Cost of a stamp

Yes, we have definitely cut way back on cards because of the cost of postage. I think I sent the grand sum of five this year - mainly to elderly relatives who don't have email etc.

Postage is so expensive now. I have got my cards for posting down to 4, they went in the postbox in Tesco this morning. Two go to friends I was at school with, one to my brother/sil and 1 to OH's cousin in Wales. I have two to go in friends doors here and 2 to OH's family which he will deliver next week.

Eight to MrJ*s siblings, Ireland and UK, one to my 92 year old Uncle in Hertfordshire and three to remote friends. Same as last year, the rest are delivered locally or given when we see people.

I’m down to half a dozen, my sister and sis in law, a distant cousin, my son who lives abroad but I put 2 more cards in the envelope. My 2 daughters will be hand delivered. I got one through the door from a neighbour who’ve known for many years so will pop one through their door. I used to send 50+ thank goodness as I hated writing them.

My brother on law, was happily married to !y big sister, sadly passed. He posted my card yet forgot to write in card. Still laughing.

I think it’s an absolute disgrace as a lot of people really look forward to getting Christmas cards. Why can’t they do a 50p stamp just over the Christmas period?… Hardly the season of goodwill on their part..

After many years of sending 50/60, like someone else on here I have posted 4.
I have kept 4 more stamps in case I have forgotten anyone.
Although I have cut out some long ago colleagues and old neighbours, most on my old list have sadly died.
This has happened most of the last 10 years which is sad but inevitable.

I will never use the first class service again. For a start I haven't found it to be even remotely first class and I certainly do not consider it to be value for money. I do realise this is playing directly into PO's scheming ways but..... hey ho.....

I don't post many cards, but that's not as a result of the postage costs. It's because many of the people I used to send cards to have died.

I send cards to my sisters, children, a cousin and two close friends whom I rarely see in person. Everybody else will receive one hand delivered, as they always have done.

I am still using up old stamps, ie bought at the old price, but I have cut back. I send quite a few email greetings, but there are some people I really want to send a card to, about 20 so far. Trying to decide whether to respond to people I am getting cards from who I had decided not to send to this year.

I send 5 purely so they don't ring to check I'm alive.

I've written forty five cards, posted twenty nine, second class. The rest are local so I hand deliver.
In days gone by we sent and received in excess of one hundred. So many dear friends and family are no longer with us. I still enjoy sending and receiving cards, but I think the tradition is dying out.

It's absolutely ridiculous - £1.65 for a first class stamp! Virtually double a second class stamp. We send about 45 cards between us, 6 overseas. Plus a list of people for ecards. I don't want to lose contact with all the friends over the years so I bite the bullet - but when it came to finding out the cost of a stamp to Europe - unbelievable. A decade ago, a stamp to Europe was the same cost as a stamp to the Uk. Now? £2.68. Same price to the US and New Zealand. So all overseas stamps now cost the same even though France is just over the channel!

We post early and only use second class stamps. The stamps have always cost a lot more than the cards. It makes me think they don't want people posting things any more.

I have just posted 35, sent 5 by Scout post round the village, will hand deliver to immediate neighbours and to family.

I have cut down to Family and Few Friends and old friends of mum's that I grew up with when I was young that I grew up with. 24 cards posted to some old neighbours & family and few friends. £21.00 later and that's only 2nd class. I find it difficult to do away with it altogether. It's a way of showing you still care and make sure they are still alive.

Living as we have throughout the world, most of our Christmas cards are generally sent abroad. Not this year! Not at an outrageous £2.80 per stamp for goodness sake. In the most expensive country in Europe = Switzerland, the overseas stamp cost is only £1.68 {CHF1.90}. How on earth does the PO justify such an outlandish figure? Only bought three stamps, and sending the rest of the Christmas messages on line.

Sent birthday card to grandson last year and it got there a week after I did! Taking it with me this time

It hasn’t made any difference to me buying stamps but I do think it’s horrendous price. But I’ve found that I’ve lost few people along the way who have died. And few others that are just sending texts

I buy stamps on Ebay.
Royal Mail employees are given a sheet of 1st class Christmas Stamps as a bonus and many sell them on Ebay at a bargain price. I got some for 77p each.

Privatisation is working really well isn't it.

I will send WhatsApp messages to family and friends, a couple of days before Christmas Day

I have cut back by about two - l posted 38 this morning and have two more to post. Last week, four were sent overseas to family living abroad. In addition to this, l give out probably forty more by hand. I like charity cards, but buy nearly all of them after Christmas in the sales ready for the following year. All posted second class and this is expensive enough. How is £1.65 for a first class stamp justified? I agree that it is certainly not a first class service. At the end of October, I posted a birthday card with an Amazon voucher inside for my nephew’s birthday. I posted it first class as l was more disorganised than usual and had left it until the last minute. My nephew finally received it almost a month after his birthday. We live about eighty miles apart. Utterly disgraceful.

@Pittcity, that is a great tip. I will look on eBay for stamps in the future.

Where practical, I’ll deliver by hand. However, due to the increased cost of postage I’ve reduced the number of cards posted, as have so many of our friends. We always send WhatsApp messages to one another. 🎄🎄🎄