Well we all get it don't we? Reams of unwanted junk mail stalking us through the letterbox.
Ah hah . . .but I have a tried and trusted method of halting the flow considerably if not quite stopping it altogether.
DON'T throw your junk mail away - no honestly don't, or recycle it . . Leave it for a few days and when you have a small collection of your junk mail available lay all the envelopes out in a line. Open them and take out all the envelopes so kindly supplied by each company and lay them out in a line too and then swap all the junk mail around into each other's envelopes, plus the envelope it arrived in and send it off. Alot of junk mailers don't provide envelopes anymore (cheapaskates) - so just re-use one of the other junk mail envelopes . . putting the new address on the front. Or if the envelope is too small cut the address off and stick onto another envelope. Ok I know you will have to stump up for the cost of the glue, or celloptape . . . but it is worth it just to stem the flow of junk.
I usually add a note to each letter saying - you send me your junk mail and I will send you mine.
Also for mail shot charity letters sent with a pen, or other gimmick - I return the pen, or gimmick. I personally would prefer to give to my chosen charities directly rather than contribute financially to the mail shot company, plus I don't want the 'guilt' of having the pen etc.
I have been doing this for many years now and my junk mail has reduced a great deal. And (ooooo love starting a sentence with And) in all the years I have been doing it I have only every had one company phone me up and tell me that I had sent them something by mistake . . . .HAH I had a wonderful time explaining that no it was quite deliberate . . .
Pity we can't do the same with email - I have tried to forward emails to different companies - but usually the email address bounces back. So I just keep on adding them all to my spam box.
So you can't beat them . . . join them and have fun.
14 comments:
Well done WW. If there is a free post envelope then I often return their mail saying stop sending me junk, otherwise I'm afraid I just bin it.
It is possible to have temporary disposable email addresses - well it is with yahoo anyway, and then if you get too much spam you just delete them. Use the temp disp. addresses to give out to people/companies you are not sure of.
What a brilliant idea!
Wouldn't have thought of that one, I may give it a go!!
Fiendishly cunning! I like the thoughtful note you add!
excellent idea - I do what Faith does, return in their own envelopes along with any other used envelopes etc I might have amassed that morning. But we don't get much, nor any cold calling, because we are both Telephone Preference Service and the Mail one - seem to work. Although you might miss your envelope stuffing??
Really like this way to deeal with junk mail will try it when I have amassed 10 junk mail shots. I have a feeling of premature satisfaction. Your blog is a great read I have trawled back through Mar. and Feb. posts. I'll visit again.
I always return junk mail when they kindly provide an envelope.
I cross through my address and write: Remove me from your mailing list as per the Data Protection Act. Come to think of it it's AGES since I last had any proper junk mail, so it obviously works.
Oddly enough I quite enjoyed doing it (some perverse satisfaction there) so now it's a shame not to get any.
And (also love starting a sentence with and...) now I want to have a go at your method and send my own junk mail!
A fiendishly clever plan! I can hardly wait for the next j mail to arrive to put it into action.
How very cunning. And clever of course. Thanks for the tip.
C xx
Sounds like fun! Will start doing it immediately!
Sounds like good fun. I tend to amass loan company ones, maybe they could all take loans out with one another.. Heehee...
I'm constantly battling the drifts of junk mail that arrive in the mail box - so disappointing when one is hoping for real mail!! Love your subversive solution!
I am a really sad person. I amass a whole pile of junk mail and then sit there on a Sunday evening dutifully going through it! I always think that the envelope I throw away will be the one with the fabulous offer that will change my life. Sad, just sad! I know.
And (I'm another 'and-er') why won't the recyclers take envelopes?
I am registered with the tps and the mps blocking thingies so it has reduced but your idea is a good one. We still get the berludy stuff but not as much.
Good idea - I like it. I am registered with MPS but doesn't always work, so I will try this approach too.
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