This is what the "DIGEST" version of deCluttr looks like. I've marked the messages with different colors, On the real digest e-mail messages, there are no markers to show where one message ends and another starts.
From: DECLUTTR@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU Fri 9:50
Subject: DECLUTTR Digest - 17 Apr 1998 - Special issue (#19
To: BalanceCK
There are 19 messages totalling 569 lines in this issue.
- groceries & coupons (3)
- Decluttering life things (bit long)
- Unsolicited/Junk Mail (2)
- DH (3)
- Decluttr: rueful chuckle
- I'M IN A PANIC
- DECLUTTR Digest - 16 Apr 1998 to 17 Apr 1998 (#1998-169) (2)
- Privacy at the cash register and on the phone. (telemarketers)
- ot-credit cards, phone numbers
- telemarketers (2)
- coupons
- As long as we're talking about coupons...
At 09:50 AM 4/17/98 +1000, you wrote:
>We don't have all these coupons in Australia. I wish we did.
I find that most of the coupons are for products that I really do not need and since there is usually
not a sale on at the time the coupons are sent out. We don't have the double coupons bonus
in Toronto,Ontario. I have seen these people on the television that can get their supermarket
things for next to nothing. They use coupons,sales and double coupon days.Anyone ever been successful doing this?
As for a grocery store layout, the meats and dairy are either in the middle of the store or at the back. Yes they do change aisles around especially in the smaller chains.
When I do my shopping I try to make it more of exercise. I start at one side of the store and work my way up and down the aisles obtaining my listed items but at a fast enough pace to be aerobic and not slow enough to grab too many of the unessentials.
Great marketing stragedy for the grocery store to change the layout every so often.
Take Care,
L--
OK so I'm getting abit deep here but I wanted to share about some of the life decluttering I'm doing eg discouraging people who are in my life without contibuting anything positive to it eg users, drainers etc. I have recently done this with a lot of people who I probably shouldn't have had in my life anyway but I didn't want to be lonely (their company actually made no differerence).
I'm also doing my best to be realistic with how I spend my money eg I wanted to join a gym so I have checked out quite a few that are accessible to me, prices, what they offer after I decided exactly what I wanted. Found the place and although a 1 year membership was very attractively priced, in the past I know I had a history of 1 year memberships which I paid for and then stoped atteneding the gym after months. This time I paid for 6 months m'ship and feel so happy and light about it.For me, it seems to be important to declutter different parts of my life as well as the objects in my place. Interesting the way things are going once some decluttering happens.Anyone else found this type of thing starting to/happening?
cheers j--
ecriva@big---.com
You remind me of one of my pet peeves...and that's when I've donated money to a "worthy cause" I then become inundated with mail from that organization with requests for more money! It must be profitable for them to do this, it seems, or else they wouldn't be wasting the extra cost of more mailings...but it's irritating enough to me that I tend to stop donating to that charity and pick another.
C-- in NC
T-- wrote:
> On a recent PBS show, "Affluenza," I saw a unique method of dealing with
> unwanted/junk mail.
>
> Look to see if the mail includes a postage paid envelope. If so, fold up
> all the junk mail you just opened, put it in the postage paid envelope, and
> send it back to the sender!! (I include a postit asking them to remove my
> name from the list, although this is likely a useless gesture...). What
> makes this fun is that the junk mailer is paying the postage to have his
> junk shipped back to him!
>
> Of course, if the solicitation is from a charitable or worthy group, I
> wouldn't do this (I might not donate, but I won't add to their expenses).
> I must say it was fun to send back the "Barbie Collectibles" solicitation
> (I kid you not) at their expense!
>
> T--To me, just the positive ones listed below, including Dear/Darling.
Hugs,
M--
>What does DH mean? Dippy Husband? Delicious Husband? Dumb Husband?
>Dreamy Husband?G-- wrote:
>>I still find myself beating myself up for the
>>mess around here. It seems that I am unable to say: Gloriamarie, you are
>>ill and so take it easy on yourself. I somehow seem to have no ability to
>>be gentle with myself, kind to myself.
>K-- wrote:
>Somebody raised you wrong, dear. Somebody gave you the idea that you
>weren't worth doing anything nice for. Somebody told you that idle hands
>are the Devil's and made you think that resting is wrong...M-- here.
Seems I read somewhere that even G-d said something about resting ...
>My husband has been after me for a week to call and schedule a termite
>inspection, and I've drug my feet...Well, I didn't drag my feet on our termite problem! The disgusting little swarmers were everywhere and even if they paid rent, I wanted them O-U-T!!!!
This was the one time that my husband's comments about "other people's homes aren't as neat and clean and uncluttered as you think! And these guys have seen everything...not to worry!" -- made it easy for me to say "CALL THE TERMITE PEOPLE ... NOW!"
Just do it, is my motto on this kind of stuff. "Ef 'em if they can't take a joke!"
Hugs,
M--
who can't believe I was a tomboy as a kid...
M-- here.
There is an 800 number to call to have your name taken off junk mail lists...unfortunately, I'm not unpacked enough to find it. One would think, wouldn't one, that it would be in my Rolodex -- especially since I don't have a Rolex. <smile>
In a message dated 98-04-16 18:42:57 EDT, you write:
<< K--, DH=dear husband...OR if you are angry, DARN husband (to keep it clean on the list).....
Oh, your e-mail addy: is that pronounced KAY-RON? I had a friend in college we used to call her that--her name is K-- also!! LOL
--
c-ya! J--
mailto:jannperry@--mail.com
>>
J--,
R-- is my Dear Husband whom I love very much, no matter how aggrivated I get : >!! He is definately my other half--wouldn't have it any other way! <G>.
K-- <><
In a message dated 98-04-16 20:17:29 EDT, C-- wrote:
<< We don't have all these coupons in Australia. I wish we did. They sound like a good way of getting discounts on food. >>
No they're not, C--! They are a hassle and yet I am an avid couponer. Yes, they can save you money and my philosophy is that as they are there they should be used. However the cost of the coupons is added into the retail price. Feel pleased that you don't have to deal with this.
r--
In a message dated 98-04-16 18:52:28 EDT, J-- wrote:
<< I knew their scam before, coz I had been called before. I asked the person, 'I would like you to send me some written information.' She said, "Um, we can't do that." Then I told her, "then we are not interested." She came back with telling me my husband was a wimp to have his wife make the money decisions. I told her to kiss off and hung up. >>
I had a call from a computer software company that was selling children's software. I was interested and it seemed a good deal but I NEVER give my credit card number over the phone unless I initiate the call. The telemarketeer gave me the number so that I could call him back and therefore be initiating the call. I didn't and a few weeks later received another call.
This time the (new) telemarketer was really quite nasty when I kept asking questions and requested information be sent to me. Accused me of "playing with his time!". I was more convinced than ever that this was a scam, but I'll never know for sure. (Which is better than being proved right!) r--
Hi all!
I want to add my .02. We saw a report on 20/20(or something like that.) They suggested not signing them, but writing "ask for PHOTO id".
That's what we do. They say once you sign your cards, then the thief has your signature. I have clerks who insist it must be signed. Till the manager gets involved and they find out different. I also still have a Texas drivers license even though I've lived in Arkansas for three years. I WON'T ever change it. Many clerks insist that I have to have an Arkansas driver's license. I just tell them "not if you're military". (even the DMV doesn't harrass me!) Also, when these same people ask me for my phone #, I say "I work at home". They usually ask then for "his" work phone. That response is "the military doesn't like that info given out". Not enitrely true, but it shuts them up! Besides that once they got him on the phone he'll tell them I don't deal with the finances, call my wife. (who they really don't want to deal with. LOL. I tend to say what I think without really thinking about it first.
P-- in Arkansas
The group is the Direct Marketing Association in New York City. They may have a web site.....
A-- R--
At 03:29 AM 4/17/98 -0700, you wrote:
>M-- here.
>
>There is an 800 number to call to have your name taken off junk mail
>lists...unfortunately, I'm not unpacked enough to find it. One would
>think, wouldn't one, that it would be in my Rolodex -- especially
>since I don't have a Rolex. <smile>
>Hi everyone!
On telemarketers.... I usually ask if they can hold on, I put the phone down and walk away. Then in about 10 min, come back, check the phone, if they're still there....yell at "someone" for leaving the phone off the hook and hang up. Never called back. Sometimes I ask for their number so I can call at a convenient time! They usually tell me that they can't do that. I then say ok thanks for calling and hang up. If it's a credit card co. I tell them I have enough credit and I am eliminating credit from my life (which is true).
DH doesn't have the heart to do it, so I get the calls. I have little patience for people who waste my time. It may sound a little witchy, but I do have better things to do than talk to them!
On the magazine co.'s I say all the magazines I read are on the internet, and I am cutting down on the waste of trees. That usually leaves them speechless. I try to have fun with it:)
P-- in Arkansas
Hi all!
I wanted to thank everyone who wrote about the coupons. It's funny to me now, but that day I was too mad. I got out the dividers yesterday, but didn't get any done. I have had the experience of leaving in the cart a couple of times too. Once it was never found and the second time I got it back. It is aggravating to "have" to start over. I guess I will do a little at a time(thanks R--). I do wish "someone" had joined in I wouldn't have felt so stupid. I have friends and family all over Texas and I must agree that there are no maps in the stores in Texas. But there are lots of "strange" people in Texas <big grin>. I was born there. Thanks to all who sent suggestions on categories. Luckily I didn't have time to file the coupons from "sunday's" paper. So, I have a few. Usually I save about $10-$15 per grocery trip with coupons. It may not be much, but it is "something". BTW I have put a large rubber band on my coupon box to prevent that from happening again! I use a box kinda like a recipe box, but a little smaller. I do have hope that today will be better. Thanks for being here!
P-- in Arkansas
>From my website, hope it helps. (It looks a lot better on the website.)
http://www.addbalance.com/add/junk_mail_no_more.htmJunk Mail - How to Stop It!
by Charles Kenyon
Junk mail is unsolicited commercial mail in which we have no interest. My junk mail may be your prize. Generally, though, we each get far more junk than we do prizes. Papers are a major source of clutter. That includes good offers, catalogs, free recipes, and sweepstakes entries.
Each time you fill out one of those drawing entries at a commercial place, you are giving your name to at least one more mailing list. That list may be sold to many others. Thus:
Step 1: Stop entering free drawings
(Such drawings are also a major source of phone slamming.)The second place your junk mail comes from is your registration of warranties, software, etc. Those registrations almost always have a box to check asking that your name not be given out or used for promotional mailings.
Step 2: Check the "no mailings" box when registering product ownership.
Finally, you are already on many, many, many, MANY lists. To get off start by mailing a request that your name be removed from lists for unsolicited mailings. To do this, you need to write to:
Mail Preference Service
D M Association
Box 9008
Farmingdale, NY 11735-9008Tell them that you do not want unsolicited mail and that you do not want your name or phone number sold. This will stop mailings for the name you send in. However, if you are receiving mailings with different spellings, with and without middle initial, etc., you need to send the letter for each name.
Track new junk mail for differences in spelling, etc., and then send another letter with that variation.
(You can also write to individual companies asking to be removed from their lists.)
Don't expect instant results. It takes up to six weeks before your letters will begin to alter your junk mail flow.
Step 3: Get removed from mailing lists by writing to Mail Preference Service.
Guess what? These commercial enterprises aren't the only people selling your name and address. The Post Office sells names! You can get them to stop this by writing and requesting that your mail code be changed to "bill only."
Step 4: Get off the Post Office's distribution list . . .
(this continues on the web page but is too large for posting here)
Balance_Check@bigfoot.com
The name telemarketers have for me is incorrect (they still have my ex's last name, and that has been 7 years). So if they call and ask for Mrs. Day, I immediately know they are telemarketers. We will say "It is no longer Day." This either confuses them and they hang up, or they say "Well, then, who is this?" That ticks me off and I say "You are calling MY home - who is THIS?" at which point they know they have blown any chance of a sell. :-)
Lately I have been taking advice I got off this list - I ask if it is a sales call. When they say yes, I pleasantly ask them to take me off their calling list - which they are required by law to do!
<<< Continued to next message >>>
(the next message you receive should be a continuation like this . . . )
From: DECLUTTR@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU Fri 9:50
Subject: DECLUTTR Digest - 17 Apr 1998 - Special issue (#19
To: BalanceCK
<<< This message is part 2 of a previous message >>>
Sorry if anyone on the list is telemarketer and this seems harsh, but please remember that when you call someone you are basically entering the privacy of their home.
P-- in Austin, TX
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
At 2:49 AM -0700 4/17/98, M-- F wrote:
>To me, just the positive ones listed below, including Dear/Darling.
Me too, Marny, me too. Not that he's perfect, but he is my husband, and one of the most compassionate, caring, generous, beautiful people I know. Even when we disagree, I see nothing but a future together, filled with warmth and love. Even though the bed is unmade this morning... (his chore).
I'm truly blessed.
L--
At 7:44 AM -0400 4/17/98, M-- wrote:
>In a message dated 98-04-16 20:17:29 EDT, Chris wrote:
>
><< We don't have all these coupons in Australia. I wish we did. They sound
> like a good way of getting discounts on food. >>>
>No they're not, Chris! They are a hassle and yet I am an avid couponer. Yes,
>they can save you money and my philosophy is that as they are there they
>should be used. However the cost of the coupons is added into the retail
>price. Feel pleased that you don't have to deal with this.I agree with R--. I've found that because we buy mostly generic or store brands, there are precious few coupons we use. We tend to use them for overnight diapers (since the store doesn't have those yet), and specific name-brands that we like. For the most part, though, the generics or store brands cost less than the name brands, even if you have a coupon for the name brand item.
I used to be an avid couponer, but have "decluttered" that part of my life. I now scour the weekly coupons for items we use regularly, but no longer feel compelled to clip every one, hoping to come across a bargain.
L--
I use to (need to start again to get them organized) take a metal check filing box. Kind of cumbersome, but at least I had ALL of them with me in case something unexpected came up that I wanted to buy. I always held mine by the bottom though, instead of carrying it by the handle, because I was afraid of it popping open. I think a good idea would be to maybe find some kind of band that was large enough to go around it, just for protection.
Depending on the cart, mine didn't fit too well in the seat section. There are some wonderful coupon/refunding sites out on the Net!
A--
>What kinds of things do you guys use to hold & organize yours? I have one of
>those semi-expanding nylon ones that's offered in every direct mailer, which
>is okay but not great. I'm getting one for my mother as a gag gift for
>Mother's Day because she's got them all over her car - glove compartment, on
>the seats, between the seats, floor, etc.
>
>R--
>randwarc@a--.com
Comments from Balance Check
I subscribe to the deCluttr list twice using two separate screen names. The reason for this is to allow me to receive the "Digest" version and read it daily. If a particular message looks like I want to reply to the writer (but the e-mail address has been stripped in the digesting process), then I can go to my other screen name's mail and find the message with the name and e-mail address of the person who wrote it.
In the list of topics you may have noticed "DECLUTTR Digest - 16 Apr 1998 to 17 Apr 1998 (#1998-169) (2)" as a topic. This is from someone who also subscribes to the Digest version and forgot to change the subject line in their reply message, since the subject of the digested messages is an overall description of that day's digest rather than any particular subject contained in that digest. Return to topics list.
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