How to Save Money at the Post Office

Trips to the post office can eat you up. What used to be pennies are now closer to fives and tens each time you go. Are there really any decent ways to save money? There really are--if you know the secrets.

Instructions

Don't Waste Your Money, Time or Gas

1. Save by only going to the post office when you really need to. Often you can buy your ordinary stamps at the grocery store, super store or department store you're already going to. Ask wherever you go if they sell stamps and then, wherever you go, you'll know the closest place to get them.

2. Save by not overspending in the first place. Next time you do a bulk mailing of party invitations, informal thank you cards or open house invites, send them with postcards instead of invitations with envelopes. They are much cheaper and they come in a variety of really nice styles. You can get them online, at the post office (where they'll cost more), at office supply stores and even some department stores. You can also make your own with a decent quality card stock. Print a favorite photo on one side and then scan the back of an unused post card for the back or just hand write the back. If you're artsy, draw the front and scan it to make it really personal. You'll save a great deal. Make the postcard a normal sized card--If you go too far outside the normal size limits, you'll pay extra.

3. Save again by stocking up. There's no need to worry that when you stock up on stamps you'll have to add those ugly one-centers because the price has gone up again. Buy the forever stamps that the post office now offers. Even if there's a price increase your stamps will still be good. The best time to stock up on these is, of course, right before a price hike. Buy what you can afford and--for a while at least--you'll have paid less than everyone else.

4. Save on insurance. Very seldom is it worth the cost to pay for insurance on a package. If you're sending something that really has a high value, then buy the insurance. If you're mailing your best friend the last three novels you just read, skip it. It's a big money waster most of the time. Never put anything sensitive in the mail like a manuscript, a will or an insurance inventory that you don't have a copy of. It's just not smart--even if it's insured it may be impossible or nearly so to duplicate. Make copies and skip the insurance as it's wisdom to always have two copies of such papers anyway.

5. Use registered mail only for things you really need it for. This is the service offered where the person you're sending something to has to sign for it in order to receive it. This is important when you need absolute legal proof that they received it. No one can tell you that they didn't get your payment or your letter so you are covered legally. Use this only when you really need that kind of proof--there's a charge for getting it to the addressee and another charge to provide you with proof that they got it.

6. Ask yourself if you really need something to get there overnight or if two day delivery would do just as well. There is a huge difference in cost between overnight mail and priority mail which almost always guarantees two day delivery. You can pay three times as much for delivery that's one day sooner--but is it really necessary to do that? If it isn't, you just saved a bundle.

7. Send all things that can be constituted media by media mail. It's slow but dependable. It may take two or three weeks in rare cases to arrive but if you mail early enough, what difference does that make? When you mail books, tapes, CDs, DVDs and computer games or magazines be sure to ask for media mail. They will ask you exactly what's in the box, so be sure that that's all you have inside. If they find out otherwise, you have broken some heavy laws, so be smart and only use this legitimately. It's not unusual for boxes to break and their contents to spill out.

8. Save with free boxes and envelopes. Who knew that the post office gave away anything? Now you do. If you want to ship anything priority mail, save a little on the shipping by getting free boxes, mailers and envelopes. Stock up on a few of each when you go so you'll have them on hand. You can't scratch out or cover the priority mail writing and use it for anything else. Unless the entire box is covered--which the post office now discourages people from doing--they will charge you priority shipping costs if something is packaged in their mailers.

9. Save with flat shipping rates. Everything you can stuff into a priority box--regardless of weight will be a flat rate depending on the size of the box. Sometimes, if your package is heavy, this is actually cheaper than having to weigh the contents and pay that way. So do your homework and see what is the cheapest way to go.

10. Spend a little to save a lot. If you mail frequently, invest in a small postal scale--or any kind of scale that measures ounces. Then you can go online to the USPS site and determine which is the most efficient and cost effective way to go. If you mail out all the time, you should look into a mailing service. You pay a flat fee to belong and then you can print labels and postage yourself. You save a great deal with most of them on delivery confirmation which provides proof that what you sent was delivered on time to the correct address (if not, the fault is with the post office and not you). These are only a good deal if you mail things heavier than a letter all the time. An added bonus is that you can walk into any post office and just put your stuff on the counter and leave--with no more waiting in lines--which is wonderful at the holidays.

Tips & Warnings

• Get in the habit of weighing your own packages and then finding out the cheapest way before you go.

• Don't use media mail if you don't have any media in the package. Postal crime is a federal offense and certainly not worth the little bit of money you'd save.