Greetings All, I have been a forum member for quite some time and I am just preparing for our first trip. I have a number of questions but I'll split them up into one question per thread, then the management should be easier...
So I am thinking about what you guys do about Australia Post mail. I will be leaving my address and my locality so what do you do about mail. I was thinking of hiring a Post Office box and then instructing the Post Office to forward any mail to a suitable destination on my route. I'll be happy to hear about what you do...
We are fortunate in that we have a Daughter who is able to receive and action mail on our behalf.
As many bills as possible are on direct debit but those that we wish to peruse before paying are handled using BPay or Net Bank.
Our mail is forwarded to our Daughter and SWMBO, who is in charge of day to day finances including bill paying, goes through all of the bills with her on our regular phone hook ups. One or the other makes the payment as she has access to our working accounts.
Our neighbor has access to our locked post box and handles any that get thru & bins any junk mail. He also does the gardens, mows the grass & has a key and alarm codes to allow access to check power etc after storms or the like. I 'pay' him with a good bottle of red on our return. I must say that the gardens are usually better on return then when we left. He harvests any fruit or veges that ripen in our absence.
Hmmm, if I'd read the Planning tab from the Home page then my question with regard to mail would have been answered . The advice of the tab appears to be suitable for me, but I am still glad to read other people's advice
Hello brianf, when we left we went to our local post office n asked could they send it on from a post box n were told no. So, we send to daughters address n she sends on to nearest post office where we r.
ask a trusted friend or relative if you can use their address as your 'home' address. Leave them with some large stamped envelopes and get them to forward to a post office somewhere. Keeping in mind that mail can take a couple of weeks travelling East to West. We get our son to open the mail and only forward important stuff. We fill in a calendar with all important dates, rego's and insurances etc, so we know when they are due and can follow up - most can be emailed on request.
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Jenny and Barry
2009 Roma Elegance / 2013 Colorado. Permanent travellers 2011-2015 now just travel for 4-6 mths
We are on the road full time. In our case, my sister is "the post mistress". Her address is our address for vehicle registration, driver's licence and insurance etc. She opens all our mail, and advises me by email what/when is due to be paid - I then B-Pay. She holds on to all relevant mail till we have an envelope full, or if there is something important that I need. I have left with her a packet of express post envelopes - postage is quicker that way, even east to west, we usually get our mail within a week. Having said that, these days, I probably only arrange for three posts a year.
There are forwarding services, but you pay dearly for them, and they don't disseminate your mail. I regularly send my sister "The Post mistress" a shopping card to thank her for her services.
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Pay it forward - what goes around comes around
DUNMOWIN is no longer on the road and still DUNMOWIN!
Most of mine come online except for car rego license etc which goes to my daughter. She takes a photo on her phone and sends it to me in a message.
Has the due date, amount etc so I can go into my bank account and make payment.
Daughter holds on to any paperwork till I get back.
Planning our first biggg trip have all mail held at post office for a few months ... bills all direct debit and ALL RECEIPTS sent via email ... saves all the hassles . just work out what bills need to be payed whilst away then pay in advance or like us link to a direct debit account .
