apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

yeah I've always been a mail dumper and it is shocking how quickly it piles up. I've adopted a new policy that really has helped- I sort mail out in the mail room and dump junk mail and ads in the handily provided recycling bin before I go up to my apartment. It makes it easier to keep track of important mail and keeps paper clutter out of my space.

Does anyone have tips on eliminating junk mail? I wish the government would somehow start to look at regulating this. I am avidly trying to rid my mailbox of catalogs using the catalogchoice website, but so far that isn't working for me either. I have yet to find a way to deal with all the other "offers" I get in the mail.

i wish my office looked as clutter free as this photo. my problem is more with filing, then true junk.

there are any number of on-line advice sites which are very helpful to stay off/ get off junk lists.

http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs4-junk.htm#getofflist

there is also a national petition to stop junk mail, just as there was for the stop telemarketing movement.

if you are a catalog buyer, you'll have more trouble, but calling those you buy from and explicitly stating your preferences may help.

finally if a mailer just won't listen, hit them back. return their mail in any pre-enclosed postage-paid envelope. glue the postage paid envelope to a brick, a la abbey hoffman.

we also treat our mail as a two stop process. first stop recycling bin, then upstairs.

I've been using Green Dimes for about 5 months now and there's been a noticeable difference. They even took care of my catalog problem. You can use their resources free and do the screening yourself or pay them to do it. I pay them. Yes, it's a small fee ($20 a year) but I don't have to worry about it and they planted 5 trees on my behalf.

My apartment building has a small trash can near the mailboxes to toss anything we don't want in before heading to our apartments. I usually toss the adds and things like that that can be tossed easily, the credit card solicitations (which I'm not getting as many now as I had been getting) I take upstairs along bills and stuff as those I want to open and shred.

However, they tend to end up in a pile on the floor by the desk until I get around to it and then it's a matter of a few minutes opening and running through the shredder. I just don't get to it on a daily, or weekly basis though.

I have another pile of stuff that needs to be filed and my inbox on the desk is also full (inbox as is to be filed).

My desk is a mess at the moment though not as bad as it can get at times.

ugh. Yesterday I tackled the pile of envelopes stacked on my table. I made the phone calls to answer whatever issues (initializing use of a card, follow up with the insurance company, etc.) tossed stuff on the shred pile, and in the recycle bin -- and when I was done -- the stack was right back at the corner of the table. I wanted to cry!

I think because those things need to be filed - and I don't have a proper filing system. Plus... my big closet where I hide things is stuck closed. Wah!!

I have a wastebasket next to my credenza in the hall - as soon as I see something incoming that doesn't deserve further attention, it goes straight into the trash for later recycling.

What are the "curtains?"

Just for fun...I read about a lady who mails her checks to pay her utility bills, and sends back all of the "junk" stuff that comes with the bills. Another one who "return to senders" EVERYTHING junk, forcing the source to deal with it...

I too belong to Green Dimes. I just enrolled and opted for free. I have not belonged long enough to say how it is working but will let you know as the free vs $20 will be interesting.
I love the idea of sending the "junk filler" back with the checks, will do that today when doing bills.

I love the neatness of the office and have a very similar looking room and think we will give it a go this weekend.

Thanks for the ideas!

I needed an inexpensive piece, and the lobby for my 2 flat is very arts and crafts, so I bought a piece from, brace yourself . . . Home Decorators. As much as I believe in quality and buying vintage whenever possible, this has proven to be the ideal solution and has 2 baskets for junk mail. I typically don't follow my own rules, so no surprise.

http://www.homedecorators.com/P/Craftsman_Two-Drawer_Console_with_Wicker_Baskets/540/

T8
www.strangeclosets.com
When design takes priority, the result is often strange closets.

hey t8--do you REALLY think it's necessary to post your blog every time you post a comment on a.t.? i think it's pretty cheeky of you, and indicates that--brace yourself--home decorators is way too classy for people like you.

how about this: you put your little blog address in your profile, and if anyone thinks your responses are interesting and insightful enough to merit further investigation, they'll track you down through your profile page. other than that, maybe you should consider buying an ad.