I surely wish I had started buying Forever Stamps when they first came out for 41 cents each in 2007.
I guess I was not nearly forward thinking enough because the price of the stamps has inched up a few cents at a time almost every year since then.
This month, on Jan. 22, the first-class Forever Stamp price will get yet another bump from 60 cents to 63 cents apiece – a 5 percent increase.
Saving 3 cents per stamp may not seem like a lot (particularly these days when people are writing fewer and fewer letters) but if you can lock in at 60 cents “forever,” stocking up on stamps before the Jan. 22 price increase may be worth it.
No telling how much they will be in 2030!
Think about the cost of sending out next year’s Christmas cards, or maybe you will be sending wedding or graduation invitations or big batches of special thank you notes in the next few months or years.
Might as well save a little bit if you can.
Forever Stamps, introduced in 2007, are always equivalent to the current price of a first-class stamp. Since 2011, virtually all first-class stamps sold (except coils) are Forever Stamps.
I looked up the Forever Stamp history and found that the first ones went on sale in April 2007 and featured an image of the Liberty Bell.
In addition to the increase in Forever Stamp prices, the approved price increase also calls for metered letters to rise to 60 cents from 57 cents. Domestic postcards will go to 48 cents from 44 cents. Outbound international letters will rise to $1.45 from $1.40. And flat rate boxes are also getting price adjustments, some up slightly and some down slightly.
The USPS says:
• As the name suggests, Forever Stamps can be used to mail a one-ounce letter regardless of when the stamps are purchased or used and no matter how prices may change in the future.
• Forever Stamps are always sold at the same price as a regular first-class mail stamp.
• The Postal Service developed the Forever Stamp for consumers ease of use during price changes. Forever Stamps are available for purchase at post offices nationwide, online at usps.com, and by phone at 1-800-STAMP-24 (1-800-782-6724). They are sold in sheets and booklets of 20.
• All the new prices will be posted on the Postal Explorer website: http://pe.usps.com . The complete Postal Service price filings with the new prices for all products can be found on the PRC site under the Daily Listings section at https://www.prc.gov/dockets/daily.”
The US. Postal Service said that in 2021, 13 billion U.S. postage stamps were printed,
On average, the Postal Service processes and delivers 167.3 million pieces of first-class mail each day. Usps.com
The Postal Service started 2022 by making no change in the price of a Forever Stamp or the first-class letter rate, but hiked prices on July 10.
Postal officials say they believe these new Jan. 22 rates will help keep the Postal Service competitive while providing some needed revenue.
Officials noted around the time of last year’s increase that the Postal Service is losing billions of dollars because of a 28% drop in mail volume over the last 10 years.
In its story about the price increase, the AARP says “It’s no secret that widespread use of email and the shift to online banking have taken a toll on the post office. People need fewer stamps for letters and bills these days, and businesses can reach customers more affordably and efficiently with email instead of junk mail.”
Now here is a question: When was the last time you wrote a personal letter?
According to a CBS News survey, 37% of adults polled in the U.S. said it’s been over five years since they’ve written and sent a personal letter through the mail, and just under a third said they’ve written one within the past 12 months.
Another 15% of the 1,717 adults surveyed said they have never written and sent a personal letter — ever.
That is hard to believe but that’s a whole other story.
Meanwhile, stock up on at least a few of these Forever Stamps!
Mary Hance, who has four decades of journalism experience in the Nashville area, writes a weekly Ms. Cheap column. She also appears on Thursdays on Talk of the Town on NewsChannel5. Reach her at mscheap@mainstreetmediatn.com and follow her on Facebook as Facebook.com/mscheap
