This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

The Cost of Stamps and Mail is on the Rise

Be on the lookout for rising prices at the post office in January of 2012. The cost of purchasing stamps and mailing postcards and letters is about to take a leap.

According to the United States Postal Service, effective Jan. 22, 2012, the cost of a first-class stamp will rise from $0.44 to $0.45. Although the cost of stamps has increased frequently in the last several years, this is the first hike in more than two years.

Adding insult to injury, the cost of mailing postcards will increase by $0.03 and the cost of mailing letters to Canada and Mexico will increase by $0.05. Additionally, the cost of mailing letters to all other international areas will increase by $0.07.

Although the price increases have yet to be approved due to standard regulatory processes, it is most likely going to be a done deal. Until then, we can still purchase the $.44 Forever stamps. The good news is that they do not require additional postage once prices have officially increased.

Find out what's happening in Greenfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A major factor in the upcoming increase is the serious financial crisis the Postal Service is up against. Mail volume has significantly declined due to the fact that electronic mail is taking its place. Another contributing factor is the competition it has with FedEx and United Parcel Service (UPS).

Whoever thought our wallets would be gouged by these standard services, and whoever thought our post offices would be counting their pennies?

Find out what's happening in Greenfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?