Reducing Mail Clutter & Helping the Environment: Catalogs

I previously posted about bringing less into our homes...through the mail. Click here to read my previous post. If there is less mail in the mailbox that means less comes inside. This give me more time in my day as I spend less time going through the mail and ripping it up or shredding it. My thinking is if I have less in the mailbox, then there is less waste coming into the house. Thereby saving me time and helping the environment with less paper being sent out.


Here is an interesting article with some suggestions on eliminating catalog waste. To read the full article, click here. The article gives you two options to minimize the catalogs that arrive in your mailbox. How many catalogs do you receive a month? Do you find you receive too many catalogs? If so, can you reduce some of your catalog waste?

Minimize Paper

Paper, paper, paper! It's always there and it ends up coming into the house. It's bought or mailed and I end up with endless paper! One of the things I've done to simplify is I've gone as paperless as I'm comfortable. I no longer subscribe to the newspaper, I view it online. I've also opted to receive as many bills as I can online. Automatic payments for certain bills is also an option. I've also opted out of many company offers. So the amount of paper marketing I am receiving in the mail is much less. I'm conscious about the amount of paper I am bringing in to my home now. You will really notice a difference when you do this.....there will be a lot less mail! =)

My Journey

My journey for a simple life began about three years ago. I had two small children. I felt the need to simplify. I wanted to downsize what I owned and minimize what came into the house. I wanted to streamline my life, get rid of the clutter and focus on what is most important to me. This may have included my physical life - our small home was getting crowded, but it quickly spilled over into other areas of my life - finances and activities. Does everyone get to this point at some time in his or her life?