Do you get tons of junk mail everyday? Do you want to eliminate some of it? I dislike junk mail for several reasons (besides the obvious…that it’s junk):
- Junk mail wastes resources (paper to print and gas to deliver).
- Junk mail wastes my time, even though it’s ultimate destination is my trash…I still have to sort through it.
- Credit card applications sitting in my mailbox could be an identity theft hazard.
- If you have a problem with debt, it may be too tempting to receive credit card applications in the mail.
- Catalogs waste lots of paper.
- Catalogs are like window shopping…you may be tempted to buy something you don’t need just because you saw it.
There is a way to eliminate much of your junk mail. It’s a free service called, ProQuo. They claim they have saved over 25 million pounds of junk mail waste in 2008, which is the equivalent of 64 jumbo jets. You choose which marketing companies you want to eliminate (so you can continue to get the coupons in your mail), they give you information on how to stop the credit card offers through the credit companies, and you can manage your catalog subscriptions, so they quit coming.
I signed up last summer through them, and I barely get any junk mail (except for the coupons, which I allow to come). I have not gotten a credit card offer for as long as I can remember. I still need to sign up some of my catalogs (you have to enter some info about each catalog), but I plan on doing that soon. Otherwise, my way of avoiding temptation is to send it directly to the recycling pile. I’d rather they never printed it to begin with.
Reducing junk mail works for me. For more ideas that work for others, visit Rocks in My Dryer.
Photo courtesy of lizerixt at stock.xchng
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I didn’t know this service is available. Saves time and the environment. Great tip!
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Thank you so much! I cant stand all that junk mail! And I agree totally about the credit card apps being a potential identity theft hazard. My husband looked at me with a puzzled look in his eyes when I didnt want to just toss them – but shred them
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This is great. Thanks so much! I am a boy mom too.
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Hey, Great website!
Keep up the good work!
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Great idea! I shudder at the thought of all the trees that had to die to become junk mail.
Besides:catalogs make me want things, I don’t really need.
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Thank you so much!! We just moved into a new house and get an absurd amount of junk mail.
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Sometimes if the mood is right or wrong… I shouldn’t admit this, but sometimes I mail all of the junk (without my name) to the sender in their postage paid envelope. I haven’t done that in a long, long time, but have in the past.
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Thank you for sharing this. Over half of my mail is junk. I hate having to shred my address info everytime I get something I don’t want. I have to check out this site.
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If you are also tired of having those free papers thrown in your driveway try http://www.stopfreepapers.org. It is a free service that helps you stop the papers from being delivered.
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