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Motivational Monday - Get Rid of Junk Mail

By Elizabeth Byrne

Real Estate Agent with Keller Williams Realty

May 30, 2011 12:36 PM

Get rid of junk mail. This is yet another suggestion by Joyce Meyer from her book "100 Ways to Simplify Your Life." I have been reading one chapter at a time, trying to apply each message as soon as I read it.

I don't know how much mail you receive, but I am overwhelmed by the amount of catalogs, coupons, credit card offers, etc.

It takes me almost half an hour each day to go through my mail. I check each piece of mail because I'm afraid a bill or something else of importance may be buried among the pile of advertisements.

How to reduce the amount of junk we receive each day? Start with throwing away all these catalogs you've been saving and never had time to look at. Next, call or email all companies that are sending those catalogs to you and tell them to stop.

And do you really need to subscribe to five magazines? How often do you have time to read just one magazine? Go through all piles you've accumulated and give them away - libraries are usually happy to take and recycle magazines and books.

Click on the Federal Trade Commission link to find out what else you can do to stop some of the annoying junk mail you receive.

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Will Hamm

Hamm Homes - Aurora, CO

"Where There's a Will, There's a Way!"

Hey Elizabeth, great points, i hate junk mail but I wonder if people consider the stuff I mail out junk? Have a good one, I need to get back to the grand kids!

May 30, 2011 12:48 PM

Cindy Westfall

Premiere Property Group,LLC Portland Metro & Suburbs Oregon - Tualatin, OR

ABR,GRI Your Tualatin & Portland Metro Real Estate

Hi Elizabeth, I get SO many of those pre-approved credit card things in the mail and they tend to pile up as I want to shred them instead of just throwing them in the recycle. Thanks for the link, I'm going to see if I can get myself removed from receiving these! Thanks!!

May 30, 2011 12:50 PM

Roy Kelley

Retired - Gaithersburg, MD

Good post. Currently, I have more problems with email spam than junk mail. I get hundreds of spam emails every day.

Sunday, May 29, 2011, walk through Kentlands. Canon PowerShot G11 camera. Photograph by Roy Kelley.

May 30, 2011 01:09 PM

Judy Klem

Transition Stage LLC - Shelton, CT

Home Staging, Senior Move Management, Fairfield/New Haven counties

Hi Elizabeth - Great post! I've slowly been letting my magazine subscriptions run out, as I find that I just don't have the time to read all of them anymore. And I now open my mail whiole standing or sitting near our recycling bag. There's just so much junk that I don't want to see more than once! Thanks for your great suggestions.

May 30, 2011 01:20 PM

Cindy Jones

Integrity Real Estate Group - Woodbridge, VA

Pentagon, Fort Belvoir & Quantico Real Estate News

Elizabeth-I'm slowing notifying catalog companies and their are some on-line companies you can contact that will also take your name off a large group of mailing lists at one time. Revenge is sweet though. Use the pre-paid envelops and mail the offers back to the companies shreeded. At least you've made them spend their money getitng their own junk mail back :-)

May 30, 2011 01:36 PM

Kristine Ginsberg

Elite Staging and Redesign, LLC - Short Hills, NJ

NJ Home Stager

Elizabeth - this is something I really need to do! As I stand over the garbage and throw out piles of junk mail I think, how many trees do we kill with stuff we will never read. I need to take the time to call the companies that send me all their catalogs and ask them to take me off their list. I have to do the same with junk email - I get over 50 a day! Great advice and I'm going to take it!

May 30, 2011 01:56 PM

Lloyd Binen

Certified Realty Services - Saratoga, CA

Silicon Valley Realtor since 1976; 408-373-4411

Hello, Ditto to what Will in #1 and Kristine in #6 said.

I just stand over our paper recycling bin and drop in nearly everything except bills and Realtor's junk mail. Yes, lots of trees. I like to look at competitor's junk mail. Saratoga residents sort paper and other recyclables; probably every place does.

There is a way to "opt out" of bulk mail, but I'm not sure how. I do bulk mailings and some records show "no mail" for the mailing address. So these people opted-out somehow.

May 30, 2011 02:33 PM

Bob "RealMan" Timm

Ward County Notary Services - Minot, ND

Owner of Ward Co Notary Services retired RE Broker

My junk mail goes right to the shredder. I scan any magazines at breakfast and they go right into the recycle bin knowing I will never find the time to return to them.

May 30, 2011 04:07 PM

Lloyd Binen

Certified Realty Services - Saratoga, CA

Silicon Valley Realtor since 1976; 408-373-4411

I've done a little research for you and your readers, Elizabeth. The following is copied and pasted from the FTC website:

Mail

The Direct Marketing Association's (DMA) Mail Preference Service (MPS) lets you opt out of receiving unsolicited commercial mail from many national companies for five years. When you register with this service, your name will be put on a "delete" file and made available to direct-mail marketers and organizations. This will reduce most of your unsolicited mail. However, your registration will not stop mailings from organizations that do not use the DMA's Mail Preference Service. To register with DMA's Mail Preference Service, go to www.dmachoice.org, or mail your request with a $1 processing fee to:

DMAchoice
Direct Marketing Association
P.O. Box 643
Carmel, NY 10512

May 30, 2011 04:44 PM

Rose King

David Tracy Real Estate - Friendswood, TX

Friendswood / Pearland / Houston Bay Area

I hate getting so many credit card offers - 2 or 3 each day! I just tear them up and trash them, and I feel bad about the waste of natural resources. But...each piece of junk mail helps keep a printing company in business, and helps keep the US Postal Service limping along....so I guess junk mail is not a total waste. Still, I hate it.

May 30, 2011 04:44 PM

Bruce Walter

Keller Williams Realty Lafayette/West Lafayette, Indiana - West Lafayette, IN

Hi Elizabeth, I do recycle all the junk mail, but not before shredding anything that could lead to identity theft.

I won a battle with Capital One, and it only took about eight months. I would use their prepaid envelope and send back their entire junk mail each time with a note asking them to please NOT send me anymore mailing. Someone finally came to their senses when they found how much it was costing them in return postage.

May 30, 2011 04:53 PM

Aida Pinto

Independent Real Estate Broker - Los Angeles, CA

Real Estate Broker (562) 884-6196

Hi Elizabeth.....Would love it if you join and post to my new group: Keeping Life Simple http://activerain.com/groups/KeepingLifeSimple this post would fit in just right!

May 30, 2011 07:42 PM

Gary Coles (International Referrals)

Venture Realty International - Las Vegas, NV

Latin America Real Estate

Elizabeth, My biggest problem is junk email. It seems like there is more spam every day. If you know any suggestions on getting a handle on the email type of junk mail please let us know.

May 31, 2011 04:12 PM

Roy Kelley

Retired - Gaithersburg, MD

Anxious to see your new posts. Have a great weekend.

Blooming for you!

Jun 18, 2011 01:17 AM

Kelly Wuthrich

Silvercreek Realty-Eagle, Meridian, Boise, Kuna, Star~IDAHO - Eagle, ID

Eagle & Meridian ID Real Estate

Thanks for the tips. i, too, am so sick of all the junk mail I receive. I have never taken the time to see what i can do to decrease it. Perhaps i will be motivated now.

Jul 18, 2011 06:46 AM

Roy Kelley

Retired - Gaithersburg, MD

Have a wonderful summer vacation.

Saturday morning, July 24, 2010, walk through Kentlands. Canon G11 camera. Photograph by Roy Kelley.

Jul 27, 2011 12:54 PM

Lynn B. Friedman CRS Atlanta, GA 404-617-6375

Atlanta Homes ODAT Realty - Love our Great City - Love our Clients! Buckhead - Midtown - Westside - Atlanta, GA

Concierge Service for Our Atlanta Sellers & Buyers

Dear Elizabeth,
Hope your year is going well and that you are very busy with the family and RE! Thinking of you ...
Have a happy day-
Lynn

Sep 24, 2011 10:05 PM

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