May "baby steps" challenge: stop those catalogs and junk mail once and for all

A few weeks ago, I wrote this post about how even though I'd joined The Compact and pledged to Buy Nothing New this year, I don't feel like a good role model for green living. And I vowed to Go Green this year, using the baby steps method, which works best for me if I want to change a habit long term.

I want to do one challenge per month for the next six months, and it's already May 4th, but there's still plenty of time because I've picked the easiest one on the list. The challenge for May is to stop those catalogs and junk mail once and for all. I should have done it years ago, but there's no time like the present. I'm so excited that by this time next month, we'll get less than half the mail we're getting now, and it will be stuff we actually WANT. Remember when it was fun to get mail?

I hope you'll join me in this baby steps challenge if you haven't already gotten a handle on your junk mail. I have a simple four-step plan:

1. Sign up for Catalog Choice. This will let me choose the catalogs I want to receive. Previously I was down to ordering from one or two, but since I'm doing The Compact I'll opt out of all catalogs.

2. Also put my name on Forest Ethic's Do Not Mail List. This should help with the rest of the junk mail that's not listed by Catalog Choice.

3. For all those credit card offers, I'll register to "opt out" at optoutprescreen.com. I already have more credit cards than I need, and actually only use one of them.

4. This may be unnecessary if I do items #1-#3, but every time I get a piece of junk mail I'll set it aside and call the toll-free number and ask to be put on their "Do Not Mail" list.

That should take care of our unwanted junk mail, if not by the end of the month, within the next couple of months. I estimate the first 3 steps will take me a total of less time than it took to write this post. And I might spend 5-10 minutes a couple of times a week calling companies and asking them to remove my name from their list.

So that's the challenge. Are you in? I'll update you on my progress halfway through May. And please let me know if you have any tips or questions, and if you want to join in the challenge in the Comments section.