The post office is saying that postage stamps will likely increase again in 2007 (they are already set to increase to $0.39 next year) because in increased operating costs from gasoline price increases.

The truth is that I rarely use the mail anymore except for when selling items on eBay. 99% of my correspondences with family and friends are done through email. All of my bills are paid through automatic bank withdrawals. As I sit here writing this, I’m trying to think when the last time i wrote a letter was and can’t.

The one big exception is for items I send through the mail from eBay auctions and the cost of mailing can get expensive there, but since it is the buyer and not me that covers that cost, it isn’t an issue. Although a lot of people don’t seem to realize this, if you do use a lot of postage stamps, it is possible to get stamps at below face value.

If you haven’t looked into direct bill pay through your bank or credit union, it’s worth a look. You should be able to find a way to get it for free if you look around and switch to email when possible. We started sending out holiday wishes by email instead of snail mail a few years ago and that lopped over $50 off our holiday expenses.