I need a SPAM filter for snail mail!

“We need a bigger mailbox!” proclaimed a friend as she came back to her kitchen, barely able to contain the mass of envelops and flyers clutched to her chest. She dumped the pile next to the hot biscuits and steaming coffee she had served me a few moments earlier. We chatted while she sorted her mail into three piles, one to keep, one to shred and one to recycle. “Gosh, look at this stuff. Why can’t there be a spam filter for snail mail?”

For the rest of our visit, the idea of a spam filter for snail mail lingered in the back of my mind. Think of the time and resources we waste picking through our mail looking for the important stuff like bills and statements. How often has a bill or important notice gone unheeded because it was lost in a pile of flyers, coupons and catalogs? In terms of living a balanced life, junk mail may not seem like much of a challenge but it is a needless and wasteful part of the equation that can be significantly minimized with a few simple steps.

A large percentage of junk mail consists of offers of credit based on our credit scores. Creditors buy mailing lists from the major credit reporting agencies and make blanket offers to every one who fits their profile. Since offers of credit are among the kinds of mail that should be shredded to foil dumpster diving identity thieves, why get them at all? Consumers can opt out of unsolicited offers of credit by visiting http://www.optoutprescreen.com or by calling (888) 5OPTOUT.

You can stop a lot of the advertising you receive by contacting the Direct Mail Preference Service. You can do this online at http://www.dmachoice.org. Reputable direct mail marketers are members of the Direct Mail Association and comply with the list.

Catalog Choice, http://www.catalogchoice.org, is a service that helps people unsubscribe to catalogs from merchants. Once you sign up you simply find the catalogs you receive and indicate that you no longer wish to receive them. They do the rest.

You may have to contact some mailers directly. Some of the flyers you receive don’t have a return address so look for the card that accompanies the flyers. The card has a return address. It also has numbers near your address that identify you as the recipient. Attach the card to a dated, signed letter requesting to be removed from all of their mailing lists. It may take a month or so to kick in because mailings are prepared in advance but it should work.

You may also wish to contact the charities you support and ask them not to share your information with other organizations. This will reduce the charitable requests you receive.

If you want to take the easy way out and hit as much of the direct mail community as you can in one stroke, a relatively nonprofit organization, http://www.41pounds.org promises to do the legwork for you for a basic fee of $41. They promise to eliminate up to 90% of your junk mail for five years.

Before you go out and buy a bigger mailbox to accommodate your snail mail spam, consider these few easy steps to drastically reduce your junk mail. You will save time, make fewer trips to the recycle center and save a few trees in the bargain.

Joseph Onesta is a Speaker, Training and Consultant at Integrity HPI http://www.integrityhpi.com Please visit his website to learn more about his services.