I'm thrilled to be on the list of Just Posts again for November. Thrilled. Especially because while I nominated one of my own posts (yes, that's kosher), a second of my posts also made the list. The whole list is at Mad's and at Jen's. Check out the many voices of conscience.In the past month, since I wrote a Blog Action Day post about the environment, I've been on a junk mail rampage. If there's a postage paid return envelope, I return the address panel marked "REMOVE FROM LIST". If there's no envelope, but there is a fax number, I fax back the address panel, marked in the same way. If I have to, I resort to using the web or (horrors) the telephone. I've faxed back 62*. I didn't keep track of the phone/mail/internet removal requests, but maybe there were another twenty.
But I have a new outlet for my crankiness. My mother-in-law told me about a website where you can enter your name (and variants) and decline various catalogues. I don't know if it'll work, but it feels like a pro-active thing to do. So I declined five yesterday.
*Yes, I kept them in a pile and counted them yesterday before I threw them out - I'm some kind of a crazy person.
I've been using Catalog Choice for a couple of weeks now and like it very much. So easy to use. (In fact, I reviewed it.)
ReplyDeleteI signed up for the "no junk mail" thing about a year ago. It kind of works, but I think that if you've ever been a customer of a company, they're still allowed to mail to you. We still get COUNTLESS credit card offers and magazines that we ordered from, even if it was years ago. Overall, it didn't make a huge dent in my junk mail, but I think it's worth the effort.
ReplyDeleteThe other thing I did was make all of my bills automatic or pay over net. Even my utility companies offer that service now, so we get NO paper bills in the mail at all. It makes bill paying easier, and there are no envelopes/fliers to recycle.
That's awesome! I need to get on the ball with that better. I shred and recycle but I think I toss 95% of what arrives in my mail box.
ReplyDeleteIt's the credit card stuff I want stopped.
That's so out of control and in more than one way.
Julie
Using My Words
Thanks for sharing the Catalog Choice link. I've been falling behind in my resolutions to cancel catalogs, and that should help.
ReplyDeleteA little over a year ago, I had a bit of a fraud incident relating to a credit card account I'd never opened. I reported the fraud, and as an unexpeted benefit, I was automatically opted out of credit card offers for something like 6 months. I need to do that again. (Well, sign up for the opt out. Hopefully minus the fraud bit.)
i am trying to cut down on the catalogs, too. threw 4 away today before they even made it through the door of the house!
ReplyDeleteI need to try that. We get an obscene number of catalogues (um, diamonds? do they not know we're a single income family?). I have days when I recycle the entire contents of my mailbox without even looking at it.
ReplyDeleteI do the online bill thing, too -- I think we get maybe one paper bill a month.
(Guilty admission) I do call to get them to stop sending duplicate catalogs, but catalogs make me happy. I will even take the unwanted ones my neighbors toss in the ground-floor recycle basket.
ReplyDeleteObviously, I've got to take action. I get way too many, especially from the big conglomerates.
ReplyDeleteBlogHer has the ads for Green Dimes right now - 15 bucks and they'll do the legwork to get you pulled from most everything.
ReplyDeleteI just read Respect and Old age. Yes, it was a Jut Post.
ReplyDeleteIt made me cry.
awhile back J sat through a stack of catalogs and called every single one and took us off the list. patience of a jedi, that man.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I never get catalogues...why aren't I special too? Waaaaaaah.
ReplyDeleteOf course, I never ever mail order shop either. Anyway, congrats on the just post!