Reducing Junk Mail

When I receive junk mail with a postage-paid envelope included, I take the time to tear off the part of the page that has my name and address printed on it. This is usually the top third of a page, which will have enough info on it to identify the mailing. Then I write on it, in bold lettering, "Remove from mailing list". Then I seal it in the post-paid envelope and mail it back to the sender.

I've done this for a long while, and I can assure you that it has considerably reduced the amount of junk mail that I receive. Only occasionally will a sender ignore my request, and if they persist, I send them back the entire mailing, including the envelope it came in. The theory being that it makes them pay more for the return, and gets the attention of whoever opens the mail, making it harder to ignore my request.

If there isn't a post-paid envelope, I look for a toll-free number and make a phone call to get off the mailing list. This works especially well with unwanted catalogs. If I don't have time to make the call right away, I put it in my "To Call" file, and make a string of calls, when I do have the time. (With catalogs, I tear off the back cover, which has the pertinent address info on it, so I don't make my file too bulky by putting in the whole catalog.)

Just remember, the sooner you do it, the less junk mail you'll have coming in. Mailing lists get traded and sold, so junk mail tends to multiply, exponentially, over time. So, don't just trash it, nip it!

Taking these steps really takes very little time to do, in the moment, and pays off, in the long run. And it not only reduces the amount of junk mail that I have to deal with, but saves a lot of paper! I'm an avid recycler, so I know first-hand how much paper flows through my home, just from stuff that I choose to deal with.

I hope you'll try it and see for yourself how well it works.

By Merry Couponer from Missouri Ozarks