I don’t have a printer, as I’d prefer to not have paper laying around. I have so much junk paper that I feel the need to keep, but I wish I didn’t have it. I should likely get a scanner and fix this once and for all, but that’s still a burdensome process and OCR isn’t there yet still.

I don’t know why the government allows postal spam, but looks down on email spam.

My thoughts exactly. I pay all my bills online, not because I’m an environmentalist but because it’s easier to manage.

Plus, I’ve had mail get lost and not delivered before, and it scares me to think I’d miss a payment because of that. So I actually think online bill-paying is much more reliable. You get immediate confirmation when you’ve made a payment, which gives you peace of mind.

I also track all my spending on my computer using Microsoft Money, so it makes sense that I’d actually pay for things using my computer as well. The fact that I’m saving trees is just an added bonus!

I still check my snail mailbox religiously, however. A physical birthday card (or even Thanksgiving card – yes, my grandmother actually sent me one of those recently) is definitely better than an e-greeting. Plus, now that I’m doing consulting, my paycheck comes in the mail, too! There’s something gratifying about having that check in hand and cashing/depositing it yourself instead of using direct deposit anyway.

Pamela

E-mail is instant, free, and you can make sure that when you pay the bill, the money is taken out of your account almost instantly, meeting deadlines and preserving your credit. No waiting around for checks to be cashed, just a few clicks and the money is transferred instantly, removing any doubts or worries about payments arriving on time, getting lost in the mail, or overdrawing your account because you forgot to balance your checkbook.

HOWEVER: Although snail mail is archaic, slow, unreliable, and sometimes costly, I value hand-written letters and packages simply because of the extra effort it takes to use regular mail. I write all of my thank-you cards by hand and send them out to show that I took the time to write and send each as a token of gratitude. I know it is easy to argue that e-cards or a nicely phrased e-mail would have accomplished the same thing, but there is something beautifully personal about a person’s handwriting, having to pick out and purchase a designed stamp, and lick the envelope that makes getting a card in the mail a million times better than any e-mail. Living in the UK, I get e-mails from my friends all the time, but I can’t explain how much more surprised and delighted I was to get a simple Halloween card in the mail from my aunt in the States.

So yes, paying bills online is fabulously efficient, but the regular mail shouldn’t be completely pushed aside because it preserves an element of personal connection which has been so often replaced by a single-click of the send button today.

I totally feel that postal mail is spam and rarely read it. In fact I forgot to check my mailbox for a whole two weeks and the post office thought I moved lol It is also a waste of paper.. Spam my email so google and filter it not my mailbox and waste our natural resources. I am definitely a epayments/bill person.

Giannii

That peace of mind knowing my payment is received on time really should be enough of a reason for me to start making e-payments.

I’ll get around to it…