What is a "permanent address"?

We can salvage it! Quick! Think of a question before the editing deadline runs out!

Ideas
What do you make when you join your family for T-giving
Have you ever been involved in a Black Friday injury (victim or offender)?
What are some crimes that you have committed, whose statute of limitations has run out?

Haha, ok. I opened the editing link and will try to think of one!

It seems someone didn’t have lunch…

Something you are as cute as!

I actually read the previous question and didn’t think it was that stupid. I was thinking of a good response when the question disappeared.

@tonedef: Haha, I did not see your suggestions until I had thought of this new stupid question.

@EmpressPixie: Great answer! (The question she was answering was, “What is a button?”)

@KatawaGrey: Eh, thanks.

A permanent address doesn’t mean you will live there forever. some people have more than one home, or live away from home while they are in college. It means where is your primary home. Florida has alot of snowbirds that live there only in the winter, but return to their northern home in the spring.

Thanks for posting what the question was, I would have been so curious!
Quick question answer: Permanent address is really just them wanting to know where they can send you mail. The wording is simply old and hasn’t been updated. Think back to even 100 years ago – people usually DID have a permanant address cause they lived in one area for most of their lives. It’s only been recently, and with the right resources (money), that people could move around drastically. Regardless, every organization has the ability to change one’s address by calling or writing in anyway, so how permanant could it really be? No, they’re just using an old phrase when they should be using “mailing address”.

Bonus answer to your question of taking forms literally and being upset at questions: I hate it when forms ask me personal information when they don’t need to, or when they ask question after question. I also value my own data as a commodity worth compensation, so when stores ask for my postal code I do not tell them. But I will exchange my data for compensation (the book store gives me a 10% discount, credit card gives me points towards free groceries). But sometimes there are forms that one must answer. In that case I answer questions as quick and simplistically as I can, and always lean in the direction of not giving too much information. Example: How much money do I make. I make money from a lot of sources, but I’m not wasting my time giving a good estimate unless it’s for a bank or loan or similar of course, I just give my primary salary. Me and my partner are common-law married with different last names, ugh you know how much trouble that causes at times, often I’ll say I’m single, although saying I’m married also has benefits in places. Keep in mind – these companies want your data for free, they will use your data to profit, and it is in your power to provide them with whatever level of data you feel comfortable with. I do not consider it unethical to fill in different data on forms that I have suspicion be abused (such as the pet store discount card). Do not be intimidated by a form. For the gender identity issue especially, make a complaint about the form before finishing it, or don’t finish it all if you’d like.

@scamp: See, I always considered my apartments in college to be my primary home. My parents moved to a new home after I went to college, so I had never even lived there at all and never would. (I remained in my apartment during the summers as well.) It made more sense to receive mail at my college apartment because I rarely visited my parents’ home. However, I moved every year! So what should I have put as my “permanent address” when in college? The place I was going to be for a year, or the place I would never be?

I have an interesting experience about just that girlofscience – my education actually gave me a university degree and a college diploma from two different institutions, so I am registered in two different places and have two different experiences. The university was the only one I updated my address for when I moved throughout those 4 years, the college has my parent’s address. So far, the university has sent me a high end magazine they publish about the school (they want my money) as well as alumni information, and the college has sent me a plea for money (shock) and an unsolicited insurance offer. See what I mean about wanting and using your data… ugh.

So, you should have put your permanant address (even your parents one) if you wanted to be real-life-spammed by them, or if you didn’t get your diploma and they were going to mail it to you, well THEN you certainly need a correct address where they can give you mail. Oh, and they will beg you for money as well, and might organize some type of ten year get-together, but you can do that yourself with Facebook nowadays! Honestly though, it’s not a hassle to call them up and say “oh you don’t have my address, here it is” if you want to hear back from them, so it really doesn’t matter either way. If you want to hear from them, give them the address you can get mail at, and be prepared to get lotsa crap if your experience is anything like mine. If not, let it disappear into mail purgatory.

Many websites will ask for things like your zip code or your household income. Perhaps these could be seen as “giving data away for free” and overly intrusive. However, what they’re usually after is demographic data that they can use to tell their advertizers what sorts of people visit the site and what sort of ads they might be open to viewing. The ads pay the site, which compensates you by being available and probably free to use, so giving your data is compensated by use of the site.

Also, the sites seem unlikely to call the government or your employer to find out if your “income level” (for example) is accurate, so it is possible to enter false information.

However, to answer the original question, I’ll agree with all the folks up there who say that a permanent address is where they can send mail that will get back to you. Many students are transient – they just want to know an address that isn’t very transient. Sometimes the best you can do is an address that you’ll be at for a year. It’s okay. They’ll deal with it.

Not trying to be mean or sarcastic here but I find it hard to believe that a college student has this much trouble with understanding the concept behind a question about one’s permanent address.
Or, perhaps there was another reason for the original question and I’m just not catching it…..

Basp, from what I gathered she had posted a sillier question, possibly “What is a button”? and changed it before the editing time was out to this question.

My physical address changes, but I use my husband’s office as my “permanent address” because we will probably have that address forever, even if we move. He pays all the bills from there and we would prefer our mail go there.

@girlofscience You would put your apartment address as primary if you never lived with your parents once they moved. Let’s just say if you live there for at least 6 months, you can consider it your primary address. that’s what the snowbirds who live part time in Florida do.

I’m with you, girlofscience! “Permanent address” is a sign that the people responsible for the form are annoying and deserving of scorn and abuse. Many forms get me peeved, too, as well as other assumptions that I ought to comply with other people’s expectations.

My Permanent Address is “Bite Me Boulevard”, scumbags! ;-)

Permanent address comes after you leave the mansion in Santa Barbara-unless they need to widen thr freeway that borders the cemetary

@Girl, I’m with you! I’ve moved many times, and feel that the postal system, and many others, are not at all set up for people of our generation.

For example, I’m supposed to get a driver’s license within 30 days of moving? Mostly when I move to a new area, I move several times before I find the right fit. That happens regularly. Anyway…

Just to be cheeky, this is the only thing I would consider a “permanent” address.

@GoS
Now that you changed your question, I have the most stupid snswer :s
d’oh!

I’m 33 and my permanent address is still my parent’s house because I will always be able to get the mail there. Having lived in…9 or 10 different addresses over the past dozen years, I wonder if there is any mail floating around unable to find me.

@fireside,
Sometimes when you move around a lot there is money trying to find you. Phone deposits, utility deposits, small savings accounts, and other kinds of refunds. In California they Have an unclaimed property data base. If you are owed money and they can’t find you, businesses are required to send the money to the state. I just looked myself up and found $17.00. I looked my mother in law up a few years ago and found $300.00. Here’s the link for California.

@Judi – Something similiar actually happened to me a couple years ago. I moved back to a city I hadn’t lived in for a while and when I signed up for cable, they sent me a check for a $12.00 refund. Hmmm, with Christmas coming, I may want to investigate further : )

EDIT: no luck : (

More than 2 years
or in a legal obligation w/ an address
Come on-
Too easy:)