You've Got Mail

We need a new "mailbox" at my house. You know, one of those metal boxes that sit outside your house where the postman puts advertisements and bills. For those under the age of 25, this may be a new concept, but trust me, some of us older folks still use the postal service. Although, since the "mail" is mostly bills and advertisements, sometimes I wonder why. Heck, you can even do all of your business with the IRS online.

I suppose official documents still arrive via the old-fashioned mailbox. You know, like court orders and subpoenas. Not that I would know anything about things like that. And some of us still pay our bills through the mail, even though I cannot figure out why anyone would choose this method of payment over the ease of online bill paying.

So why do I even need a mailbox? They throw the morning newspaper (which admittedly I can view online) in my driveway. If I paid my bills online, maybe I wouldn't even need a physical mailbox. Bank statements and investment statements might pile up on my front porch, but these can also be viewed online.

As I walked around the neighborhood the other day, specifically looking for what other people used for mailboxes, I was struck by the fact that every house actually HAS a mailbox. Whether or not it gets much use is a separate question.