Are you tired of getting inundated with junk in your mailbox? Are you having to recycle more mail than you open?
Not only is this a nuisance, but it could cause you to miss something important in the shuffle. Here are some tips to reduce the amount of unwanted mail you’re receiving.
First, go right to the source of most unwanted mail, DMA Choice (formerly the Direct Marketing Association), at dmachoice.thedma.org. These are the folks who collect and sell consumer addresses. It’s here that you can opt-out for a very small fee (currently $2). Another of these list brokers is Valassis Direct Mail. You can send them a letter with your full name and address requesting to “opt-out” and “not to sell, lend or trade your name and address.” They can be reached at Consumer Assistance, PO Box 249, Windsor, CT 06095.
If you’re getting promotions or other offers, you can “return to sender” if it’s first-class mail. For things like requests for charitable donations, you can call them and request that they only contact you once per year, or consider donating online to your favorite charity. Finally, be smart about who you share your address with. Avoid filling out internet surveys, contest entries, or unnecessary warranty cards. These will all lead to more mail.
A quick word about email junk… Consider having an email address just for marketing things and another that you’ll monitor more closely for important communications, like use with your financial institutions, your advisors, and logins to medical websites. We live in the digital age, so it makes sense to embrace that fact and not ignore emails that may contain something we need to know or may get value from.
If you found this information useful, please join me in spreading the word to others it might help. Thank you!