If you still mail letters or Christmas cards, be aware the United States Postal Service is increasing the cost of a 1-ounce first class letter to 63 cents on January 22nd.
It’s a 3 cent increase on the “Forever” stamp, up from the 60 cents that went into effect only 6 months ago.
Any “Forever” stamp, first issued in 2007, will remain equivalent to the current price of a first class stamp.
I still have 10 stamps floating around in my desk drawer, so I’m good for the next 5 years.
The Postal Service says that the overall rise in postal rates is 6.5 percent, compared to 8.6 percent for overall inflation for the 12 months that ended in May. A 1-ounce letter only cost 5 cents 60 years ago.
The USPS should significantly increase the cost of junk mail, rather than increasing postage on first class mail. Most of that crap just ends up in landfills unopened, and ignored.
| Timeline: What did a first-class postage stamp cost? | |
|---|---|
| Year | Price |
| Jan 7, 2001 | $0.34 |
| Jun 30, 2002 | $0.37 |
| Jan 8, 2006 | $0.39 |
| May 14, 2007 | $0.41 |
| May 12, 2008 | $0.42 |
| May 11, 2009 | $0.44 |
| Jan 22, 2012 | $0.45 |
| Jan 27, 2013 | $0.46 |
| Jan 26, 2014 | $0.49 |
| Apr 10, 2016 | $0.47 |
| Jan 22, 2017 | $0.49 |
| Jan 21, 2018 | $0.50 |
| Jan 27, 2019 | $0.55 |
| Aug 10, 2021 | $0.58 |
| July 10, 2022 | $0.60 |
| Jan 22, 2023 | $0.63 |
Disclaimer: On January 4, 2016, the owner of WestEastonPA.com began serving on the West Easton Council following an election. Postings and all content found on this website are the opinions of Matthew A. Dees and may not necessarily represent the opinion of the governing body for The Borough of West Easton.
