The Governors of the US Postal Service have approved another hike in the price of a stamp, raising the cost of a First-Class Stamp from 39 cents to 41 cents. At the same time, they approved the issuance of the “forever” stamp.

The “forever” stamp will sell at the 41 cent one-ounce letter rate but will remain good regardless of any future price changes. The value of the “forever” stamp will always be the one-ounce letter rate, and can be used on any future one-ounce letter mailing without extra postage even if the rate has increased.

If you still write letters and send them snail mail or if you still pay some or all of your bills by mail, this might be a no-brainer of an investment. The “forever” stamp costs the same as a regular postage stamp but will be good even if you use it ten years from now. Chances are you will still be paying bills ten years from now and it’s certain that the price of postage will go up in that time.

If you’re planning on remodeling your house to raise its market value, you’re less likely to recoup the cost of the improvements than you were a few years ago.

The reason is basically that the cost for making home improvements has risen faster than the degree to which those improvements raise the resale value of a home.

Before you launch into a remodeling project at your home, read the advice at Remodeling Online. They have regional maps and data with charts detailing cost vs. value of specific remodeling projects for various regions of the country.

For instance, in Massachusetts you can expect to recoup 79% of the cost of a deck addition but in Oregon you will recoup 91.1% of the project’s cost.

A lot of us stayed home this season and did most of our Christmas shopping without ever leaving our chairs. Online shopping was more popular this year than ever with Amazon recording its biggest day ever with $4 million in sales on December 11.

The season was disappointing for retailers though, so many are slashing post-holiday prices in an effort to make up the lost sales.

And as retailers further discount high-ticket items consumers will be out looking for presents for themselves. And, why not? There’s no better time to get a great deal on that luxury item you have wanted all year but resisted the urge to purchase. Post-season savings could even make it affordable.

Christmas is over. ‘Tis the season to be selfish.

Christmas morning will be a flurry of fancy wrapping, bows and ribbons flying, a symphony of “oooh”s and “aaahh”s, a festival of feel-good gift exchanging, a surfeit of festivities.

Then comes the sobering chill of January. No, I don’t mean the weather. I mean the bills. Suddenly the true cost of all this merry-making will start to arrive in the form of credit card bills and disappointingly low balances on checking account statements. Is it already too late?

It’s never too late to turn over a new leaf when it comes to your attitude towards finances, although at this time of year it may be more out of necessity than good planning.

If you haven’t made that budget with us yet, now is the time to do it. Finding the funds to pay off this extra debt may seem impossible, but if you are serious about repaying your holiday debt, you can do it.

Start with a few New Year’s Resolutions:

1. Make a budget and stick to it

2. Place a moratorium on your credit card spending, if you can’t afford it, don’t buy it

3. Be consistent about making payments towards credit card debt. If you are in over your head, contact creditors to make payment arrangements that could save your credit standing. Generally, it is best to pay off the highest interest debt first.

4. Start saving on luxury expenses you can do without. It may mean small sacrifices such as going without those morning coffee shop stops or making your lunch instead of eating out. Modify your cable TV choices – give up those premium channels and look into renting movies (or borrow them – even cheaper).