Do you ever get something with a postage stamp (or stamps) attached that you know you are not going to mail back? Do you ever try to peel off the stamps to use on something else? I hate to admit it, but I have. It's easier these days with the peel-and-stick stamps as opposed to the old lick-and-stick kind, though some of the old style weren't fully moistened when they were put on, so they came off fairly easily. It takes patience to get a stamp off fully intact. The stamp is never an even amount for first class postage, but every little bit of thrift helps. And they're good for adding on extra postage needed.
When my mother died she left a collection of stamps almost worthy of a philatelist. It's been 10 years since her death, and I still have some of her "stash" left. She was on every charity mailing list imaginable, though she sent donations to only a few. She kept greeting cards of all kinds that were sent with donation requests, but I never knew her to use one. She almost always wrote on her personalized note sheets ("From the Desk of Margaret Earle" or "Just a (music note)"). Her Christmas cards were always original. I don't remember the stamps she used. I think she bought them by the 100's. She went to the post office every day, even after she retired, so having correct postage to mail something was never a problem.
Now that the Postal Service has come up with the "Forever Stamp" we don't have to worry as much about having to keep extra one or two-cent stamps on hand for postage increases. And fewer charities are sending out pre-stamped reply envelopes. Oh, well. It was nice while it lasted. As Benjamin Franklin said, "A penny saved is a penny earned."
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