Sending Mail Is About to Cost You More Money
Sending those holiday cards or those wedding invitations is about to get more expensive.
There is something still so special about getting a handwritten card in the mail during the holidays or an invitation on beautiful, carefully selected card stock. Yet, some may choose to make those handhelds a thing of the past as postage prices are increasing July 10.
Don't get too upset, though. The Forever stamp will only go up 2 cents. But still...
I recall when stamps were only 32 cents and maybe some of you reading this can recall them being even cheaper.
This all begs the question: Who sends letters anymore? Gone are the days of penpals. Now, you can just email someone. Or send an e-vite, like the one I recently received for a wedding.
Here is the breakdown for increases you can expect starting next week:
- Letter (up to the first ounce) will go from 58 cents to 60 cents
- A single piece of flat mail (up to the first ounce) will go from $1.16 to $1.20
- Each additional ounce for both will go from 20 to 24 cents
- Yes, sending postcards will go up as well, from 40 to 44 cents.
- For those on the bougie side, a First-Class Mail International letter (up to the first ounce) will go from $1.30 to $1.40. This includes mail being sent to Canada.
I'd probably just go and grab a book of the Forever stamps, which will increase from 58 to 60 cents.
Maybe we stock up now like Brandon Phipps of Dartmouth.
"Haven’t mailed anything needing a stamp in years," he told Fun 107 on Facebook. "I’ve got a nice stockpile of 'Forever' stamps if I have to. That should last me decades at the rate I actually mail anything."
Yes, the Forever stamp that you bought at the cheaper price will still be good to use after the 9th.
According to the U.S. Postal Service, the price increase aligns with current inflation and higher operating costs. It will also help drive the government initiative called "Delivering To America."
While we may moan and groan about the price increase, America is holding on to the lowest shipping cost in the industrial world.
Tom Steward of Pawtucket said: "It's still a lot cheaper than privatizing it. We're lucky to have the USPS."
So, are you going to switch from mailing out the wedding invites or those holiday cards to virtual, or do you prefer the old-fashioned way and don't care about the extra 2 cents per stamp?
"It is still cheap but most have lost the art of writing a letter," Andrea Mullins of Fairhaven said.
Do you think she is right? Getting a handwritten letter is very rare these days.