Snail Mail
Be prepared, stamp prices are going up again starting Monday, May 11th, 2009. Rather than $.42 a stamp, they will go up to $.44 a stamp. This just torks me since I recently bought two sheets of stamps and will now have to buy some penny stamps. At $.44 a stamp, and with no guarantee that your item will get to it's intended spot, I think I'll stick to e-mails and online bill paying. At least that's free...for the time being.
Comments
I guess the feds don't think that they have gouged us enough already. I can remember the 5cent stamp, how old does that make me!
Posted by: Aunt Becky | May 9, 2009 07:30 AM
Man! I just bought stamps on Thursday....Aarrrgh!
Posted by: sohumborn | May 9, 2009 09:19 AM
when was the 5 cent? In my 30 yrs I remember a 23 cent stamp. 4% inflation equates (with compounding interest) to doubling of prices every 18 years (approximately). So by 2030 we should expect a first class stamp to cost a dollar.
You can't drive 2 miles for the cost of a stamp. I sent a letter from Humboldt (rural, "The Lost Coast"; no interstates connect us to the rest of the U.S. We are separated by the Siskiyou Mountains and it is a 3 hour drive to reach an interstate or major airport. Often, the post office delivers letters from Humboldt to the East Coast in 4-5 days. I have driven Cali to Florida a couple times and it takes 60 hours of driving time at 70-80 mph. Thats driving only, not breaks or gas stops. A solo driving marathoner could cross in 4 days (w/ a minimum 6 hr sleeping) driving 16 hrs per day. A leisurely 8 hrs driving time (a sightseeing tour) would take 8 days to cross the U.S.
Sometimes the P.O. is lame, but we tend to notice and remember the exceptions, like a letter and check returned to me that had been ripped in half so the delivery address had been lost. It took them a month to return to me (maybe it was lost in the gears/wheels of the conveyer belt, which would also expain its state of halfness). But delivery across country in less than a week for less than 50 cents is not a bad deal. We complain b/c it is such an easy indicator of inflation, but compared to real money it can't be beat. You can't buy anything for $.50! You will say internet is free, and this is partially true, but we all pay phone/DSL bills...
Posted by: aaron | May 9, 2009 12:52 PM
Aaron, I agree that in a way we do all pay for the internet - even in bill paying. Heck, I heard the gov't even kicked around the idea of charging per e-mail. I think my irritation is that I just bought two sheets of stamps and now I have to go buy more. And honestly, maybe it's just my rotten luck, my mail tends to get lost -either on the receiving or sending end. In fact, my very sweet neighbor brought me my paycheck yesterday after it was delivered to the wrong address. Doh!
Posted by: Sandi | May 9, 2009 03:36 PM