Be prepared to drop an extra 2 cents at the post office, as the price of a stamp rises today.

First-class postage now costs 44 cents for a one-ounce letter – for large envelopes, you’ll be dishing out 88 cents, and 28 cents for postcards.   The increase, according to U.S. Postal Service officials say the price hike is necessary to compensate for rising production costs.

If you were smart enough to load up on Forever Stamps – which cost 42 cents when introduced two years ago, but can be used no matter how much postage rises – this increase doesn’t affect you.