DEAR ABBY: "College Co-Ed in Williamsburg, Va." (Feb. 10) was concerned about her mother opening and reading her bills and statements. There's another option you didn't address.
If it is too much bother to rent a post office box near her college and have the mail forwarded to her parents' home during semester breaks, a simpler and easier option is "paperless" bank statements. Most banks and companies let you choose to receive your statements electronically.
"Co-Ed" can go online to the various entities from whom she receives regular bills and select the "paperless billing" or "paperless statement" option under her account settings. When new bills/statements are available, she'll get an e-mail from each company informing her she can log in to her account to review her statements and bills.
This way, her mother can't see her bills and bank statements, and she'll have the satisfaction of knowing she is doing her bit for the environment. -- SAVVY ONLINE CONSUMER IN SAN ANTONIO
DEAR SAVVY: You know what? You're absolutely right. And so are the hundreds of other readers who wrote to say the same thing. Thank you.