The downside to relying on internet news

[hannamyluv]

I don't watch TV and I read most of my news online. But today, I realized the problem with this. I put my bills in the mailbox at the post office and then overheard the woman a few feet away griping about needing a .02 stamp.

Beause the internet allows me to cherry pick my news, I completly missed that there was a postal rate hike this past weekend. It's probably been all over the TV and newspapers.

Now, I just have to wait for my bills to come back due to insufficiant funds. *sigh*

I really wish I could just pay every bill online but they havn't all caught up with the modern world yet.

[grandpa]

Indeed, trying to stay abreast of the worldly events and news is a lot harder than one would have thought. I frequent a half-dozen news outlets and one of the most perturbing aspects is that they all seem to run the same news. There is no apparent variety. In desperation, I started finding the local events for any area by viewing the major stories, then looking over the links on that page. In the past I totally ignored those local links. Unfortunately, that's not very efficient either. A few of the web outlets are generous enough to let me specify several cities or regions for news coverage, and I like that.

The only real recourse seems to be having subscriptions to several major newspapers. The internet really does have a ways to go before it will ever replace print media.

Maybe on topic - I dunno - but regarding postage, I've been using these .60 cent stamps I have laying around to send first class postage. It's overkill and I've never been offered a refund for excessive postage, but my invoices and checks are getting there. I was in the Post Office back before Christmas and overheard a conversation, which is how I first learned of the coming increase. It seems that the Post Office was out of Christmas stamps, and wasn't ordering anymore because so few people wanted to buy any more than they could absolutely use before the increase. I don't remember even spotting any signage alerting me to the increase, but than again, the lobby was pretty full of people and I had issues about standing in line for 45 minutes... I could have missed something.

[jchampliaud]

I actually read about the postal hike on the Internet :).

[tedster]

I like to click over to the Google News home page once in a while and just scan the headlines. I know my feeds and regular haunts will not keep me in perfect touch with the culture where I live.

I also get a feed from Yahoo Buzz and quick scan the search terms that are gaining and dominating on a daily basis. Many times that has tipped me off to something or other going on that I hadn't heard of.

[Lexur]

First thing I do every morning when I sit down in front of my computer is to click in a direct access to a page with a javascript (a simple slideshow) and wait to see some selected newspaper's homepages.

[Leosghost]

Could always try listening to selection of national and local radios stations at the same time as you are on the net ..:)

[MatthewHSE]

Actually, the USPS has still been delivering mail with .37 stamps. Apparently it's easier to just deliver the mail right after a rate hike than to return it for lack of proper postage. I wouldn't count on that continuing for long, however.

[vincevincevince]

Here in the UK you get two (that I know of) types of stamp - those marked by price and those marked by class.

I always buy books of stamps marked by class, or have envelopes pre-printed with class not price. That way they can still be used whatever the price change is.

[jimbeetle]

marked by class

I believe that's what the USPS folks are doing now. The new first class stamp isn't denominated (there's an industry jargon term for it but I can't come up with it right now).

They finally figured out that in the long run it would save them a bunch of bucks. No need to recall and destroy obsolete stamps, no need to print and distribute 'make-up' postage stamps, no long lines, a win-win all around. Even if folks do hoard a few before a rate increase the postal people figure they'll come out ahead or at least break even.

[rocknbil]

They'll carry you for a couple weeks, I think.

I've learned over the years, some end-of-year-must-do's:

1. Get the stupid tree out of the house no later than the weekend following New Year's. Otherwise the pace picks up and it will be there until Valentine's Day.

2. Place post-it's anywhere it will matter, for example, on the first check in your checkbook, with a big red 2006 on it to train yourself to stop back-dating everything.

3. Gather all your tax stuff BEFORE January first or see consequences in #1.

4. ASSUME a postal hike rate and ask the P.O. as they always hike it the first of the year. The reason this is a MUST DO is that we usually buy 100 or so stamps for the Great Christmas Card Spamming and still have many left at the end of the year. I currently have 50 37 cent stamps, and bought my sheet of 2-cent'ers last week. :D