When I go to the mailbox to gather the daily mail and bring it into the kitchen and plop it down, it feels like I have that familiar mailroom job. Here is how we manage the daily mail onslaught in our home.
First, I situate myself directly above the mixed paper recycling bin. The catalogs that we like go in the browse later pile. The ones we are tired of getting, we rip off the back cover stick it with the bills and recycle the rest of the catalog. The junk mail disguised as personal letters get shredded and recycled. The bills go where bills go – into the To Do pile. The donation solicitations go into the bill stack if they are on our donation list and into the recycling if it is not. When it is time to pay the bills, we go to two online sites – our bank’s online bill pay site and Catalogchoice.org to opt-out of catalogs.
On on the rare occasion, we get a personal letter – we read and savor it. In our family, we can always count on Aunt Georgia to send a personal card at birthday time.
So, how do you do manage all that unsolicited mail?
This is a one-time registry (like the “Do Not Call” list) and has been VERY effective in slowing junkmail to a trickle. I’m especially glad to be off most credit card solicitations, which always require the extra step of shredding.
Maybe I missed something. What is a one time registry? I’d like very much to get our address off the credit card solicitation list…we get these not only for ourselves, but for our children (we have 5). They don’t even live here any more, but as soon as they went off to college, we were drowning in these. We get them daily. Plenty of duplicate offers.
Jo: Catalog Choice is not a one time registry. You have to opt-out of each catalog you do not want to receive. Check out http://www.proquo.com to get off of other mailing lists.
To get rid of credit card offers contact one of the 3 credit reporting companies and tell them you want to opt out. The request will be sent to the other 2 credit reporting companies.
Hi Again-
I had a feeling I filled out the form wrong last time — here is the website to eliminate junkmail: http://dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailinglist. They now charge $1 for the service (a bargain!). There’s also a link to http://www.optoutprescreen.com which eliminates the credit card offers (this service is free) Sorry for the lack of info earlier!
My Last entry on this topic: Thank you, Chuck, for the http://www.proquo.com website. I just checked it out and I think you’ve found the mother-of-all opting out websites.
I am so weary of the mountain of catalogs received each day. My sister-in-law sent me the link to CatalogChoice and I am so grateful!
I would probably have half the mail if I could get rid of the Church of Scientology. Nearly a third of my junk mail is that one group.
if I get unsolicited offers that include a postage free envelope, I circle my name and address with a don’t not send again note, then tear everything up, including the original envelope, put it into the postage free envelope and return it..free.
I started keeping a paper bag on the floor next to my seat at the kitchen table so I can immediately dump all unwanted mail in it for recycling – that’s really made the processing much more efficient. I have to remember when ordering something, to ask for my name and info not to be sold.
You know the little box to click (or unclick) when placing orders, that indicates if you would rather NOT receive email promotions? I have YET to have a company honor that little request. How can you hold them to it? What good does it do to ask them not to send you stuff, and why do they even bother to ask when they don’t respect the answer? OK so it is email instead of paper catalogs, but irritating none the less, and more proof that they don’t care about our opinions.