Good thing you sent out the Christmas cards this month. Stamp prices are going up 2 to 3 cents on Jan. 8.

The U.S. Postal Service is raising mailing prices across the board for both domestic and international mail.

The stamp price for a standard letter will jump from 37 to 39 cents, according to a news release from the Postal Service. The 39-cent stamps are already available. People can also buy 2-cent stamps so they can use their remaining 37-cent stamps, said Jim Quirk, a Postal Service spokesman.

The cost to send a 2-ounce letter will rise from 60 to 63 cents. Postcard stamps will go up from 23 to 24 cents, the news release said.

Packages will also cost more.

A 1-pound-or-less Priority Mail package or a flat rate envelope will increase 20 cents to $4.05. The Priority Mail flat rate box will jump up from $7.70 to $8.10.

The price to send Express Mail packages will increase 75 to 95 cents.

The rate changes stem from a federal requirement placed on the Postal Service to establish a $3.1 billion escrow account, Quirk said.

The last rate increase took place in 2002, when stamps for a standard letter went up from 34 to 37 cents, according to the Postal Service.