Cost of Mailing Cards

Take into consideration the cost of mailing your Christmas cards.  There are several things that can cause your postage to be more than you were planning:  size, weight, and thickness.

Did you know that if your card is not in the size zone of a first-class stamp, you will have to pay more for postage?  This includes smaller as well as larger – make sure to check with your local post office or online at USPS.com. One year I mailed cards that were square because I thought they were pretty and different being square – little did I know I had to pay more for being square!  Lesson learned.

If you plan on adding items to your card, be sure to weigh the card with your inserts inside, so your fifty-five cent postage does not turn into a $2.50 postage price.  Once you have selected the card you want to mail, add in the items you want to include (gifts, pictures, letter, etc.) and take it to the post office to be measured and weighed so you know if you want to lighten the load or add something else in also.

Did you know your card cannot be beyond a certain thickness?  If you want to keep your postage costs down low, be sure to take this into account, especially if you are making your cards.  The post office has a tool they use for thickness, and it is best to take it by and let them officially put it through their slide.

There are ways to save on postage with your Christmas cards. The first way is to look at all the people on your Christmas card list. Are you sending gifts to anyone? If so, put their card with their gift, letting them know when they receive the package to go ahead and open the card. Another way to save on postage is to utilize mailbox systems at church, work, or school if allowed. A favorite way for me to save on postage is to send Christmas postcards. Postcards can be fun to create through online sources, purchased in card shops, or even made on your printer at home. The postage for the traditional-sized postcard is less expensive than a card in an envelope. So while postage can take a bite out of your budget, there are ways to save and still send your Christmas greetings through the mail.