Inflation is hitting us everywhere. The cost of gas, food, and now it seems even postage stamps are possibly going to increase in price.
Recently the U.S. Postal Service requested a 2¢ increase in first class stamps to 46¢, a 2¢ increase in post card stamps to 30¢, and an 8% increase in postage for periodicals. Other postal services such as advertising and parcel postage rates will also be increasing.
The rate increase is one of annual increases since 2006 which was the first increase in three years at that time. The change, if approved, will go into effect on Jan. 2.
Now may be the time to stock up on those 44¢ “Forever Stamps”. The Forever Stamps will be honored when the new rates take effect. The design of these stamps will be redesigned to evergreens rather than the current design of the Liberty Bell.
On the bright side, one can be optimistic and consider that 46¢ doesn’t buy much gas if you were to deliver the letter yourself. You might also think about how much it costs to send a letter by other private companies to ease the pain of the looming postage increase.
It seems that everywhere we look things are increasing in price for cost reasons from the suppliers or transporters or shrinking in package size (such as the 20 pound bag of dog food that now weighs 17.6 pounds, just smaller so you don’t notice it in the packaging).
The USPS has suffered a loss of volume to the ease and convenience of paying bills over the Internet and email and text messaging. It seems no one wants to wait days to receive a handwritten message anymore. This in turn, along with hefty retirement funding payments, has resulted in a financial problem for the Postal Service, which although it is government operated; it does not receive any government subsidy.
Paying 2¢ extra per stamp may be what helps save our old tradition getting mail via the “post office”.
