I signed up for something called Informed Mail, something available via USPS. I receive emails with scans of what mail will be arriving each day, as well as text notifications when a package is headed my way. Doesn't matter who sends the package; if it has my address on it, I get notifications.
This is absolutely fantastic because I know to keep an eye on the mail. Plus, I know to be home for the mails arrival. This is especially important now, seeing as mail theft is especially high in my area. My mailbox is inside my yard, not on the street, and the box is made of thick steel, has a lock, and is on a metal pole cemented in the ground. It's more difficult to steal mail that way, though not impossible. Plus, the gate to enter my yard is LOUD, which alerts me to anyone entering.
With it being "package season," thieves are out and stealing these in broad daylight. I opened my door to pick up what was dropped off seconds before, and a man in all black with a mask over the lower half of his face and big sunglasses over his eyes was just about to open the gate. He bolted, hopped in a car that was waiting for him, and they drove off.
Sign up if USPS is who you get your mail from. If you know you won't be home when a package is delivered, talk to a neighbor about picking it up for you instead. If you have the money, get a PO Box at the local USPS location. Stealing mail and packages is damn near impossible there. Those big outdoor mail lockers some neighbors have aren't very secure. I've seen local news sharing stories and showing pictures about these getting broken into.
I have three packages arriving tomorrow, and I'm suuuuuuper excited. Opening these sparks joy!
