Peace of Mind Organizing

Postal rates up again

12 May 2009

This one snuck up on me. The postal rates went up yesterday. Thanks to the Forever stamp I don’t pay a whole lot of attention to what it costs to mail a letter. I stocked up on Forever stamps a couple of postal-rate increases ago.

But it’s still good to know how much a first-class stamp costs, what the extra ounce costs and how much a one-ounce large envelope costs to mail. According to the U.S. Postal Services website, the new stamp rates are as follows:

First-class letter (one ounce): 44 cents
First class letter (two ounces): 61 cents
First class large envelope (one ounce): 88 cents
Postcard: 28 cents
Priority mail flat-rate envelope: $4.95
Express mail flat-rate envelope: $17.50

The price of a first-class stamp went up two cents. The postal service is happy to sell you some two-cent stamps if you have 42-cent stamps left over.

I like to use USPS website to calculate postage for individual envelopes and packages. If I’m using priority or express mail, I’ll often pay online and print the shipping label.

If you buy Forever stamps now, they’ll cost 44 cents but they’ll be good forever. I’m awfully glad I stocked up on them.

Even with the increase in price, I’m still amazed that for less than the price of a can of soda I can have an envelope picked up and my house and delivered efficiently right to the doorstep of the recipient. What a country.

Tagged with: postage

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