Junk Mail. We all get it. We all hate it. Here are just a few ways to stop it from taking over your mailbox (if you have more tips, let us know):
• Write to the Direct Marketing Association: Mail Preference Service, PO Box 643, Carmel, NY 10512
• Or register online ($5 fee)
• Call the Equifax / Trans Union / Novus / Experian credit bureaus at 888.567.8688 and tell them you don't want unsolicited credit offers
• Call the phone number on any catalogs and tell them you want to be taken off their list -- or write a letter stating that you want your name removed, and include the catalog address label
I got the exact same recording from OPTOUT and EQUIFAX/et al. I went ahead and did both. Maybe they use the same provider or something. Thanks for this info. I am so tired of unecessary paper.
Nojunk,
Oops, they're the same number. Fixed the post.
If I get some kind of junk offer, I take the free Business Reply envelope (first making sure there is no identifying information on it, like my name or address) and I stuff it full of other junk that I got in the mail. I'm talking bursting full so that I can hardly close the envelope. Then I send it back to the company at their expense via the pre-paid Business Reply envelope. See how they feel getting all that junk in the mail.
mali, that sounds evil....and I like it.
I've also been doing the fill-postage-paid-envelope-full-of-crap technique. But don't stuff it so full such that it'll clog the postage machine. Then we (as taxpayers) pay for it rather than the direct mail company.
Thanks Emily, that is great advice. I definitely don't want to defeat the purpose!
i'm not sure of the rules of the US Postal service, but I will often cross out my address on the junk mail and write RETURN TO SENDER above it and throw it in a mail box. That seems to do the trick for me here in Canada.
Add a few lead fishing weights, or pack a zip lock back with sand to add some weight to it;) Adds to the mailing cost.