The cost of mails going up again

[renovation]

The price of the Forever stamp will go up at the same time, meaning those stamps can still be purchased for 41 cents but will remain good for first-class postage after the rate increase takes effect.

The post office has sold 5 billion Forever stamps since they were introduced last April and plans to have an additional 5 billion in stock to meet the expected demand before the May price change, the agency said.

The charge for other services, such as advertising mail, periodicals, packages special services will also change. Changes in the price for Priority Mail and Express Mail will be announced later, the agency said.

Postage rates last went up in May, 2007, with a first-class stamping jumping 2 cents to the current 41-cent rate.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/02/11/national/main3818732.shtml
and if your smart you might stock up on the forever stamp and forget the fancy price marked one's .

[Daedalus]

Historically, postage has risen an average of 7% per year. With fuel costs expected to keep on rising, and with the high fixed-cost structure of the post office, I would expect future increases to at least match the past. Anyone who expects to keep sending letters/bills can lock in a pretty nice return with seemingly zero risk.

[DarkFury]

Still a good reason to switch to electronic banking for bill paying (without worrying about mailing them).

More or less, I just buy stamps on a "as needed" basis... and most of the time the postage I need exceeds the cost of basic stamps so I end up paying directly at the counter.

[Daedalus]

I e-pay everything that I can, but some institutions are either old school, or charge stupid fees for the "privelege" of saving them money :rolleyes: . It depends on the bank too. A few years ago my credit union switched their e-pay service provider and I then had to start paying the mortgage with checks. Also, the little woman considers homemade holiday cards and hand-written letters an art form :D. I think we bought a few hundred $ worth of stamps, which ought to last us maybe 5-6 years.

[RowdyOne]

oops, image didn't work

[RowdyOne]

oops again, sorry

[uncledaddy]

I'm with DF and Daedalus on this. I pay most bills online and pretty much everything else I send through the mail needs more postage than a stamp so I am forced to pay at the counter.

I don't knock the USPS because as far as I know aren't they still the only self supporting government agency, (don't know if that's the right term), based on that little stamp, and of course parcel postage?

[oblongmelon]

I can remember when stamps cost 13 cents!...is that forever stamp truly "forever"? Do they still sell them? I rarely go to the post office anymore unless it's to mail a package.

[renovation]

i remember when i was a kid stamps were a nickle and post cards 3 cents

[avlena]

I can remember when stamps cost 13 cents!...is that forever stamp truly "forever"? Do they still sell them? I rarely go to the post office anymore unless it's to mail a package.

yeah, they still sell them. I was just there the other day, and heard a lady buy 100 of them.

We just buy stamps from the ATM, since we rarely use them.

[iamsheens]

I bought a whole pack of stamps today since I couldn't buy just one...pretty useless to have 20 of them when in two months they will be pointless unless I go buy the one cent stamps...maybe I can throw them with my 37 cent stamps I still have, and my 29 cent stamps...ugh stupid post office....I'd rather have a larger increase like make a stamp worth 50 cents and then not raise it for like 5 years...this yearly increase is getting annoying...

[uncledaddy]

I bought a whole pack of stamps today since I couldn't buy just one...pretty useless to have 20 of them when in two months they will be pointless unless I go buy the one cent stamps...maybe I can throw them with my 37 cent stamps I still have, and my 29 cent stamps...ugh stupid post office....I'd rather have a larger increase like make a stamp worth 50 cents and then not raise it for like 5 years...this yearly increase is getting annoying...

If your local post office has a self service mail center than you can buy as little as three. No less than that because min. purchase to use debit/credit card at machine is $1.20.

[iamsheens]

If your local post office has a self service mail center than you can buy as little as three. No less than that because min. purchase to use debit/credit card at machine is $1.20.

Ok that is good to know! That was what I bought my stamps out of and I was thinknig I could buy a 1.00 worth of stamps but it said 1 stamp is a $1.00 and I didn't want to ruin the risk of getting 1 stamp for a 1.00...I dunno what I was thinking, I was getting stressed at the machine trying to make a decision. LOL...and ended up with a booklet of them.