Author Topic: Tame your (junk) email/paper mail!  (Read 2454 times)

Syonyk

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Tame your (junk) email/paper mail!
« on: July 02, 2018, 11:05:27 PM »
At the start of this year, I set out to tame, substantially, my email.  I was tired of getting dozens of promotional emails a day (and, admittedly, the little dopamine hit from checking email even though I didn't care about the mail was getting old), so I set out to resolve this - and began unsubscribing from everything I didn't care about, or marking as spam (at this point, anything getting into my inbox seems to have a working unsubscribe link - thanks, Google Apps!).

Then, as that torrent subsided, I set about finding more stuff to get rid of.  Recently, I've changed around my eBay notifications so I don't get email for "ordered, shipped, delivered."  Just one.  Thanks, I can check if I care to, but I don't actually care about it being delivered, because I'll find that out when I go check the mail.  And I've trimmed back Facebook notifications, though FFS, they make it hard...

About 2 months ago, I started attacking paper junk mail as well.  I get a lot of charity contribution requests for some reason, and I've started sending them back with "Thanks, but please take me off your list..." type messages.  If they send something nice, I'll toss in a few dollars (like, paper ones), but still tell them to remove me - and, so far, this seems to actually work.  Surprisingly.  Most of the financial junk mail I get is of the "Enter this URL to be instantly approved!" variety, but the stuff with a prepaid return envelope?  I send them their entire mailing material back, and usually tape a few coins to the paper for both added weight and greater annoyance, along with a request to stop sending me junk.

It seems like it's not the type of thing that should work, but, wow.  I'm getting a lot less junk mail in my mailbox now!  Try it, if you happen to be bored and want to do your little part to help both improve your sanity and reduce the amount of pointless tree killing going on!

Anatidae V

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Re: Tame your (junk) email/paper mail!
« Reply #1 on: July 03, 2018, 02:32:03 AM »
My email inbox is terrible. I have a "but what if I need to know when the sale is on to buy the thing?" problem. Guess I should accept there's always a sale on, and I either need it urgently so cost doesn't matter or I can set up a list and wait for EOFY or similar.

beattie228

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Re: Tame your (junk) email/paper mail!
« Reply #2 on: July 03, 2018, 07:27:44 AM »
I read an interesting 'life hack' a few years back that said nearly every retailer with your email address will send you an ad around black Friday. I'm not a shopper in any sense of the word, so I choose black Friday to sip my cup of coffee while I unsubscribe to all of the nonsense. It's significantly cut down on the spam email I get.

RetiredAt63

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Re: Tame your (junk) email/paper mail!
« Reply #3 on: July 03, 2018, 09:33:32 AM »
I got a  junk mail supplier to take me off their list and also send a sticker for my mailbox.   My recycling bin is so much emptier, and some trees have been saved.  If I actually want to buy something I can look it up online, I don't need the paper every week.

Junk email - I also get the dopamine hit - you have 5 emails.  But none are worth reading.  Maybe it is time to get off of some of the mailing lists.

Black Friday  - I just can't even.  Thanksgiving is the 3rd Monday in October, so why are we doing sales on another country's shopping day?  So silly.  We are not off work.  The sales end up being all week, so it is silly to call them Black Friday sales.

Plina

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Re: Tame your (junk) email/paper mail!
« Reply #4 on: July 03, 2018, 02:20:50 PM »
My email inbox is terrible. I have a "but what if I need to know when the sale is on to buy the thing?" problem. Guess I should accept there's always a sale on, and I either need it urgently so cost doesn't matter or I can set up a list and wait for EOFY or similar.

I have created a folder for promotions from companies that I want to receive promotions from. The emails are bypassing my inbox and ending in the folder directly.  from to time I check the folder if I need something to see if their is an appropriate promotion. Saves me time and energy.

RetiredAt63

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Re: Tame your (junk) email/paper mail!
« Reply #5 on: July 04, 2018, 06:20:03 AM »
I have created a folder for promotions from companies that I want to receive promotions from. The emails are bypassing my inbox and ending in the folder directly.  from to time I check the folder if I need something to see if their is an appropriate promotion. Saves me time and energy.

I do too.  It would drive me nuts if everything went into my inbox.  Companies have their folder,  groups/organizations have their folders, friends have their folders.  Very little is actually in my inbox.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Tame your (junk) email/paper mail!
« Reply #6 on: July 04, 2018, 06:57:26 AM »
Good idea, this thread. I often get emails from Linkedin, while I'm not looking for another job. I have just logged in and changed my setting to only receive messages from contacts and requests for contacts.

talltexan

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Re: Tame your (junk) email/paper mail!
« Reply #7 on: July 16, 2018, 09:27:26 AM »
My MIL is ragging on us about having more than 1,000 e-mails in our (family) e-mail account. She's offering to go through these and get rid of them. I cannot imagine anything more horrifying than my MIL having unfettered access to our e-mail account.

Roadrunner53

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Re: Tame your (junk) email/paper mail!
« Reply #8 on: August 03, 2019, 02:44:04 PM »
Not sure what website I wandered onto but I am getting a crap load of junk email. Some of it is not .com but .icu. No idea if that is from a foreign country or what. Some legit emails will have an option to opt out and by clicking on it they send you a message you are off their list. These emails sometimes will have the link to opt out and when you click on it, nothing happens. OR they will ask for your email address. I will not do that because I am afraid they will send even more junk crap. Does anyone know of a way to get rid of these idiot emails? Thank God they are going to my junk folder but still, the folder gets about 25 junk emails a day in that folder. GRRRRR!!!

FindingFI

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Re: Tame your (junk) email/paper mail!
« Reply #9 on: August 06, 2019, 08:05:40 AM »
My email inbox is terrible. I have a "but what if I need to know when the sale is on to buy the thing?" problem. Guess I should accept there's always a sale on, and I either need it urgently so cost doesn't matter or I can set up a list and wait for EOFY or similar.

I have created a folder for promotions from companies that I want to receive promotions from. The emails are bypassing my inbox and ending in the folder directly.  from to time I check the folder if I need something to see if their is an appropriate promotion. Saves me time and energy.

I use this strategy as well and it's really handy for saving a few dollars when I do purchase something without having to see every sales ad as they come in. Some places send out ads daily! It's far too much for my inbox.

partgypsy

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Re: Tame your (junk) email/paper mail!
« Reply #10 on: August 06, 2019, 02:20:19 PM »
I don't want to "spam" but I want to link to an app that will sort your email by importance. You do first have to teach it by asking which person goes where.

http://danariely.com/2017/02/23/email-notifications/

Syonyk

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Re: Tame your (junk) email/paper mail!
« Reply #11 on: August 06, 2019, 05:55:18 PM »
Or just turn off email notifications entirely.  Even fewer apps required!

talltexan

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Re: Tame your (junk) email/paper mail!
« Reply #12 on: August 21, 2019, 08:06:48 AM »
We're already working with a realtor for a project to move within the next year.

Still, i receive a ton of solicitations from realtors who successfully sell properties within our neighborhood. I write their names on a little list in my phone, and junk the mail. When it comes time to sell our house, I figure I can give that list to our realtor and--perhaps--save her 10 or 15 minutes.

AnnaGrowsAMustache

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Re: Tame your (junk) email/paper mail!
« Reply #13 on: August 21, 2019, 08:53:58 PM »
You know what they say - if they need to advertise it, you don't need it. Junk mail around here goes straight in the shredder if it's shiny paper, and becomes chicken bedding. If it's absorbent newsprint, it goes under the cat's bowl. His feet stick to the shiny paper and he makes a bigger mess when he walks it across the kitchen!