Money Blue Book

Although we are now living in the computer (Internet) age and everything seems to be going paperless, certain people still insist on doing things the old fashioned way. But if you want to do a better job of saving precious time and money, you might want to start taking better advantage of the more efficient online services out there, if you aren’t already doing so. Services like postal delivery and mail forwarding can nowadays be effectively managed online without the necessity of having to perform an errand run to the post office.

Some of you may live within a short drive or even within walking distance of your neighborhood post office. But unfortunately in my case, my local post office is a bit of a distance away situated within the city center, and getting there frequently requires that I fight through road rage inducing traffic jams and suffer through depressingly long lines once I’ve arrived. While I’m sure the folks at the U.S. postal service (USPS) do the best they can under the circumstances, I pretty much avoid visiting the post office as best as I can – turning to the free USPS website to manage the bulk of my postal decisions whenever possible.

Put Your Mail On Hold For Free By Requesting USPS Hold Mail Service Online

Unless you have someone at home to receive your mail for you, those of you planning to be away for an extended period of time (3 days or more) on vacation or for a business trip may want to notify your local post office to put your mail on hold while you’re gone. While you can always visit your local post office, wade through the customer service lines, and fill out one of those Hold Mail paper card forms – the easiest way to put your mail on hold is via the Internet through the USPS homepage. Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year, the website is certainly the easiest way to process all of your mail routing submissions. Your hold mail request can even go into effect the same business day if you submit the request by 3:00 am EST.

Currently, the USPS offers consumers the ability to temporarily put home and business mail on hold for a minimum of 3 days, up to a maximum of 30 days. During the length of the hold period, the home resident or business owner’s letters and packages are held at the Post Office, with normal delivery not resuming in bulk until the date specified.

At the present time, the USPS hold mail feature is free, regardless of whether the request is submitted in person or online. But with the way the postal service is hemorrhaging money and now trying to cut costs and save money by closing out branches and cutting back on staff, I wouldn’t be too surprised if they started imposing a USPS hold mail surcharge of $1.00 or more for each request one of these days. But for now:

• To submit a hold mail request online, visit the USPS Hold Mail Service web page. At the present time, you cannot put your mail on hold by phoning in your request.
• On the Hold Mail page, enter your 5 digit zip code number in the Create a Request box and click on Go. Bear in mind, while the online hold mail service is available in most areas of the country, not all Zip codes will qualify.
• Next, follow the displayed instructions by providing your name, mailing address, phone number, hold mail start date, as well as the date you would like your normal mail service to resume.
• Remember to record your Confirmation Number. This number is important because you will need it to make any future changes to your online request – such as if you decide to cancel the order or you later decide that you will need your mail held for a longer period of time than initially requested.

If you anticipate being away for longer than 30 days, you may need to consider having your mail forwarded to another temporary address. While the online USPS Hold Mail service is free, requesting temporary mail forwarding or any other service that requires a formal address change requires the payment of a $1.00 online service fee. The USPS requires this $1.00 fee be charged to a valid credit card for identity confirmation purposes. While some people may find this small charge rather annoying and somewhat of a deterrent to using this web convenience, I find the tiny fee to be worth the benefit of not having to deal with the time and hassle of personally visiting my local post office branch. Don’t you agree this online service is still worth the nominal cost?

Alternatively for the super frugal cheapskates, you can always print out the paper Authorization to Hold Mail (PS Form 8076) manually and give it to your letter carrier or mail it to the post office that delivers your mail for free (minus the obligatory cost of postage).

The Internet is quite a mixed bag of information – a wild, wild west cornucopia of unfiltered and unadulterated questions and answers. Among the nuggets of knowledge, there’s an endless supply of trashy material and unsubstantiated half truths. For every debatable issue imaginable, there are legions of supporters and oppositions on both sides of the divide. Search engines like Google and Bing do nothing to segregate the legitimate articles from the biased quackery and it’s often up to the readers themselves to differentiate fact from fiction. Such is the case with a very contentious and controversial issue of mine that’s literally hitting close to home – the issue of living next to power lines and whether they have any negative impact on one’s health.

From the various articles available online, you’ll frequently read comments and posts from individuals claiming that their personal cancers and miscarriages were the direct results of living too close to nearby power lines. Though when subjected to scientific scrutiny, this does not necessarily indicate a definitive connection between the two, it’s easy to see how the passionate and emotional voices could come to such conclusions. In my case, both of my parents are survivors of lymphoma cancer. Both of them successfully completed their chemotherapy treatments and both were able to cure themselves of the cancers that plagued their bodies for months. However, as far as I know – they and I have never lived in close proximity to power lines of any sort. However, if we hypothetically had, I’m sure I would have immediately jumped to such emotional conclusions as well and pointed to power lines as the leading cause of the cancers. As I examine this controversial issue, it’s important to bear in mind that when it comes to such ubiquitous and misunderstood issues as the effects of electromagnetic fields from power lines, people’s reactions may frequently be driven more by emotion and passion than by reason and true evidence.

I’m Buying A Dream House: But It’s Located Near Electrical Power Lines

After years of renting, I’m finally in the process of buying my first home. At the conclusion of months of tireless searching and countless weekdays and weekends of visiting open houses and housing prospects, I’ve finally found the perfect starter home in the perfect location. It’s a beautiful single family house -  a brand spanking new construction home in a very desirable location near major transportation routes with excellent accessibility to stores and close proximity to places I need to be on a regular basis. But there’s a problem, and a big problem at that depending on how you look at it. The prospective new construction lot I’m looking at is located somewhat near a string of power lines and within viewing proximity of several gigantic power line towers. To be precise, the constructed home would be located approximately 350 yards (1050 feet or 320 meters) from the nearest high voltage powerline.

The first time I drove through the newly minted housing development – I instantly fell in love. But after I saw the looming power lines in the distance, I began to have second doubts. Aside from the unsightly nature of the looming eye sores, I had mild qualms about the safety and health hazards of living in such relative close proximity to the gargantuan steel structures and high tension wires. After all, I was brought up by my parents and shaped by the mainstream media and social norms to naturally believe in certain things – such assorted health based beliefs like – microwave ovens emanate hazardous radiation waves, smoking causes cancer, Tylenol damages your liver, immunizing your child may lead to him or her developing autism, diet coke causes cancer, red meat is unhealthy, eating too much fish can lead to mercury poisoning, too much egg yolk will kill you, and finally – prolonged exposure to high tension powerlines can cause leukemia in children and lead to other cancers and Alzheimer type afflictions in adults.

But instead of taking such beliefs at face value this time around, and probably because the home and the neighborhood otherwise satisfied almost every other factor on my check list, I decided to investigate the power line health issue in greater depth. What I discovered was rather troubling – but not for the reasons you might think. After hours and days of research and pouring over numerous governmental issued reports on powerlines and research articles on the alleged connection between power line generated radiation and cancer in humans, I’ve come to the overwhelming conclusion that there is simply insufficient evidence at this time to establish a causal link between the two. Despite my own hard conclusions based on existing data, concrete facts, and actual measurements conducted by invited powerline company personnel of the suspected area, I don’t think a consensus on this controversial issue will ever fully be reached by all people. It seems that for every scientific study which appears to conclusively link power lines to various health issues, there’s another prominent health study which conclusively refutes it. Despite the fact that the “scientific research reports” that allege a real causal link between power line electro-magnetic field radiation and cancer afflictions only comprise about 10-20% of the total research, and a dominant 80% or so (based on my very rough fuzzy math estimates) refute a definitive link between the two, the “yes it causes cancer” crowd seems to win out in most debates, drowning out the rest – presumably through their ability to sway opinions through the use of emotional rhetoric and scare tactics.

Is It Safe To Live Near Power Lines? Does EMF Radiation From PowerLines Cause Cancer?

Power lines frequently generate intense opposition and heated protest – from homeowners to environmentalists – from power company authorities to even bloggers like yours truly. The responses are frequently conflicting and emotionally heated. The debate stems from the powerful but invisible electro-magnetic fields (EMF) generated by power lines as electricity is transmitted through them. Some say the magnetic waves corrupt DNA structures and contribute to the development of various cancers. Although these electrical magnetic fields are also generated by common house hold appliances such as TV’s, alarm clocks, cell phones, hair blow dryers, computers, can openers, and electric blankets, much of this debate tends to focus exclusively on high tension power lines and the gigantic pylon towers that support them in certain neighborhoods.

While it’s nearly impossible for me to discuss the entire scientific bases for the various conclusions out there, suffice it is to say – once you are able to discard the hype and hysteria, the general consensus by the most reputable sources do strongly suggest that currently, there is insufficient evidence to make the quantum leap that magnetic fields from power lines have the capacity to cause childhood leukemia, childhood brain tumors, or other cancers in children – and that presently, there is totally inadequate and inconsistent evidence to establish a relationship between power line fields and breast cancer or other forms of brain tumors in adults. This is not to suggest there is absolutely no possibility of a casual link between the two, but that the realm of verifiable data and research can not yet scientifically link the two as cause and effect.

Extensive research has been performed on the issue and major health organizations such as the National Cancer Institute, the National Research Council, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) -  have all performed studies and looked at the available research – and opined that there is not conclusive evidence that EMF exposure poses a cancerous risk or that  residence near high voltage lines increases health risks. Authorities such as the NIH have noted that the available research, despite all of the inflammatory passions involved, fail to demonstrate that the levels of risk represent a real increase in cancer occurrences. Furthermore, such public health authorities have criticized the inflammatory research out there that report a causation link between powerline exposure and cancer, citing possible pervasive study biases stemming from the faulty selection of study subjects and failures to take into consideration other contributing factors such as poverty, nutrition, obesity, pure chance, and sample sizes based on volunteered opinions alone. Despite these authoritative findings, public hysteria will likely always remain – it’s just the infallibility of human nature.

New conflicting reports and absolutely contradicting updates by the media and various vested interests on both sides of the divide are constantly being disseminated every year on the supposed dangers of power lines, perpetually shaping the public’s emotional perception of the issue. However, if you really want to listen to the most authoritative voices on cancer research regarding EMF radiation fields, powerlines, and their effects on human children and adults, try reading the following online articles. Please let me know if there are any more authoritative sources on the matter:

1. Electric and Magnetic Fields: National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences
2. Health Risks Associated With Living Near High Voltage Power Lines: Health Physics Society (July 2008)
3. Electric and Magnetic Fields (EMF): Health Concerns: Connecticut Department of Public Health (April 2008)
4. Electric and Magnetic Fields (EMF) Radiation From Power Lines: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (May 2006)
5. Electromagnetic Fields and Public Health: World Health Organization (May 2006)
6. Magnetic Fields Exposure and Cancer: Questions and Answers: National Cancer Institute, U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) (April 2005)
7. Electromagnetic Fields Explained: Arizona Association of Realtors (2003)
8. Power Line Fields and Public Health: American Physical Society (1995)

Effect Of Home’s Proximity To Power Lines On Future Resale Value

Admittedly, regardless of the scientific research, people will always be scared of power lines. No matter what the government or health authorities tell the masses, and no matter what little concrete correlation there is with power lines and EMF induced cancers, it’s a virtual given that a vocal segment of the population will never be swayed and will forever regard power lines as instant cancer-causing implementations of electrical doom (laced with extra helpings of government cover ups). For property owners and real estate agents, this is what we call an unfortunate, but irremediable defect – something objectionable about a property that cannot be readily changed. Similar unchangeable defects would be living near railroad tracks, living near an expressway, or living within smelling distance of a waste treatment plant.

While it’s true that location in somewhat close proximity to power lines will diminish the overall buyer pool of individuals who would consider your home as a viable purchase (possibly turning off families with very small children perhaps), its desirably is also greatly influenced by other location factors as well. While there may not be a significant drop in property value in certain otherwise very desirable neighborhoods, there may be fewer buyers who will be willing to buy the house when you decide to resell it. Some may be paranoid of the potential health hazards, while others simply won’t be able to live with the prospect of having ugly power line towers as permanent ornaments of their neighborhood landscape. While obviously there will always remain an active market for these types of homes, some have suggested that the houses and condos located in close proximity to power lines and power line towers should expect a 1-2% price hit, while others have suggested higher discounts up to 5% or more. However, in my personal research of price comparables in various housing neighborhoods located near powerlines that I’ve sought out, I haven’t found that to be the case.

Remember, everyone has a price. While off the cusp, I’m sure everyone will say that they would never purchase a home near a power line – if they were offered the opportunity to purchase a sprawling mansion for half the price of other comparable homes in the area, I’m sure they would feel differently. The fact that there are homes located near graveyards, cemeteries, nuclear power plants, prisons, and heavily trafficked highways show that everyone has a price. It just depends on how accurately a property’s price reflects all of the variables.

Would I Personally Buy A House Located Near Power Lines?

Yes, I would – assuming the home was properly priced, not located directly underneath the power lines, was not directly within view from the front or back of the home, and was sufficiently far enough to satisfy my own whims of prudent avoidance. In fact, I am currently faced with that decision right now, and I believe the answer is a resounding – yes. In the spirit of prudent avoidance, it also depends on how far the home is in relation to the nearest powerline pylon tower and proximately to the powerlines themselves. If my property or backyard directly touched the power line towers or if they ominously loomed over my property like hulking giants, that in of itself would probably be a deal killer for me.

While I personally believe the EMF health dangers of powerlines to be overblown and vastly exaggerated, I think it’s still wise to exercise a reasonable dose of paranoid caution. While I believe the direct connection between powerline EMF waves are extremely tenuous and not proven by available science, I still think it’s best to limit the distance between powerlines and one’s home – just in case. Once again, this is simply prudent avoidance – as the possible dangers, no matter how miniscule or conceivably great, are so potentially devastating if ever found to be true. Besides, from a purely aesthetic point of view, who wants to stare at one of those ugly power line towers from either the front or back yard anyway? I think if the lines are only mere steps from you home or literally sitting in your backyard, this may be a concern. But if they are sufficiently far away in the distance, I think any potential health concerns would be greatly diminished.

So how close is it too close to be living near high tension power lines? Many power line researchers have pointed out that there is generally no serious cause for concern for homes located at least 300 feet away (roughly the length of a football field) from the nearest power line as EMF levels decrease rapidly and exponentially with distance from the lines. At this distance, the EMF levels from the lines are no different from the typical background levels found in most homes. If you are not certain about the EMF levels in or around your home, it’s best to contact your local power company and request an EMF reading. Many power companies will perform an EMF measurement for free, particularly if you are a prospective home buyer interested in a new housing development.

Just to get the opinion of readers, what do you think of the photographer’s proximity to the nearest power lines based on the photograph provided directly above? This is the approximate location of the housing lot I am currently considering as a prospective home buyer. The nearest power lines are about 350 yards away (more than 3 football lengths). In the photo provided, they perhaps appear larger than they ought to primarily because they are located on the top of a hill on a higher elevation, and there are no trees yet planted to obscure them as is usually the case in established old communities with power lines. Far enough to be objectively safe or still close enough to cause fear? What do you think?

Free Monthly Lottery Drawing: The American Dream Card From HSBC (info)

Since I was a little kid, I’ve always dreamed of hitting it big and winning the lottery. I’m not talking about winning the Texas Holdem poker pot at your buddy’s house, or lucking out at grandma’s Bingo night, but rather about  landing one of those mega jackpots – the ones you see on TV that feature the screaming people holding the oversized checks – the Powerball’s and the Mega Millions lotteries. Alas – I’ve yet to experience success in any type of sweepstakes or lottery drawing other than that one time I won my elementary school’s carnival raffle as a kid (and even then my “prize” was simply a free lunch and movie date of sorts with my school principle). But certainly one can dream right?

For many people, winning a multi million dollar lottery jackpot is truly the ultimate once-in-a-lifetime fantasy. In light of spiking unemployment rates and the ongoing recession, some people now even see lotteries as their best and only chance to ever gain a personal net worth of a million dollars or more. But unfortunately for them and the millions of people who participate in the daily and weekly lottery drawings, the odds are astronomically stacked against them – so much so that their chances of being struck by lightening or even drowning in their own bathtubs are much higher than that of ever winning. Participants of the popular Powerball lottery currently face an unfathomable 1 in 195 million chance for the top prize. Players of Powerball’s biggest rival, the Mega Millions game, face slightly better odds at 1 in 175 million, but still face a daunting uphill climb to the pinnacle prize.

Play The Lottery Only If You Can Afford It, and Play Only For Fun

The terrible combination of staggering odds and irresistible lures of behemoth jackpot rewards of $300 million or more is precisely why these multi-state lottery games have exploded in popularity over the years, and are now legalized and widely available in the majority of U.S. states. Rather than raise taxes and offend mainstream taxpayers, state governments seem content now to fleece the participants of lottery games with heavy taxes to pay for government expenses like new prisons, new schools, and public transportation costs.

Unfortunately, it’s also been said that state lotteries and legalized gambling activities sanctioned by politicians and governments are nothing more than taxes on the poor and the addicted. A variety of online statistics show that nearly 20% of lottery players contribute more than 80% of the revenue that multi-state lottery games rake in – and that disproportionately, the majority of participants are lower income, minority men who have less than a college education (which explains why it always seems like those on the lower rung of the socio-economic ladder tend to win these lotteries on TV). While wealthier folks do occasionally snap up lottery tickets for amusement purposes, it’s frequently the financially poor and downtrodden who pump their weekly pay checks and life savings into chasing the elusive and nearly unattainable lottery windfall.

When it comes to playing the lottery, there are two important rules of thumb – play only if you can afford it, and secondly, play only for fun. A live lottery drawing is a wonderful rush of adrenaline inducing amusement, but remember, it is just a game – one with such distantly long shot odds that even with the advantages of multiple lifetimes, the odds of winning it all are still incredibly slim. Furthermore, be forewarned that while money can certainly solve a wide host of life’s problems, bear in mind that too much of it at once has been known to inflict massive chaos and misery on those who are ill prepared to handle the emotional windfall and public attention that ensues. Don’t believe the Powerball curse? Don’t believe that all of your fair weather friends, envious enemies, distant uncles, and hand out desiring cousins will be coming out of the wood work to clamber for some of your new found cash? Then take a look at this news story of 8 recent lottery winners who won the lottery but ultimately squandered their new found fortunes, filing for bankruptcy years later. If their testimonies don’t dissuade you from playing the lottery and hoping to land it all, you might as well follow these lottery pointers for the most efficient path to winning the jackpot:

The Not-So-Secret Secrets To Winning The Lottery:

1) You Must Play To Win: Like many things in life, you must pay to play, and assume some measure of risk for the big pay off. Each Powerball and Mega Millions ticket only costs a $1.00 to play, but if you don’t actually go out to your local supermarket, gas station, or convenience store to purchase one, you have absolutely zero chance of winning, no matter how slim the odds are to begin with.

2) Buy Just One Ticket Or Two Tickets Every Week (At Most): The key to winning a major lottery is to always be a participant and prospective candidate to win by simply playing. There is no sense in ever buying multiple tickets to any one lottery drawing to increase one’s odds. With Powerball odds of 1:195 million and Mega Millions odds of 1:175 million, changing that 1 into a 2 or 3 isn’t going to make a noticeable dent in your long shot odds. There is no appreciable statistical difference between odds of 1 in 195 million chances and 5 in 195 million chances – your odds are still incredibly slim. However, there is a huge difference between odds of zero in 195 million and 1 in 195 million. The key to winning the lottery is to just be a player, not try to increase your odds of striking the jackpot. Think of it this way – with a single ticket, your odds of losing are likely 99.99999%. Even with hundreds of ticket entries, your odds of losing likely only improve marginally to 99.99998% – still pretty unfavorable. But with that one lone ticket, at least you have a chance.

3) Lottery Numbers Are 100% Random: Presuming that there is no hidden conspiracy among the lottery conductors to rig the lottery balls and barrels in those live drawings – the presumption is that the final lottery drawing numbers are determined by random luck and chance. Unless you can somehow calculate wind velocity, drag, angle, and physical trajectory to such a degree that you can mathematically calculate how the individually numbered ping pong balls will end up in the lottery machines, there is no sense trying to predict the final number.

If you opt for the self selection method when picking your numbers during the ticket buying process, there is no sense fussing to ensure that you have a broad mix of numbers with an ample mixture of high and low numbers, or odds and evens. The final selected numbers are determined at random – plain and simple. Feel free to pick your lottery numbers based on your own propriety formulas derived from special dates and numbers such as birth dates, wedding anniversaries, and juxtapositions of your house number or a family member’s age. But if you want to save time – go with the automatically generated number options. Or in the alternative for better tracking purposes, you can stick to playing the same sequence of numbers your entire life. Randomly generated and self selected numbers all stand the same equal chance of winning. Unlike the creation and algorithm generation of credit card numbers, the outcome of lottery numbers follow no precise formula.

4) Past Number Results Have Zero Bearing On Future Results: As I indicated above, lottery results are generated at random depending on how the numbered balls land during those televised drawings. The lottery machines do not search for particular numbers or combination of numbers which have not been selected in the past. They have no memory of past results. There is no real meaningful pattern in past and future lottery numbers and you will be better off saving your money rather than going out and buying useless books on lottery number picking strategy.

5) Lucky Charms and Lucky Numbers Are Useless: Go out and purchase rabbit foots, four leaf clovers, and kidnap leprechauns all you want – they are simply amusing talismans that have not been proven to yield any tangible results beyond abstract and completely unverifiable notions of luck. Seek lottery number inspirations from your dreams and prayers, or go with numbers that you found luckier than others if that will make the lottery game more inspirational or exciting for you. But do bear in mind – it still boils down to pure 100% unadulterated luck and good fortune.

6) Reduce Your Lottery Odds By Playing the Quick Picks: In almost all cases, the scratch off tickets that you frequently find in supermarket vending machines and at gas stations feature better odds than your run of the mill Powerball and Mega Millions lottery tickets. The potential jackpot pay outs for the quick pick scratch offs are much lower, but the odds are much better than those for the mega multi-state lotteries.

Instead Of Gambling Your Life and Betting Against The Odds, How About Playing The Sure Thing?

The sight of that beaming person on TV holding up that gigantic check and presenting all those zeros for all to see is no doubt quite a tantalizing scene. It certainly is an infectious and dazzling lure, and a very powerful television media message to those of us sitting on our sofas at home watching the spectacle. But frankly, such a fruition in our own lives is not statistically realistic and within the realm of practical possibility. It is certainly tantalizing enough of an incentive that I am personally willing to pluck in my fistful of dollars for a few lottery tickets whenever the Powerball or Mega Million jackpots rise to ungodly sums every blue moon, but in terms of my day to day life, I try to focus on the lifestyle decisions that emphasize savings and paying down debt that really do matter. Certainly, go ahead and play for fun on occasion if you wish, but don’t make it into an addiction or bad habit, especially if you can’t afford the financial cost of even putting food on the table. If you truly want to jump start or improve your financial life and fix those money troubles, there are things you can do today where the odds of financial success are not so prohibitively onerous. Yes, those actions are not as sexy or glamorous as the dream of winning the lottery, but the favorable results of those actions are more within the realm of possibility for people like you and I.

If you really want to improve your monetary situation, instead of chasing the unattainable home run hit of a lottery jackpot, why not pay yourself the money you would have spent on lottery tickets by saving it or investing it for the future? Try depositing the cash you have set aside into a high interest savings account or opening a discount broker account and investing the funds in the stock market. With high interest bank accounts and tax advantaged investment options like Roth IRA accounts and 401k’s, there are numerous ways for you to take advantage of the amazing power of compound interest to grow your fledgling investment into a lottery jackpot size reward many years down the road. As some financial pundits and gurus have astutely pointed out, if you take that $150.00 a year you would have spent on lottery tickets and put it into a tax deferred IRA or 401k plan at age 30, you’ll have grown it to $28,000 by age 65, assuming a reasonable 8.00% rate of return. To turn your investment into a hefty $500,000 nest egg, you’d only have to save away a little less than $100.00 a month starting at age 21. Think of it – which one of these two scenarios is more likely – that you will be able to find an extra $100 a month lying around to save up or invest, or that you will hit the 1 in almost several million odds of even snagging the lower end 6 figure lottery jackpots? Play the lottery for amusement purposes if you wish to be entertained, but don’t make it a fool’s bet for your financial salvation.

After finally returning home from an extended three month overseas trip to spend time with my parents, I was greeted back home by an overweight mail box stuffed to the brim and absolutely overflowing with junk mail. Although I had authorized my mail to be temporarily redirected to my brother’s address while I was away, a very great deal of unsolicited junk mailers, expired coupon booklets, and pre-approved credit card offers still mysteriously winded up in my inbox. All in all, the entire paper pile, weighing in excess of many pounds, ultimately found its way straight into my trash can in a matter of minutes – fulfilling its pointless life cycle as not only a complete waste of my personal time, but as a fruitless consumer of precious natural resources.

Save The Environment and De-clutter Your Life By Reducing Junk Mail Trash

According to online statistics from sources such as the Center for a New American Dream (CNAD), a non profit organization based in Maryland whose stated mission is to protect the environment by helping Americans develop sustainable consumption habits – simply by eliminating the amount of junk mail you receive every day can significantly reduce the amount of energy and natural resources you consume, as well as greatly reduce the landfill space usage and carbon footprint that you leave behind. For example, according to numbers provided by CNAD, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and various sources, did you know that:

• The average American household receives unsolicited junk mail equivalent to 1.5 trees every year, which comes out to more than 100 million trees for all U.S. households combined – the equivalent of deforesting the U.S. Rocky Mountain National Park every four months.
• 5.4 million tons of bulk catalogs and other direct mailings wind up in the U.S. municipal solid waste stream every year – paper products which take as much energy to manufacture as 660,000 SUV’s consume in a single year, and not even including the energy needed to print and transport them all.
• American consumers throw away 44% of bulk mail unopened, while recycling only 32% of all that bulk mail – spending the equivalent of 8 months per lifetime opening junk mail letters and packages.
• The process of manufacturing and recycling bulk paper parcels wastes more than 28 billion gallons of water every year.
• Taxpayers spend more than $370 million every year just to collect and dispose of all the paper based junk mail that doesn’t get recycled.

While I’m by no means a tree-hugging hippy, at some point the issue of junk mail just gets to become too much of a colossal waste of environmental resources, not to mention a tremendous mis-allocation of time and money that could be better spent elsewhere. It’s time for each of us to cut back on the number of postal junk mail that we receive. Together in aggregate, we can indeed make a huge positive difference in the world. Besides, reducing junk mail solicitations can also greatly help us streamline and declutter our already complicated lives. Assuring that you only receive letters that are important to you, it also helps to reduce the chances that vital pieces of mail get lost in the shuffle amongst all of those weekly circulars, bulk catalogs, and credit card envelopes cramming up your mailbox.

Protect Your Mailbox Privacy and Prevent Identity Theft By Being Pro-Active

Because the whole concept of direct marketing is such an incredibly incentivized and lucrative business proposition for the mass mailing companies, it’s nearly impossible to stop the junk mail stream completely. Everytime you sign up for a new credit card, subscribe to a magazine, purchase an item from a catalog, donate money to a charity, fill out a product warranty card, or buy a new car – you are potentially offering up your name and address to the direct marketers. Not only do these casual exchanges have the potential to lead to more junk mail down the road if you allow your personal address to be used in that way, they are also breeding cesspools for potential identity fraud and privacy violations. To stem the flow requires a multi-pronged attack that entails that you not only take pro-active actions, but also adopt preventative measures. Remember, contrary to popular belief, there is no actual legal right to automatically opt out of all junk mail, however we do have the right to be free of unwanted solicitations once we’ve properly and duly notified the junk mail spammer.

For starters, I recommend that you not waste money on programs out there that purportedly offer to help you remove your name from the junk mail offers and mailing lists, as you can easily do it yourself for free and with minimal effort. But if you wish to automate the opt out process and perpetually keep yourself off such lists, you may wish to try out junk mail prevention services like Tonic Mail Stopper (formerly called Green Dimes). However, note that even with the use of online programs that automate the process, like trying to get rid of roaches, there is just no easy way to permanently halt the unwelcome torrent of junk mail that surges into your mail box on a daily basis. The nearly unstoppable junk mail solicitations simply have an uncanny way of showing up even after you’ve seemingly snuffed them out at their source. Fortunately, there are strategies and tactful ways to combat the junk mail problem.

Steps To Fight Back and Reduce The Junk Mail That You Receive

1) Remove Your Name From the Direct Marketing Association’s Mailing List: Consumers receive the vast majority of their unsolicited junk mail from just three sources: the DMA (advertising letters, flyers, and brochures), the Abacus Catalog Alliance (retail store and online catalogs), and the major credit report bureaus (credit card applications and insurance offers). If you do nothing else, I highly recommend that you at least take the time to visit the Direct Marketing Association’s DMA Choice registration page, and get your name placed onto their do-not-mail list. DMA member merchants are required to update their mailing lists regularly and stop marketing to consumers that have opted out.

Getting onto the DMA do-no-mail list is one of the easiest things you can do to significantly reduce the junk mail that you receive. You will be able to remove your name and mailing address from the national mailing lists of a great number of direct marketing companies this way. While wiping your name and address from their roster is quick and easy, bear in mind that your online removal request is only valid for 3 years and you’ll have to re-register again after that time. There is absolutely no fee for online registration, but mail in submission requires a $1.00 check or money order processing charge.

• Register Names Of Deceased: The Direct Marketing Association also gives friends, relatives, and caregivers the ability to remove the names of deceased family members and other individuals from commercial marketing lists via the association’s Deceased Do Not Contact (DDNC) registrar (no verification fee). I haven’t tried myself, but I wonder if it’s possible for very-much alive consumers to intentionally placed themselves onto the list and pretend to have died to rid themselves of junk mail. It’s worth a shot I suppose although I haven’t really thought out the potential consequences of such a creative approach. If you’ve placed yourself onto the Deceased Do Not Contact list before, please share your results!

2) Remove Your Name From the Epsilon Abacus Cooperative Mailing List: Abacus, a division of Epsilon Data Services runs perhaps the largest database of mailing addresses out there for its members, mostly catalog and retail companies. Merchant members of the Abacus Cooperative contribute information about their customers and transactions  in exchange for information about other customers that may be interested in their products. As such, Abacus retains a pretty accurate database of consumer spending habits and personal contact information. Opting out is easy and signing up allows you to permanently halt the catalog mailers from the association’s members. Simply visit the Abacus Opt Out page and follow the appropriate instructions, or e-mail abacusoptout@epsilon.com with your full name and current address to request permanent removal.

3) Opt Out Of All Pre-Approved Credit Card Junk Mail: Visit OptOutPrescreen.com to stem the flow of pre-approved credit card solicitations clogging up your mail box. The website is the official Consumer Credit Reporting Industry homepage to accept and process requests from consumers to opt-in or opt-out of firm offers of credit or insurance. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), the credit reporting companies of Equifax, Experian, TransUnion, and even little known Innovis are permitted to include your name and address on marketing lists used by credit card issuers, mortgage brokers, and insurers to make offers of credit or insurance that are not necessarily initiated by you. However, they must also abide by your wish to opt out and put an end to these credit card pre-approvals if that is your wish. Simply visit the OptOutPrescreen.com website to get your name deleted from their lists for a period of 5 years or longer. If you desire permanent removal, simply select the mail-in option (I highly recommend this). To submit your request, you will need to provide your full name, mailing address, birth date, and social security number. Unfortunately, this service is not currently available for businesses or companies.

4) Opt Out Of All Flyers, Brochures, and Coupon Packs: Some people like receiving weekly flyers and monthly coupon books filled with assorted promotional offers from local stores and companies. I on the other hand hate receiving them and regard them as junk mail. These types of bulk mail bundles generally involve envelopes containing a wide array of ads and coupons for locally based stores and services such as window replacement, carpet cleaning, air duct services, car washing, restaurants, and even promotional leaflets for various acai berry scams. I have yet to find any of these coupons useful.

Most of these coupon booklets are usually generically addressed to “current resident” or “current occupant” and sent out en masse with no personalization of any sort. They also frequently contain postcards with ads, often accompanied by pictures of missing children. In almost all cases, the name, phone number, and sometimes even the website address of the company that issued the junk mailer will be printed on the bulk mail package itself or on the accompanying card that contains your mailing address. Simply call or send a letter to the company directly to have your name and address taken off the bulk mailing list. For your reference, here are several of the biggest bulk coupon book marketing companies out there:

• Valassis, aka. Red Plum Coupons: Get yourself removed from Valassis or Red Plum’s coupon book mailing list by filling out and submitting an opt out request at the Valassis Consumer Support page, or by calling 1-888-241-6760. It takes about 5-6 weeks to process.
• Val Pak Savings Coupons: You can opt out of Val-Pak’s ubiquitous blue envelope packs by visiting the Cox Target Media mailing list removal request page. Be sure to input your address information exactly as it is printed on your ValPak envelope to ensure proper removal.

5) Ask Magazines and Charities Not To Sell Your Name Or Address: Tell magazines that you subscribe to and charities that you donate to the magic words – that you don’t want them to “sell, rent, share, or trade your name and address” with other businesses or charity organizations. 

6) Remove Yourself From Sweepstakes and Prize Drawings: The chances of ever winning are incredibly slim and not worth the hassle of having to deal with future junk mail solicitations. Besides, the main purpose of these contests and reward promotions is for companies to compile mailing lists of prospective customers, not to award prizes. Always avoid participating in any such offers unless you have the option, based on contest rules, to completely opt out of being placed on a mailing list. To get yourself removed from the major sweepstakes and prevent your address from being passed on to other companies for the purpose of receiving future marketing offers, contact the following:

• Publishers Clearinghouse Sweepstakes: Call: 1-800-645-9242 or e-mail privacychoices@pchmail.com
• Readers Digest Sweepstakes: Call 1-800-310-6261 or send a letter request to Reader’s Digest customer service at: Reader’s Digest, PO Box 50005, Prescott, AZ 86301-5005

7) Avoid Filling Out Product Warranty Or Buyer Registration Cards: Contrary to popular belief, those product warranty registration cards that come with the products you buy have less to do with warranty coverage than they have to do with allowing the company to update their mailing lists. A product warranty is effective the moment you purchase the product and is almost always valid whether or not you return the product warranty card (as long as you have a proper receipt). You may have noticed that many of these registration cards frequently ask for lifestyle and personal interest hobby type information, along with details about your household makeup, your income bracket, and other seemingly irrelevant data. This is to allow the company to better categorize you into the proper demographic list for future marketing solicitations, and has little to do with the underlying warranty.

8) Refuse To Accept Junk Mail By Returning To Sender: Here’s a tip to combat against other unsolicited junk mail offers not covered by the items listed above. When junk letters arrive in envelopes that specifically indicate “change service requested” or “address service requested”, it means that you can refuse to receive the letter and have it returned to the sender on demand. Simply write “Refused – Return To Sender” or “Return To Sender – Refused By Addressee” on the envelope and drop it unopened back into the outgoing mailbox to have it sent back to the sender. In most cases, this will cause the sender to remove the address from its bulk mailing list. Additionally for such letters or bulk mailers where there is indication on the face that return postage is guaranteed, you may also wish to write “Remove me from your mailing list immediately” on the face of the envelope to punctuate your point. Remember, all such returned letters to the sender must be unopened so be certain of the nature of the contents before rejecting them.

9) Beware Of The U.S. Postal Service’s Change of Address Cards: One of the biggest and sneakiest secret of all – is that the United States Postal Service is perhaps one of the biggest exploiters of your mailing information out there. The Post Office generates a very large amount of income from selling the mail forwarding database that it regularly updates. Every time you move and fill out one of those permanent change of address cards or mail forwarding forms at the Post Office, your new mailing address information is almost always immediately offered to prospective direct mail marketers for a price. I’ve tried contacting the post office to compel them to stop giving out my new addresses to companies – but it’s been a pretty futile gesture on my part.

One way to get around this is to submit a temporary change of address for a long period of time such as 6 months. Your new address information is not passed along to businesses for temporary moves, only permanent ones. If you are willing to manually contact all of the legitimate companies that you do business with or have accounts with to advise them of your new permanent address change, this is one way to prevent the Post Office from updating the junk mail marketers of your new location. Of course, make sure all of your friends, relatives, and bill collectors know of your new address.

For consumers who wish to forcibly stop the flood of sexually explicit mail to their residence, one way is to submit a USPS Form 1500 (Prohibitory Order Application), which notifies the senders to cease and desist their mailers to you. I have yet to hear of anyone using this powerful tool to stop an overly aggressive (but non-sexually based) bulk mailing company’s marketing attempts, but it certainly is another potential way to discourage junk mail companies from cluttering up your mailbox.

10) Opt For Electronic Statements, and Stop Receiving Paper Bills: It’s time for everyone to join the modern era and put an end to paper statements by banking online and accessing their monthly bills and statements via the Internet. Not only do paper statements generate an inordinate amount of trash and clutter, these paper based bills are yet another opportunity for businesses to send you more junk through the mail. Contact your banks, credit card issuers, insurance companies, and utility providers – and sign up for automatic debit payments and electronic billing as soon as possible. Along with the reduction in clutter and paper usage, you’ll also save a lot of money on stamps by going paperless.