Every year I get way too many catalogs but before Christmas I receive them from companies that have gotten my address from the other companies and so it adds up to big stacks. Many go right from the mail box to the recycling bin. Last night there was a spot on Catalog Choice which is a site that helps you stop catalogs you don't want. They say each man, woman and child in America gets 60 some catalogs a year and that they are difficult to stop.
This group is working with companies so you can go to one place to stop extra catalogs. You simply tear off the last page with the customer number and address and recycle the rest. Then go to the site and add your information.
There is also information on how many trees are cut down each year to print catalogs that produce very little in sales for the companies.
This page contains the following solutions.
Whenever you receive a new catalogue that you intend to keep, either circle the expiration date on the front cover or write it on with a black with a felt tip marking pen. Then you will know when to recycle the catalogue without having to hunt for the date.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
What is a good storage solution for keeping several different catalogs organized? I like to keep them to refer to in the future. Also I need ideas on how to organize different things that come in the mail (not bills) such as restaurant coupons, sale brochures etc., that I don't want to throw out right away. I don't have lots of shelf or drawer space.
Take your all "advertising" mail to work in your brief case or tote bag. Tear out ads from sale papers that you want to buy, or write a list on brightly colored paper. Place catalogues you want to keep in a hanging file folder and restaurant, dry cleaning, watch repair coupons, etc., on a bulletin board at home.
Hello Scooter,
Have you ever seen those boxes photo's are stored in? I have 3 stacked on top of my entertainment center with a travel theme printed on the box. On one end is a metal plate with a piece of paper used to tell what's inside. I use one for take-out menu's, one for coupons and the last one for photo's (go figure) :)
Use your imagination and fill those boxes up!
How 'bout an accordian type file....maybe you would need more than one. They usually have tabs that you can write on and then organize what items you put in it.
If the catalog companies have online sites, why keep the catalogs?....just rip off the front page or whatever page has the name of the company and the web address and then file those in the accordian file.
Do you have wall/floor space? Book shelves (free standing or on a wall) are very versatile and can often be found at a yard sale. Since I generally find that of all the magazines I get, I only want to really keep about 12 pages of it for future reference. Once a year or so, I spend an afternoon cutting out the stuff I want and then put them in a photo album. I then give the remaining magazines to the local elementary school for art projects.
What you could do, is get a file cabinet or a real life saver for coupons a three ring binder with the plastic, forget what they're called. Some times card collectors use them. If you have any idea what I'm talking about. Hope this was helpful. :)
You can stop unwanted catalogs from arriving in you mailbox. Check the boxes of those catalogs. They will be removed from your mail list.
ThriftyFun is one of the longest running frugal living communities on the Internet. These are archives of older discussions.
How many others out there think the number and frequency of all those glossy magazines over and over again IS SO WASTEFUL?
