The cost of stamps will rise to 46 cents per stamp on Sunday.
The US Postal Service is in dire shape; the organization nearly defaulted on payments it is required to make twice last year. A decline in demand for sending items through the postal service combined with rising healthcare and pension costs has put extreme pressure on the Postal Service.
When is the last time you sent a letter to someone?
Aside from occasional bill payment or sending a birthday card, my use of postal services has dropped significantly. What will the USPS do as demand continues to drop? Only time will tell.
When things change financially you have to take action. Don’t wait for a Congressional bailout like the USPS. Take action with these articles:
Cisionblog | Top 50 Finance Blogs – We’re honored to be included!
FinCon | Best Money Books
Boomer and Echo | Switching Careers Midlife: Is It Worth It?
Wise Bread | An Organized Year: A Month-by-Month Guide
CNN Money | Say goodbye to more bank branches
Retire by 40 | How to start contributing to a Roth IRA
Get Rich Slowly | Will a low appraisal wreck your refi?
Wealthy Turtle | The Power of Compound Interest
Good Financial Cents | 4 Practical Money Skills You Must Teach Your Children
Five Cent Nickel | Putting Money in Its Place
Take A Smart Step | How to Balance Your Checkbook
The Simple Dollar | Buying Another Before You Can Enjoy What You Have
The Chicago Financial Planner | Target Date Funds Don’t Guarantee Retirement Success
Yes, I Am Cheap | Tips for Paying Off 2012 Holiday Debt
Free From Broke was featured in the following carnivals this week:
Nerdy Finance #22: NFC Championship Weekend Edition
Carnival of Personal Finance: Visit Portland! Edition » Frugal Portland
Dewey’s Treehouse: Festival of Frugality #371: True Confessions Edition
Carnival of Personal Finance #396 | Adam Hagerman, AFC® – Financial Coach
Nerdy Finance #21: Trillion-Dollar Coin Edition
A stamp costs 63 cents in Canada, but I haven’t mailed a letter in a long time.
Thanks for the mention!
Ouch!
Mmmm… I think we’re being ripped off in Canada! As Echo mentioned, our Canadian stamps have gone up to 63 cents this year. Considering the US/Canadian dollar has been close to par for years now… I’m shocked at the disparity in stamp prices (and gas prices… but that’s another story!)
Thanks for the mention!
You’re welcome Mike!
Thanks for the mention! I am actually surprised how often I am running to the post office, especially at this time of year when we are finishing up thank you notes! I will say that the amount of mail that I send has gone down from 10 years ago. I think they should stop six day delivery, most of my mail is junk mail and I would be okay with not getting it on Saturday.
With online bill pay we definitely send out less mail. I tend to run out there to check my PO Box. Thankfully they have a service that emails me when I have mail. Unthankfully many times it’s junk mail or for the person who had the box # before.
I send letters at least a few times a month to my close friends. But,..higher prices wont stop me.