Wedding and Taxes

Just when you think you have your budget under control, BAM! Something completely random smacks you upside your head.

It all started when Mr. PaC and I found our ideal honeymoon destination: Little Dix Bay. We had our hearts set on LDB, but it was a bit more than we planned on spending. And so we hemmed and hawed for weeks... re-working the budget, making compromises or cutbacks where we could. Finally, we reached a comfort level with the cost and gave ourselves permission to put the remaining third on a no-interest rewards card. Brilliant!

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No sooner than we booked the airfare (which had risen $150/pp because of fuel) and paid our deposit, a fat envelope arrived from the IRS.

Going Postal

Our invitation suite was created with money-saving features in mind. One of those features is using postcards for both the wedding and rehearsal dinner RSVPs. Did you know it's cheaper to mail a 4x6 postcard (28 cents) than a first-class letter (44 cents)? That saves us 16 cents on every mailed piece, or about $16. Yes, I'd like to save money. Please!

Herbs - the new 29 cent stamp
Knowing that a rate increase is coming smack-dab in the middle of our RSVP return period, we planned to purchase the new 29 cent stamps. The last thing I need is all of the RSVPs marked insufficient postage and returned to sender. However, the stamps do not go on sale until April 7th, about two weeks after I wanted to mail the invitations.

Wait a minute Mr. Postman!

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Attention all brides who've not yet mailed invites!

On April 17th, postage rates will change. And they're not going down. Anything more than the standard 1 ounce letter will cost an additional 3 cents/ounce, which equates to an extra $3.00 minimum if you're mailing 100 invites. Be careful with those heavy invitations!

Brides sending out postcard STDs or RSVPS also take note: stamp prices for those items will go up 1 cent (to 29 cents). So just a mere dollar if you're sticking with the above example.

Canada and Mexico will run you 80 cents; all other international mail is still 98 cents.

Forever stamps are always an option, but the Liberty Bell doesn't ring my bell.

Would you push your invitation "release date" to save money on postage? Any anti-procrastination tips for this bride? (I really need to get crackin'!)