I hadn’t left enough time to make it to the post office before my flight so I did a search for post offices near the airport. I was pleased to discover a post office located inside the airport so I brought the package with me. When I got to the airport, I found that the post office was nothing more than a mailbox. I asked at the information desk if there was an actual post office, and they told me I could buy stamps at the ATM outside the security area, but that the mailbox was the only place from which I could send my package.

The challenge was that I couldn’t weigh my package, and I had to buy stamps in books that likely exceeded the cost necessary for my shipment. I struggled with paying $12 for mailing a package that, in reality, should have cost $3. As I considered my options, I remembered that there was a post office just outside the airport that had shown in my search results.

I looked it up again, and it appeared that the post office was a 20 minute walk from the terminal. Since I had gotten to the airport early, I figured I had just enough time to walk to the post office, mail the package and return, assuming the line at the post office wasn’t too long. In an attempt to give myself for time for this contingency, I walked quickly.

When I arrived, there was only one person in line, and my package was swiftly entered into the mail system. I made it back to the airport with plenty of time to catch my flight. Not only had I saved $9, which I could use towards my first meal abroad, but I had gotten a good 40 minutes of exercise as opposed to sitting around the airport.

There are often times I will look for a way to save money, and often the cost is getting free exercise, like walking instead of taking a cab. As I wrote in a previous post, spending less often results in multiple gains elsewhere.