Less Junk Mail
When left to its own devices, junk mail, be it snail or digital, seems to dominate our lives. Here's how to take control of it – instead of drowning in it.
Ah, junk mail. The eternal nemesis that just can't take a hint, whether it's invading your mailbox or infiltrating your digital realm. It's like a never-ending parade of credit card offers, coupons, catalogs, and those persistent takeout menus that somehow find their way back to you like boomerangs. Can you believe that a whopping 58% of the mail we receive in the United States is shameless marketing? It's enough to make your head spin.
But fear not, my fellow clutter fighters! As we kick off the year, let's refuse to succumb to the tyranny of these unwanted intruders. No, I'm not talking about the clichéd New Year's resolutions; I'm talking about taking back control of our inboxes and mailboxes with gusto! It's time to wield the power of "delete," "unsubscribe," and "opt-out" like the confident superheroes we are.
So, gather 'round, dear reader (I’m back on the Substack!) as I share some invaluable resources to help you reclaim your sanity, reduce the stress, and free up precious time for the things you truly adore. Say goodbye to the mind-numbing assault of junk mail and hello to a world where your mailbox is a sanctuary of blissful emptiness.
Let's dive in!
Stop Junk Mail For Good
optoutprescreen.com
Before using Opt Out I was receiving up to 15 ‘pre-approved’ credit card offers per month—what a waste! It does takes about 6 weeks for their services to kick in, but it’s well worth the wait.
CatalogChoice.org
This non-profit helps all you catalog junkies save a tree or two, or four with their simple opt-out service. Gather all your unwanted catalogs and other junk mail, search the sender in their database, and submit the opt-out request. Easy as that!
DMAchoice.org
The Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA) Mail Preference Service (MPS) allows you opt-out of receiving all the unsolicited commercial mail from many national companies for up to five years.
Paperkarma App
For the App-inclined, PaperKarma removes you from most magazines, catalogs, credit card offers, yellow pages lists. You simply “snap a photo and you’re done.” I have not used this app myself, but a good friend swears by it.
Clean Up You Inbox
Unroll.me
Clean up your Inbox with this easy to use service—you can even combine your favorite subscriptions into one email. “Read what you want, when you want.”
Trimbox
This handy Chrome Extension makes it so easy to unsubscribe and delete all unwanted recurring emails all within your Gmail Inbox.
Leave Me Alone
The name is reason enough to use it;) Using their their Rollup and Shield features will help you to keep your inbox tidy. You see all the newsletters you’re subscribed to all in one place and can unsubscribe with a single click.
Uunlistr.com
The simplest way to unsubscribe from junk and subscription emails for all you Outlook/Microsoft 365 users. You simply install the add-in, open the subscription center, and click unsubscribe.
Text Scams
Ah, the nuisance of scams via text—like how did they know I just dropped off something at the Post Office?!
“The USPS package arrived at the warehouse but could not be delivered due to incomplete address information. Please confirm your address in the link … ”
Kaspersky Cybersecurity has written all you need to know about those irksome scam texts. Follow their advice and you’ll be on the path to peace: How To Stop Scam Texts
Robocalls & Telemarketing
We can’t all be as clever as Jerry when it comes to those pesky telemarketers. But placing your number on the National Do Not Call Registry donotcall.gov (or calling 1-888-382-1222) you can potentially remove your cell, home and work phone numbers from those spam-lists.
One important thing to note: Putting your number on the Do Not Call List can help stop telemarketing calls, but it can’t block all robocalls coming through from swindlers, but it does block some of those unwanted spam calls. You may continue to receive: Political, charitable, debt collection, informational, and telephone survey calls
Taking a bit of time regain control of your mail really pays off in the long run—simplify at every opportunity, eh!
What did I miss?
What services or tricks do you use to take charge of your inbox and junk mail?
Please share them in the comments:
This article is a revised and updated version of an old LivingBetterWithLess tumblr post from November 15th, 2015