See that 10 cent stamp? That’s how much it cost to mail a letter or bill in 1974. A dime. Starting Sunday, it’ll cost you 49 cents! Yep, the price of stamps is going up again, another three cents this weekend. Not the normal penny hike. Three pennies. That’s the largest increase in postage prices in more than a decade for the U.S. Postal Service.

Stamps cost how much?

The increase was brought up in our afternoon editorial meeting. And most didn’t even know how much postage stamps cost today. It shows fewer Americans these days use snail mail to pay their bills and keep in touch. And that’s one big reason why those who do are paying more. During the recession (and even before), so many people drastically cut back on mail, instead communicating through email and text, and settling their bills online. That’s put the Postal Service in a world of financial hurt.

Forever is a long time

For those who still mail stuff, the post office suggests you’ll want to stock up on Forever Stamps now before Sunday’s increase hits. Buy a Forever Stamp at the current price, and it’s good, well …. forever. You may want to think about doing that if you do a lot of mailing.

Too bad they didn’t offer the Forever Stamp back in 1974. Stocking up on 10 cent stamps would have been a great investment!