by Nic Larson

Created on: December 11, 2008   Last Updated: December 15, 2008

If you are tired of seeing the piles of mail scattered around your house that you can seemingly never get through, and you are tired of digging though your mailbox only to find junk mail, help is on the way. Reducing the amounts of junk mail that you get in the mail can be achieved by following these four easy steps.

Register to be removed from national mailing lists

This is the easiest and most effective way to rid unwanted mail. The best way to register is to go online at http://www.thedma.org/cgi/offmailinglist#optoutform and fill out the necessary forms. There is a $1 processing fee, but it is well worth it, as it generally eliminates 75% of your unwanted mail. Expect to see results from this website within 6 months of your registration.

Refused return to sender

When you do receive unwanted junk mail, take the time to write "Refused return to sender" on the piece of mail and place it back in your mailbox. This forces the companies that are sending you the junk mail to pay the return postage, costing them valuable advertising dollars. When companies see that you are taking a stand against their mailings, they will think twice before sending you more mail and take your name off of its mailing list.

Resist the urge entering contests

While it may be tempting to enter to win that new car, every time you enter a contest that requires you to provide your name and address, you are setting yourself up for a barrage of junk mail. After the contest ends, your address is often sold to companies who will use this as a chance to target you as a consumer through the mail. This is a becomes a pyramid scheme as companies will sell and share your address with other companies, increasing your chances of junk mail. Preventing companies from getting your name and address in the first place will go a long way in the battle against junk mail.

Maintain your privacy

Every time you register for a product or service, request that your information be kept private. This will prevent your information from being shared or sold to other companies.

By following these four easy steps, the piles of junk mail that you receive on a daily basis will start to diminish, and if you are lucky you might just find the bottom of your mailbox.

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