Best-Kept Secret of the Post Office

I'm no expert on the postal service.  However, I do know that we have Benjamin Franklin to thank for coming up with the idea of a mail delivery service.  And I once interviewed the Post Master General about the Christmas rush.  And you now know that I am friends with the nicest Post Master you'll ever meet!  But as far as mailing stuff, I put my letters in the mailbox just like everybody else...one letter at a time.

But I do have some inside information to share with you about the postal system that you probably don't know.  If you live in a "rural delivery" area you might be able to take advantage of PS Form 3227-R (shown above), which allows you to buy stamps directly from your postal carrier.    

Don't know if you are on an "RD" route?  Well, if your mail is delivered by a carrier wearing street clothes who also drives his own car (and not an official PO vehicle)...then you're most likely part of a "rural delivery" route.  As a result, the post office offers this orange envelope as your consolation prize.  I had no idea about this until my neighbor brought it to my attention, but apparently these envelopes have magical powers.

All you do is put your money in it, note which stamps you need, and put it in your mailbox.  When you return to check your mail, you will find the appropriate number of stamps that you ordered inside....anything from 1 cent stamps to large books of stamps.  I hear your RD mail carrier will even totally weigh and mail your packages for you too.  They have to...it's part of the RD deal!  Sweet huh?  But like I said, it's all very hush-hush, so go to your PO and ask for this special envelope or ask your carrier about it...and you can save yourself a lot of time--and money, since if you order stamps online, you have to pay shipping!

Hopefully, by now, you're getting your mailing supplies semi-organized at home.  I've got a little mailing station that I set up in my kitchen just for this Service Boot Camp.  I'll show you sometime later this week.

But I sure could use something like this to use as my "out box".  I usually just send Guy out to put my letters in the mailbox immediately.  Poor little dear.  He just loves to run all the way down the driveway-through the ice and snow-to the mailbox.  Otherwise, if it sits on my counter, it gets all mixed up with the bills I'm trying to ignore, and I forget to mail it!

Thankfully, Moore Magnets has this nifty solution.  It is a magnetic mail organizer and it can go anywhere that a magnet can...on your fridge or on a door, to hold important bills or letters that you've written for Service Boot Camp that need to mail OUT asap!

April at Moore Magnets is giving away the magnetic letter holder shown here to one lucky reader.  To enter do any of the following:

1.  Make my Monday by leaving a COMMENT on this post.

2.  Mail a letter today.

3.  Check out Moore Magnets  for their organizational products.

4.  Like this post of FB.

Bonus entry:  Remember to read your five pages today.  You should try to read through Jacob 2 today!


Please leave a separate comment for each entry.  I will announce the winner on Wednesday.