Getting a pound or more of catalogs a day in recent weeks?

Maybe you actually want some of them, and some you want to immediately discard but the sheer volume can overwhelm a busy person. Or maybe you love the company but just want one per quarter, but the company you shop with sends you one per week!

In some cases, I had begun to think of some of these catalogs as free lifestyle and fashion magazines! Sundance, Pottery Barn, Williams Sonoma… I never purchase from them, but they are so damned beautiful and good at convincing me of what my home should look like.

We have been tossing the rejects into our curbside recycling bin and feeling ok about that. A friend tells me she actually shreds each one and adds to her compost, and that sounds pretty good too, until the reality about the waste in production of so many unwanted pieces of mail kicks in.

Consider the resources it takes to produce these tons of unwanted publications and you’ll immediately realize that the better course of action is to contact the companies of those you don’t want and get your name off the list.

So, starting today, before you are swallowed up in the oncoming holiday madness, make two plans. One, for reducing the tonnage of catalogs you get and, two, what you’ll do with those you wish to receive once you’ve finished with them.

Some folks email the catalog company directly, but here are some other resources you can use to get your name removed from mailing lists. You’ll feel better and the companies mailing them to you needlessly will appreciate you taking the time to notify them:

• Contact the Direct Marketing Association
• Use the Catalog Choice service
• New American Dream helps you “declare your independence from junk mail” by using their various tips and opting out forms.