With the holiday season in full swing millions of people will be sending gifts through the mail in the coming weeks. With so many extra packages being sent during the season, carriers like UPS, FedEx and the U.S. Postal Service are suggesting certain deadlines to ensure gifts arrive before Christmas Day.

If you're like us, you've probably winced at postage costs that rival the actual price of what you're sending — and that's just for domestic shipping. Send something internationally? You might need to sit down when you see the price. But high costs aren ...