Living Large Tip of the Week: Eliminating Junk Mail
Our Old Big Box
Someone once said that life is a journey not a destination.
The same can be said about eliminating unwanted junk mail from your life, it’s an ongoing process, but one so well worth it, both for space and the environment.
In a small home, everything that comes into the space has to have a place or it feels cramped and cluttered. This goes for mail as well.
Piling up the table with unwanted credit card offers and catalogs is not a good thing. For the past several years, we’ve been trying to eliminate the amount of junk mail that comes to Our Little House, a daunting task since we were also receiving mail for my deceased mother for a time.
It seems now is the season for new catalogs to arrive and we’ve been getting credit card offers in droves again.
We have accomplished eliminating about 90 percent of our unwanted mail by doing these three things:
- Catalog Choice: This is my favorite website for eliminating unwanted catalogs. It just seems easier than calling the companies directly. Only if my opting out at Catalog Choice doesn’t work, will I call the companies.
- DMA: The Direct Mail Marketing Association gives you a 1-stop choice in opting out of credit card offers and other unwanted solicitations.
- Going paperless. I now receive almost all of my statements via email. The except to this are statements I need for my business. I just discovered two financial statements I had previously forgotten to opt out of via mail. Usually this only takes a click of your mouse on your bank or creditor’s website.
Have you thought about going green while also reducing the amount of junk mail that comes into your home? Any other tips?
This post is part of the Blogging Bee at Attainable Sustainable.
You set such a good example. I need to put more of these into practice. I could do more to eliminate the junk mail arriving in our mailbox.
I can’t stand it and it is such a waste.
One of the things I was struck with when I moved to NZ was the LACK of junk mail-and not just when I first got here. Nearly 8 years on now and I still rarely get any. It is delightful!
Another beautiful benefit of NZ! 🙂
Excellent info – thanks for the tips on getting rid of junk mail. Will visit those sites and start the NO-mail ball rolling.
Good for you, Jane! Let us know how it goes!
This is always a good reminder on how to get rid of junk mail. When the post office shuts down, we’ll no longer have to worry about this.
LOL, Heather. I don’t foresee the post office shutting completely down, although they’re ready to close many here in rural Arkansas.
What a good analogy between the journey/destination and the elimination of junk mail! As an aside, I also find, even with spam filters and opt-out lists, that my email junk mails elimination is also a journey!
Thanks, Merr. I agree with the email as well.
I tried signing up to get no catalogs several years ago. It worked, more or less. I guess I need to do it again. Thanks for providing the address!
You have to keep on it for sure, Alexandra!
Great tips. I’m switching my banking services over to paperless.
Good for you, I did ours this week!
My husband used to attach bricks to unwanted solicitation envelopes — especially from the Republican Party.
LOL!
I hate junk mail. These are great tips. Now… just to execute them!
It’s a process, Alisa. The DMA one only has to be done once, so that is easy. The Catalog Choice, I did once a week when I had a bunch. Now it is only a couple once a month.
Does anybody know how to get off nonprofits’ mailing lists. Every organization I’ve ever donated $20 to keeps me on their list forever. I have my favorite charities and am open to learning about others, but the way to reach me is not by sending me 500 return-address stickers!
Victoria,
The way to get removed from those is to call the number that comes with the mailers. I had to do this with dozens my mom was on too.
This is an issue I’m always frustrated with. Thanks for the great tips, which I shared on facebook since I know others who hate this too!
Thanks, Melanie. I hope you do find them useful and thank you for sharing them!
This doesn’t save paper, but it has been reducing my time at the computer. I’ve been making it a habit to unsubscribe to every single email I do not want. It has really reduced the number of things in my inbox. I feel so much less stress opening the program and seeing 30 emails instead of 60 to go through.
Time savers = stress savers!
This is a good reminder to get these things done, before the onslaught of holiday catalogs and other offers. My mailbox is often filled to the brim…ugh.
Since it takes about 90 days to stop catalogs, you may not get them stopped in time for this year, but it will make you feel great next year, Sheryl!
I don’t know if it would work, Judy. Those typically go to an ordering processing center and those workers have to go through a certain amount for every hour. They probably just toss them. Better to sign up at DMA, possibly call the company to get yourself removed and recycle the paper. 🙂
When you get offers that include stamped return envelopes, stuff everything you can that’s junk mail into them and send them back. This will help out our postal service (which is in trouble now), and get rid of all the junk mail too!! AND it just might stop them from sending the junk (hope hope).