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Coupons or no, it's a perfectly wasteful use of resources - and for those times when the power goes out, it might be worthwhile to keep handy a list of "Emergency Phone Numbers", like the list Mom made for the babysitters when we were kids...

What also drives me crazy are the ads that get shoved in my mailbox every other day - You know the ones w/ the ads for Jennifer Convertibles and the local Oil-Change service? They go straight from my mailbox into the recycling bin in the lobby without a second glance...

You know, I've never really thought about it, but paper phone books are a HUGE waste of paper. And really, who ever uses them anymore? That's what the internet is for! ;-)

Call me paranoid, but I keep a phone book - and a land line - around for emergencies. If the big one hits and the power goes down for a few days, not only will I be able to call 911 without worrying about overloaded cell towers, but I'll still be able to order Chinese from that one hardcore takeout place that takes advantage of everyone's useless refrigerators to make a profit. ;)

If you call the phone directory services, you can ask them to remove your name from the list. All my neighbors end up recycling it immediately. I told them to opt-out, but they are lazy and wasteful. I opted out of all junk mail newspapers. I just looked for the tiny phone number on the paper, and called. It takes 6 weeks to kick in, but it is worth it. There are also services that can remove you from junk mailing lists like GreenDimes.

http://www.greendimes.com/

My phone book is useless; I can never find the number I want and often have to call Directory Assistance anyway. Case in point: my phone book has listings for theaters three towns away, but not the two theaters within the city limits, and mysteriously has no listing for a popular restaurant that has been open for years.

bepsf - You can legally force junk mailers to stop bothering you (http://www.junkbusters.com/junkmail.html). Issuing prohibitory orders (post office form 1500, available online) against junk mailers can even result in the offenders being criminally prosecuted if they refuse to stop. (The law was created to help stop sexually oriented advertisements from being sent to people who find them offensive, but the Supreme Court has ruled that the individual gets to decide what is and is not a pandering advertisement, so you can file orders against ANY junk mailer.) I've filed several lately and am amazed by how blissfully empty my mailbox is.

I use the internet, but I use the phone book too. It's a great resource for many things. Sometimes to just peruse and see what's out there in the community.

I haven't used a phone book in years. Ours goes directly from our front porch to the recycling bin. I finally opted out of the book last time they distributed them. I still ended up getting one, I believe they use temporary help to deliver them and they would rather drop one at every house than check against the list.

Back in 1992 I visited Paris and they had long done away with phone books and given every residence a low-tech computer to look up numbers and other things like train schedules. This was before the internet, mind you, but very progressive and forward thinking. I live in NYC where they still leave packages of phone books (I think there are even two versions of competing yellow pages) on the main floor of apartment buildings, but I don't think anyone takes them. Sometimes a couple are pried loose to be used as a doorstop. I haven't used a phone book in years.

phone books have.....coupons? huh.

At least a couple weeks ago, there was a block of phone books in the lobby, and I had wanted to find a shop I looked up online near Harvard Square but not sure which side street to head up... since I can't print at home, I thought maybe the maps in the front would be useful, but they were essentially too vague: A few corners of Boston Metro broken down by major highway, nothing to navigate streets at the walking level. Oh well. I think the internet does an ok job of most stuff, don't need a big block of paper not to look at.

Oh yeah, and phone books and coupons: tend to be pizza places nowhere near me, and free car washes with purchase of 10 car washes. Not valuable.

I wrapped mine (like a present) in woodgrain contact paper and it is now a booster seat for my son. I can just wipe it clean and he can reach the table.

Our UK yellow pages don't contain any vouchers at all. Despite opting out a few years ago, I still continue to get them delivered. I'm guessing this is because they are normally delivered by teenagers who don't bother to check the lists of who has opted out. Mine goes straight into the recycling bin.

It's good to see we're still boosting our young 'uns up on the phone book. I'd forgotten about that. Speaking of recycling, it's probably a good thing to keep around for packing packages. I sometimes will grab a free paper or two, I prefer not to, but I don't do that much shipping anyways. Snag a free phone book and use it for wrapping and packing presents or ebay things or whatever you ship.

I'm not opposed to a phone book, but I've gotten 4 this January! And they're all from different companies! Stop with the competition! I don't think anyone needs 4, and that is a huge waste.

I recycled 2, donated one to my work (which doesn't have the internet) and kept one for emergencies.

Phone books are really good for pressing autumn leaves in (and storing them). Other than that, yeah, pretty useless.

Stilletto - You bring up a good point about stopping the junk mailings, and I suppose it would be effective for single family homes or smaller apartment houses...

...but I live in a 100 unit building - the phonebooks and junk that we get aren't even individually addressed to us, it's just randomly tossed in from the stack that the mailman has to drag into our lobby.

I would ask the building management to help do something about it - but there are a great many senior residents here too, most of whom I rather doubt have computers much less internet access so I guess they're still useful for those folks.

Phone books are great for ripping in half with your bare hands. Think I'm kidding? Go to YouTube and find out how. It's easier than you think. Amaze and terrify your friends!

I was hoping this would be an article about all the awesome things we can make out of our phone books.

If you live in a small-ish town (less than 200,000 pop. for my reference) a phone book is still very useful. Not all businesses have internet listings, and a phone book advertisement can provide more information about a particular business than the internet does.

Our phone books don't have coupons but this year they printed a second version especially for use in the car. It has all the listings at half the size. I use the book and internet equally and at the end of the year the old books get torn apart for art projects and mulch for my garden.

I was waiting for our phone books specifically for those Rainbow grocery coupons!

The main reason that phone books may not have the phone numbers you want listed is usually the business's faults because a. they didn't register their business address & phone number with the secretary of state, or b. they didn't purchase a listing or ad in the phone book.
Most times, directory assistance is based off the white pages numbers listed that have been established with the state, or purchased, not what is in the yellow pages.
In cities, phone books aren't as useful, unless you have a neighborhood directory, but in small towns, believe me, they get their use!

I completely agree with mischief7. I moved last year to a town of less than 100,000, and I use the phone book all the time. Many small businesses can't be found online, and I have used the book to find the post office, dry cleaner, vet & groomer for my cat, pharmacy, etc. It is so much faster than going online. Just open the book, and let your fingers do the walking...

WASTE. Thats why we have iPhones and the internet. Its a shame.