Generation Gap And Uttered Sayings

Today has reminded me that there is a generation gap between me and my younger employees. Today in production meeting, I said “that someone was trying to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear” and they did not know what I was talking about.  For you a lot younger than me,  it means to be unable to turn something ugly or inferior into something attractive or of value, such; no matter how expensive his clothes, he still looks sloppy – you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.  This expression was already a proverb in the mid-1500s.  Not wait a minute, I am not that old!

Another one today was “salting money down”.  Salting money down is an idiom that means to save something, especially money, for use at a later time.  Salting away money for retirement is a good example.

When I was a child my mother would have an expression that I would not understand.  I would ask her where does that come from and she would say it was an “old ettered saying”.  When I became an adult and my mother had passed away I googled ettered sayings and it was her Irish or East Tennessee way of saying uttered saying.  These are sayings that have been passed down from generation to generation. I am just doing my part and passing them to the younger generation.

 

USPS Recommended Mailing Dates For Diplomatic And Military Service Members Worldwide

Ensuring those serving in the nation’s armed forces and diplomatic service receive their presents, care packages and cards in time for the holidays is a priority for the U.S. Postal Service and for friends and family members of our military and diplomatic personnel.

To send packages to loved ones serving in the military abroad, the Postal Service offers a discounted price of $16.75 on its largest Priority Mail Flat Rate box.  The price includes a $2.00 per box discount for mail sent to APO/FPO/DPO (Air/Army Post Office/Fleet Post Office/Diplomatic Post Office) destinations world wide.

Priority Mail Flat Rate Boxes are available at no cost at local Post Offices and online at shop.usps.com.  Postage labels and customs forms can be printed online anytime using Click-N-Ship at usps.com/ship.

To ensure timely delivery of holiday wishes by December 25, 2016 the Postal Service recommends that cards and packages be sent to military APO/FPO/DPO addresses overseas no later than the mailing dates listed below

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Addressing the Package; Write the service member’s full name.  Include the unit and APO/FPO/DPO address with the 9-digit ZIP code (if one is assigned).

 

For example:

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  • Do not write the country name where the service member is stationed in the address.
  • Include a return address.
  • Inside the box, include the service member’s name and address as well as the sender’s name and address on an index card in case the shipping label gets damaged in transit.

USPS Deadlines for December Holiday Mail

The United States Postal Service is recommending the following cut off dates for Holiday mail.

First Class Mail – December 20th

Priority Mail – December 21st

Priority Mail Express – December 23rd

Standard Post – December 15th

It is just a little over two months until Christmas.  Now is the time to start thinking of planning for your Holiday mailings. Especially important is to buy forever stamps now before the rates go up in January 2017.

 

Political Mail Gets Priority at the USPS

When we are doing a political mailing, as we are now just before the election, we mark each tray with red tags provided by the USPS.  When the mail goes to the USPS the mailing gets priority and goes out quickly.  This is the great thing about free elections, the government does not hold up mailings based on any candidate.  They all get treated equally as far as their mailings are concerned.  Wouldn’t it be a great thing if we are treated each other equally.

Early voting starts tomorrow and no matter which candidate you are for, it is a privilege to go to the polls and vote.

 

Keep Your Whiskers On!

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Burns Mailing & Printing, Inc. makes it easy to plan a successful direct mail campaign.  Free consulting to our customers, free estimates,  and budget planning, takes a lot of the worries about cost and execution of the mailing.  Our team will set down with you to brainstorm your project by suggesting the most economical way to print, checking all USPS postal regulations, and sorting your lists for the lowest postage possible. From concept to the mailbox..Burns is a one stop convenience for direct mail. Call us at 865 584-2265 or email phyllis@burnsmp.com.

Postage May Be Going Up In January 2017

The United States Postal Service has filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) of price changes for mailing services product to take effect in January 2017. The proposal includes a two cent increase in the price of a First-Class Mail Forever stamp, returning the price to .49 each which was the price of a Forever stamp before the USPS was required to remove the exigent surcharge by the PRC. This pricing strategy is designed to keep bills and statement in the mail by continuing to add value to commercial First-Class mail.

This may be a very good time to stock up on those Forever stamps before the first of the year.