6 Steps to Eliminate Junk Mail

by Tina on August 31, 2010

What happens when you throw all your Junk Mail straight into the trash or recycle bin? You keep getting all that Junk Mail and MORE… over and over again. You also increase your chances of becoming a victim of identity theft, and resources are wasted. Here are 6 Steps to Eliminate the Majority of your Junk Mail.

  1. Call (888) 5OPTOUT (888-567-8688) to opt-out of receiving firm offers for credit or insurance from all three major credit reporting agencies. You can opt back in at any time by calling the same number. But, why would you?  🙂
  2. Register online at https://www.dmachoice.org/dma/member/regist.action if you want to be taken off as many national mailing lists as possible. This is the Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA) Mail Preference Service (MPS). You get three years of freedom, and then you must re-register.
  3. Register online at  www.catalogchoice.org/ to reduce unwanted mail from specific companies and choose how you hear from brands. Woo hoo!
  4. If you receive any company’s Privacy Notice, always look it over, and make sure you follow their specific opt-out instructions. These only come from companies you are already doing business with. You can streamline how you handle these by following the next tip.
  5. Request removal from the solicitation lists of individual companies. Anytime you receive a piece of Junk Mail, instead of throwing it in the trash or recycle bin, toss it into a “holding spot” (folder, stacking tray or in a pile on your desk). At a time interval that you choose (once a week/month/quarter, etc.), take these items out and call or go online with each individual company to ask them to remove you from their solicitation list. It should take only 1-2 minutes per item. But, the results are incredible.
  6. Consider your Junk Mail cost carefully before you provide any information to: enter a sweepstakes or other prize contest, fill out a consumer survey or product registration form, apply for a loyalty card (supermarket or other retail company), donate to a charity or a non-profit, order from a catalog, or subscribe to a magazine. You and I will want to do some of these things. But, each of these activities has an effect on how much Junk Mail you receive. Many of these companies sell or rent their lists to marketing entities.

If you complete these 6 Steps, you will see a dramatic decrease in the amount of Junk Mail in your mailbox in the next six to twelve months. You can do this.

(For more detailed information, check out http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs4-junk.htm)

“Worry weighs us down; a cheerful word picks us up.” Proverbs 12:25 (The Message)

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 Hello, my name is Tina Bonifacio, and I am a Professional Organizer working with residential and commercial clients in the greater Savannah, Georgia area. For more information, visit https://organizedbytina.com. Thanks for stopping by. You are welcome back anytime.


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