Our friends at Bridging the Gap have some great tips for getting rid of junk mail by using any of the following resources:

• New American Dream provides a simple online form to reduce junk mail.  www.newdream.org/junkmail/index.php
• Eco-Cycle provides basic junk mail reducing strategies and steps.  www.ecocycle.org/junkmail/index.cfm
• DMA Consumer Information and Preference Service provides basic how-to information for removing your name from mailing, telemarketing and e-mail lists.  www.dmachoice.org/consumerassistance.php
• Catalog Choice lets you choose which catalogs you will receive in the mail to reduce unsolicited mailings.  www.catalogchoice.org
• 41Pounds is a non-profit organization providing an 80-95% reduction in unwanted catalogs and junk mail for 5 years at a $41 fee.  www.41pounds.org

 

This is a great article from Yahoo about saving money on ink cartridges just by using a different font!  Check it out and let us know what you're doing to save money at home or in your office.

Many not for profit organizations suffered great losses in 2009.  Bridging the Gap was no exception and they need your help.  Please go to www.bridginthegap.org and donate whatever you can afford.  They accept one-time donations or you can set up regular contributions.  Your donations are tax deductible, of course. 

Your support helps them:

I recently spent an hour on hold trying to stop unwanted catalogs.  I was informed that because they're pre-printed, I would probably get 2-3 additional catalogs before they stop coming - and ALL of the companies I talked to said the same thing. What a waste of energy to call 4 different 800 numbers and spend my valuable cleaning time on hold! For $20 a year, you can stop virtually all junk mail from landing in your mailbox.  Go to http://mailstopper.tonic.com/ and sign up. I'm anxious to find out if this service stops all the direct mail from politicians!

Did you know the Capital has gone green.  I was at the KC Chamber office recently to learn more about what they've done.  Everything hasn't been perfect and the congress men and women hated the compostable service ware at first.  Learn about their practices and progress at http://cao.house.gov/greenthecapitol.  It's fascinating!

Habitat for Humanity ReStore accepts donations of new and used building materials.  They sell those materials for up to 80% off what you would pay at retail.  Also, if you're remodeling, it's a wonderful place to take used cabinets, fixtures, appliances, etc. www.heartlandhabitat.org/restore