A remnant of the non-digital age
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I post a picture and just a few words.
When we moved here ten years ago, I ordered a pack of return address labels, because, well, ten years ago, you used that sort of thing. If you have lots of mail to send, labels are a handy time-saver.
But now almost all of my letters and bill payments get sent online, which means this roll of return address labels is probably going to last me right around forever and a day.
Do you still have return address labels?
Charities seem to send them to us regularly, although I think the frequency has diminished over the years. I keep a small stash that I use for the odd thing I mail.
Same here. I moved to a new house a year ago and it was only a short matter of time and a charity sent me labels. I can't remember ever ordering any (at any of my past few houses)!
One further thought....I also love the free note cards and memo pads from charities! I put these to good use. We still send cards to Great Aunts/Uncles and my husband's 90-year old Nana. And the occasional thank you note. Definitely not as much mail as we used to as most people/bills are online, but these definitely come in handy once in awhile.
I used mine (mostly free from charities) pretty often. I write letters back and forth to a couple friends. I'm actually running out and need more free charity labels!
I just threw mine away. I used to use them when I would go to shows to enter contests.
I use them for other things, too. I put one on the bottom of a dish I'm taking somewhere sometimes, or inside a book I'm lending,
We had so many of these labels we made a pinata with them -- stuck them on the outside of a balloon. (So the candy wouldn't stick to the tape, we did the first layer with the tape sticking up, and then a few more layers with the tape sticking down). This pinata was so sturdy, that it wouldn't break open! We ended up playing soccer with it, which was both very hard (the candy was heavy and the "ball" didn't roll easily) but also incredibly fun.
Whoa. You must have had a CRAZY number of labels!
We have a bunch of free ones that have been sent to us. We use quite a few of them when we send out our photo Christmas cards, but don't use many through the rest of the year.
One of my New Year's Resolutions (for the past TWO years!) has been to send birthday cards. I use the free ones I get from charities 🙂
I still have address labels, and continue to get them in the mail from various places. I keep a handful in my wallet - when I go to different shows and events that have drawings, I don't have to stand there & fill out their cards, I just slap an address label on & add my phone number. I also put them inside my books (to keep them MINE).
I used to buy return address labels years ago. I don't anymore and use the charity labels instead. My husband threw them out the last time we purged the Bombay chest, so we're out. I only mail two bills per month, so not a big deal.
Susan
I love sending letters still. it's always nice to get a letter in the mail without being a bill or just junk. I was thinking of buying a roll of 100 when my husband and I moved into our new home five years ago, but i decided to just buy some avery labels and make my own as i need them so that i can add my touch depending on the occasion. I do have the ones that came from Charity, but feel guilty using them if i didn't give a donation. oh, my conscience gets to me too many times. 🙂
I do send snail mail letters to my grandpa, since he doesn't have internet at all. But that's about the only time I use my labels! Well, that, and paying my water bill because they charge a fee to pay online.
I use them a lot - to label things for my son when he goes to camp, school supplies, calculators, books we lend, music we lend, luggage, garden tools used for volunteer projects, camping chairs, coolers, containers used for potlucks ... I order them with only our last name so they can be used by everyone in the family. Stuff does actually make its way back to us!
Oh, that's a good idea. Why did I not think of that? Nuts. And it's gonna take me so long to use these up, I won't get a chance to try your last name only method for eons.
I have pen pals and friends in the military I write to, so yes! I use the free ones from charities, but I do also buy them once or twice a year because I run out. They save me enough time that I think it's a worthwhile expense.
Yep, I still use return address labels. Some of my bills do not have online payment options, and other do have online payment options which cost an extra $5 each time to use. In the case of the latter, it's definitely more frugal to use snail mail.
Yes, I order them regularly. I love using the pretty personalized ones on written mail. I order them from shutterfly. I still send thank you cards, birthday and Christmas cards, as well as written invitations. I just love it. 🙂
Btw I'm only 34, so maybe I don't fit well in my generation in this way... :-/
Sarah, I'm 35 and a confessed paper dork. I love stationary and sending cards. And I make my own return address labels with Avery.
Yes! We have lived in 5 houses in our 6 years of marriage (we hope to stay put now!) and my in-laws have made return address labels for us at almost every house. It was a gift I always appreciated.
We just moved into our house about a year ago, so we don't have address labels, but we do have an address stamp that my mother-in-law gave us when we moved in. I try to send birthday cards regularly (hint: Trader Joe's has great ones for $0.99) and we also send Christmas cards. I also try to send cards to friends every once in a while. But I'm glad I have the stamp because I don't feel the pressure to use it up like I would labels.
I have many sheets of address stickers from charities. I use them occasionally, when I send cards or an odd bill, and also on raffle tickets. If I ever purchased any it was decades ago.
My niece recently graduated from high school and her thank you note envelope had an address sticker with the name of her college on it. It suspect it was brilliant marketing by the school she will attend.
We also have freebies from charities. I use them on Christmas cards and birthday cards. I find it's fun for my kids to send out greeting cards and use the address labels--I know that the digital age has reduced the use of snail mail, but I still want my kids to understand how to send things via the postal service.
I have a return address stamp that I use regularly... it is also a huge help when for Christmas cards/baby announcements/shower invitations... There are lots of cute options now and they make great housewarming gifts!
Yes, I have them and use them often. For letters, of course, but also labeling things. I also use them to fill out forms that need addresses on them, if its convenient. They are easier to read than my chicken scratch!
I can make my own labels, but I do use the ones we receive in the mail. Sometime before Christmas, we receive holiday-themed labels from our insurance agent/company. I thought that was clever marketing, too!
When I was still teaching (elementary grades) I ordered labels with my name and the school address. I put these labels on the FRONT COVER of every paperback book in my classroom. Every single Fall when school started, there would be a few of my books waiting for me. The parents would find them while cleaning out rooms over the summer and drop them off at the school. 🙂 I also have a label with my home address on the outside of my container of coupons. Once I didn't realize I had left it behind until I received a call from the local drugstore. 🙂
And finally, my Mother had accumulated a huge amount of address labels from charities. I told her that she couldn't die until she used them all! Sadly, that was not the case.
I remember my mom used to get a ton from whatever charity she gave to at the time and i would stick them on everything including the furniture, ha!
Yes, we do have return address labels, but I only use them on bills. We have a ton!!!! Probably upwards of 250, and I might use 2-3 a month.
I send birthday cards, Christmas Cards, thank you notes, etc. but I always handwritten addresses because I feel it is much more personal. I even hand addressed 150 wedding invites myself. I'm very old fashioned about stuff like that. That probably makes me weird at 26 years old considering people my age are using e-vites and e-cards for everything.
I have an address stamp that I ordered when we moved here 14 years ago and that still works great. I also have my fair share of free address labels from various charities. I used several of them on the packages I mailed when I sold books on Half.com. I use the address stamp for mail-in rebates, which are pretty much the only time I mail anything anymore, and only on forms where they ask for that information.
I am still using the free ones a charity sent years ago. They are almost gone though and I was thinking I am going to have to use one of those free just pay shipping deals. I don't mail things often though either so a batch will last me probably as long as yours has.
I get them from charities, too. They're great to save for Christmas cards, but I also love to send cards and receive cards in the mail. It's fun 🙂
Another sign of the times: when we bought our home eight years ago I ordered three boxes of checks. Just last month I broke down and ordered two more. Since my daughter is out of preschool I only write maybe 15 checks a year tops. 2 to the dmv and 6 for the h2o bill and a few random others like the fridge repair guy. Two books ought to last us over a decade and probably much more
Yep, my checks last me FOREVER now.
For every house I've lived in, I order an address stamp with the address only (no name). That way, when I move, I leave the stamp for the next owner of the house to use. It's a nice little housewarming gift (and the stamp doesn't go to waste). As far as address labels go, I use them to stick on raffle tickets when I buy like a bazillion of them once ringette season rolls around. For those occasions when you still need to write out a cheque, address labels are a tidy way of updating cheques with an old address on them. Love your blog. I check in daily.
Jenni, that is SO generous of you. If I was a new owner of your home, I would LOVE that special touch!
Return address labels are a little splurge I like to do for myself whenever we move. I order a small pack of them (usually from Shutterfly when they have a special or freebie) and use them on the few pieces of mail I send. After that, I'll sometimes order a sheet with our holiday cards. They're a little luxury and reminder of times gone by. (Do you remember when magazine companies and charities would send you free return address labels as a come-on to buy their product?)
I have a stamp and some of the labels too. I still send a few Christmas cards, so they can be used there. Also, I use them when I need to label something to mark it as mine. I have put them on books and movies before lending them to friends or even family.
Thanks for the short but lovely post! I remember those, but I rarely used them before. I'm shocked that you still keep them, maybe as a memento. How much has this world changed?
Two months ago or so I ordered some address labels. I use them as I have a penpal. I love writing letters.
If anyone is interested, I am 29 years old and still looking for another penpal 🙂
Klain, I would like a penpal too! Maybe someone (ahem) can hook us up?
I emailed ya both! Have fun writing. 🙂
Thank you so much, Kristen! That was really kind of you 🙂
I am one of the few people who orders and PAYS for return address labels. I love them 🙂
I do actually send out mail though (I do about 5 - 8 random acts of kindness - cards, packages, birthday cards, etc. to friends and family once a month). I also use them on the inside of my notebooks at work (ALL of them) so they find their way back to me if I leave one in a meeting room by mistake!