certain financial related mail. For instance, some of the income tax statements are not forwarded (learned this the hard way when we first became snow birds). So these must either have the address changed on the company web site or you have to print on your computer. Also, new and reissued credit cards are not forwarded, even though they are mailed in a regular looking envelope. So if you are expecting newly issued credit cards or even new books of checks, you must use the web site to change your mailing address.

Also, be aware that the post office will only forward magazines for a month or 2 (can't remember what it is but it is not long). So if you are going to be gone longer than that, make sure you go to the company web site and change your address on their Profile page or contact them by phone. That way, this mail will be sent directly to your new address. Then, before you return, use the company web site or phone again and change your address back.

Finally, Remember, if you change your address on a credit card web site, the new zip code is your address (we have a credit card that always requires me to enter my zip code at the pump when I get gas, and I have to remember which zip code to use).

This is the best advice and what we found after our first year nightmare of forwarding mail. If money is no object and you want everything sent/forwarded have a neighbor collect your mail and once a week have them send it in the priority pay one price box. We are green with bill payments and took the forms for or her payments with us to send when due. Forwarding for us was a nightmare, and we had done the sign up on line well ahead of the dates for both leaving and returning. It doesn't guarantee magazines, we were missing our weekly publications and the monthly magazines were never recovered. We also didn't get new issued credit cards and they were canceled because the were returned to sender. Our plan for the future is to have a neighbor pick up and send everything.

[kendi]

Seriously, it’s a $1.25 to forward mail, until u change date. To send mail in a larger envelope starts at $1.10, plus how does your neighbor know what is important to them is junk mail to you.
OP forward the mail I stop mail forwarding 2 weeks before we arrive

Easy, just sign up for informed delivery and you will receive an email with pictures of all the mail you will be receiving that day. Then you can ask neighbor to pick it up and mail it to you. I know everyday what is coming to my mailbox in both locations.

[kendi]

I have informed mail. It daily sends me images of mail at my Houston address. I sold that house and left Houston 3 years ago and moved here.

I never was able to get the USPS to fix the issue. So now I just look for 'surprise' mail in the PO box here.

I have informed delivery for 2 locations. Can’t remember though what exactly I had to do before they accepted both. Seems there was something they or I had to do to verify my second address

[charlieo1126@gmail.com]

Every single bill I have is taken by draft from my credit union including credit cards ( you have to let them take full amount or minimum amount to use this benefit) the cable , WiFi cellphone and any charities are billed to backup credit card and then drafted from credit union , your bank will also do it. I’ve been using this process for 20 in 5 homes never a problem, I write 2 checks a year one for home insurance , the other to IRS

[Upholdn@gmail.comta]

We have it bundled and sent once a week. It starts the week after we get there and stops the week before we leave. Tried any number of ways and can tell ugly stories like getting turned in to collection agency because all bills cannot be forwarded. This costs but is worth every penny.

[Rlheinz19@yahoo.com]

We pay all bills possible online. You don't have to do autopay if you can remember due dates. Also most bills will send reminder notices. Also have informed delivery but we get very little mail other than ads.

[pbedell]

OP here. re: Snowflakes - Oops.

[dustyaljac]

USPS.gov you can make temporary address changes and mail forwarding at their online site. There is a $1.25 chare or at least it was that. You will be asked who or family to foreward and start and end dates. Temporary holds can be accomplished via yellow postal cards at your Postal Box station. Be very careful on line tho. as there are knock off sites that will scam you by looking like the USPS and charge a hugh fee. We typically schedule 4 or 5 days to start before we leave, then check our box daily to see that forwarding has actually started. Since we take only 2 days travel to our alternate home any forward will hold in our mail box OR you can call your home Post Office to hold your Mail. Any magazines you get should use their address change service. USPS generally will not foreward those or any advertisement stuff. We Change Credit Card billin with the Cc Card Company. just to avoid late fees and our tracking address security. Any forwarded via USPS can take up to 10 days. Obviously if that creates a concern for you, do independent changes by each service. Reverse proceSS when returning. Lots of words here, but it is pretty simple process. It doesn't hurt to get personal with your friend your mail person.

[Stu from NYC]

I have informed delivery for 2 locations. Can’t remember though what exactly I had to do before they accepted both. Seems there was something they or I had to do to verify my second address

Informed delivery is good but most days we do get mail that was never scanned and so is a surprise.

[eweissenbach]

Seriously, it’s a $1.25 to forward mail, until u change date. To send mail in a larger envelope starts at $1.10, plus how does your neighbor know what is important to them is junk mail to you.
OP forward the mail I stop mail forwarding 2 weeks before we arrive

I get a picture of all my mail every day. You can set this up at Usps.com or at your local post office. I have my son pick up my mail and they send me anything I want once a week or so. Always had problems with forwarding and unforwarding for several years prior.

[Marshaw]

Forward/back and forth about 10 day delay for first batch to rrceive

[Alaska Butch]

The post office service informed delivery sends an email daily with pictures of each piece of mail.

[mneumann02]

Forward all mail.
Go online to USPS and set your dates.
They will want a credit card to verify it's you.
They charge $1.


Have your end date about 3 days prior to returning North.
It has worked great for us.


Two options: Forward mail for all in the Northern household, or do it by name.

Agree. We also tape a note inside our TV mailbox the day before we leave saying to forward all the mail. I create a triangle so it sits up and tape it to the bottom of the mailbox. (As a former mailman when I went to college, my title "Temporary Indefinite Substitute Carrier", I can tell you it does not hurt to have a backup, especially when a sub mailman is there for a day or week.