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How to Stop Junk Mail
As much as it’s possible to
Two years ago, I started trying to reduce the amount of junk mail I receive. Junk mail is annoying because I have to sort it and then carry it to my recycle bin. It comes every day, so if I don’t stay on top of it, it can clutter up my kitchen counter quickly.
This time of year, junk mail can be really irritating, because companies will leave off their name and try to make their mail look like a legitimate tax form. I end up having to open it up, confirm that it’s actually trash, and recycle it. What a waste.
But for the most part, my efforts have worked. Here are some of my tips for cutting out the junk.
Use a service
PaperKarma is an app that lets you snap a photo of the offending mail; submit the photo, and the app will try to unsubscribe for you. You do have to pay to use the service. A subscription wasn’t worth it for me, but if you’re just starting out with a lot of junk mail, it may be worth it to save you time.
Opt out, en masse
To opt out of those annoying “pre-approved” credit card offers, go to https://www.optoutprescreen.com. I tried this and it did work. I haven’t received a credit card offer in at least a year.
