 Avoid the Avalanche of Unwanted Mail
You don't have to be buried under a mountain of mail!
How much time do you spend each day dealing with junk mail, catalogs, telemarketers and spam? Take a few minutes to cut them off at the source. This will free up some time and frustration as well as reducing wasted paper. The Native Forest Network reports that "44% of all junk mail ends up in the trash unopened and unread."
1) Deal with mail directly. Open your mail, toss and recycle immediately. If you find yourself recycling far too much
junk mail, contact the Direct Marketing Association's Mail Preference Service. You can do this online for a $1 fee at: www.dmaconsumers.org.
Alternatively,
you can register by US Mail for free. (It takes longer to process.) Include your name, home address and signature in a letter to:
Mail Preference
Service
Direct Marketing Association
PO Box 643
Carmel, NY 10512
Stop receiving mail that is addressed to "resident" or "occupant" through ADVO or call 1-888-241-6760.
2) Cancel magazines and catalogs. Do you receive magazines and catalogs that pile up and never get looked at? A good rule of thumb is this: If you haven't read a magazine before the next copy arrives, you just aren't that interested. Cancel your subscription.
There are three ways to eliminate excess catalogs:
- Call the 1-800 number from each catalog and ask to be removed from the mailing list.
- Write to:
Abacus
PO Box 1478
Broomfield, CO 80038
- or email optout@abacus-direct.com. Include your full name, current address and a note stating you no longer wish to receive unsolicited catalogs.
Try Catalog Choice, a free service that lets you decline paper catalogs that you no longer wish to receive.
If you really love a catalog, by all means keep it. Just discard the old copy when the new one arrives.
3) Shred pre-approved credit card applications, or opt out. I was getting a ridiculously high number of applications per week.
I called 1-888-567-8688. This stopped both credit card applications and insurance solicitations.
Another
option is to opt out online at: www.optoutprescreen.com In light of all of the instances
of identity theft, this could be a very important decision to make.
4) Full service opt-out. If you don't have time to make the calls, contact 41 pounds or Green dimes. They will do all of the legwork for you. They contact catalog companies on your behalf. They also eliminate those pesky occupant-resident mailings.
41pounds.org claims that the average adult receives 41 pounds of junk mail each year. Much of it goes into the dumpster unopened. They provide a service that eliminates 80-95% of all junk mail. The cost is $41. for five years.
Green Dimes. For a one-time $20. fee they will reduce junk mail by up to 90% and plant 10 trees on your behalf. They also offer a $36.00 Green dimes pack.
5) Cancel the paper. If you don't read the newspaper every day, don't buy it for the entire week. If you really only read it on the weekends, order accordingly.
6) Opt out of dinner interruptions. Make sure you are on the Do Not Call list. Call 1-888-382-1222 or register online.
7) Remove your name from commercial email lists here.
KAREN HENKE is a professional organizer and the owner of Come2Order. With a collection of 17 years work experience in design, space planning and organization, she now helps others come to order. |
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