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As the cost of postage continues to rise and simply buying a book of ten stamps approaches ten pounds many people are turning their backs on traditional means of communication and are turning instead towards emailing and messaging to keep in touch. Although there are some instances where we still need to post a letter or form to a company for the majority of the time this can be done via email. Even sending copies of legal documents can be done digitally now with the advent of digital signing applications.

For a long time now writing a letter to a friend or family member has been mostly replaced with instant messaging as the ability to send pictures, gifs and voice recordings has made the experience more appealing although for some of us the excitement of receiving a hand-written letter through the post is still palpable.

As we approach the time of year when many of us send Christmas cards to our friends and family members there may be some who decide this year to cut back on the number of cards they send because of the cost of postage. Sending digital Christmas greetings has become popular (and far easier) and ordering gifts that are sent directly to the recipient cuts out the need to send them through the post with many companies also gift wrapping the present before dispatching it. So, with all these innovative ways to avoid paying postage costs we have to ask ourselves how long will the postal service survive?

In the days before internet banking, a postal order was an easy way to send money through the post to a recipient and did not require either party to have a bank account. It was secure as only the person named on the postal order could cash it and if you needed added security it could be crossed and then it could only be paid into a bank account or used to pay a bill at the post office.

Although postal orders are now mostly used for people to send money through the post in a secure way to relatives or friends they can be used to pay for goods online especially if an individual is purchasing items perhaps from an auction site and they do not want to give out their bank details. Not everyone has a PayPal account so sending a postal order is an easy way to pay for goods although it is important to keep in mind that there is no return guarantee as there is with an online payment system.

There is a small charge for a postal order starting at fifty pence for an amount less than five pounds rising to a maximum charge of twelve pounds fifty pence for postal orders valued at between one hundred pounds and up to the maximum amount of two hundred and fifty pounds.

When you are moving home and changing your address it’s important to think about your post. For many bills now you can have a paper-less option and receive only statements via email or by logging on to your account online, however, this is not always possible. Its handy to keep some regular paper bills to use for proof of ID should you require it.

The most fool-proof method, when you move out, is to set up a postal redirection through royal mail and this can be done on a month-by-month basis or for a longer period. It’s important to remember though that this method does cause delays in your post reaching you so ensure that if you are waiting for something urgently you notify the company directly of your new address.

If you are moving out of your property and you won’t have a fixed address for a period of time for example, if you are travelling or staying with friends, you may want to set up a PO Box. This means the post office can hold your mail for you or your nominated person to collect at a time that is convenient for you. You could also leave a forwarding address for the new people who will be living at your house and ask them to send any mail on to you.

In recent times internet shopping, home deliveries and contactless payments have surged but how can I shop safely online and make sure that my items are delivered securely and on time.

If you are buying from online marketplaces then your rights to a refund if something is not as described is usually greater. Returns are easy to organise with some retailers emailing returns labels and organising a home pick up for parcels to be returned.

Paying for goods bought online needs to be secure so setting up a PayPal account to pay for items bought online is a safer and more secure way to pay then sending out bank details to strangers or paying by card. In this way you have somewhere to go in the case of any disputes.

Organising delivery slots can be awkward if you are out at work especially if you do not have a secure place to store parcels that are delivered to your home. It is sometimes better to do click and collect or to arrange for your parcel to be delivered to a secure local pick up point such as a convenience store or a storage locker. The parcel can then be collected at a time that suits you and you can be assured that it will be safe and secure.

If you are ordering presents online for a friend or lover one then you may be given the option to have gift wrapping. Depending on what the item is, this may be a paper or material bag, wrapping paper or a gift box. Sometimes this is a free service that the seller will offer but most of the time you will have to pay extra to have an item gift wrapped. This is often a great option for those that want to send a present directly to someone and can often be cheaper or a similar cost to what you would have had to pay to post the item to them.

If you are ordering multiple items to be posted then gift wrapping can very quickly increase the cost for example, if buying from Amazon, you can expect to pay around £4 gift wrapping per item regardless of the size of cost of the original item that you are purchasing. If buying from an independent retailer, you may be able to ask them if they can wrap the items together to save on the cost. They may also prefer this as it may mean that they can also post the item cheaper too.