Hey folks,
After years of tearing up junk mail in a fit of rage or burning it in my fireplace as lighter paper, I had a moment of discovery today.
While trying in vain to tear in half one of those damn credit card applications where they give you a sample card as if seeing how pretty the card is will convince you to get one (OK, it was a damn American Express clear) I realized what a fool I had been!
I removed the sample card and there in my hands was a perfect disposable scraper for cleaning glass, drywall mud tool for small areas, wall patch tool for minor holes, epoxy spreading tool, smoothing tool for wood or plastic filler, you name it! And I have been throwing these $%@# out at the rate of about three or four a week!
So I now WELCOME those once-annoying mailings. Please, every credit card company around, send me those samples. Put two to an envelope so I can use them even faster!
Mike
Replies
Good idea. Should work well for bondo.
I'm sorry, I thought you wanted it done the right way.
Another good use, at least for the ones that don't have a plastic card in them, is to cut up everything they send you, except the postage paid return envelope, stuff all the cut up paper into the post paid envelope and drop it in the nearest mail box.
I did that for about three years with all unsolicited junk mail and it seriously cut down on the junk mail we get.
Power to the people (with scissors)!
I'm thankful for the loyal opposition! It's hard to learn much from those who simply agree with you.
I had a neighbor who used to take the 1st class prepaid return postage and glue it to a brick and drop that into the nearest mailbox.
I'll bet the postal folks didn't appreciate that very much.
BruceM
In all seriousness though guys. If you really want to cut down on the preapproved credit offers (and you should think about it with all the identity theft out there these days- why put your information out more than necessary), contact the threee big credit bureaus and opt out of preapproved offers. Legally they have to block you. The credit card companies get ahold of the credit bureaus with criteria and the bureaus provide lists of names and addresses of people that meet the criteria. If you opt out- voila your name gets left off the list. My preapproved offers went from 7-10 a week to maybe 1 a month. Literally. I still get other junk mail - the garden catalogs are flowing in strong right now- but the preapproved credit stuff has disappeared. If I need credit I'll find it on my own thank you very much and no, I am not interested in your personal loan at 72 months with 12 % interest . . . . . . .
I've used the same trick of sending back all the return postage envelopes for years. Not sure it's done any good, but I sure feel better. If everyone does that, maybe the senders would get the hint. I've heard about the "stick it to a brick" idea, think it's cute, but wholly unfair to the poor mail carriers - our guy is getting on in years, don't have the heart to do it to him.
But then again, I've always messed with the telemarketers - faked a fire in the kitchen on one of them, faked arguments with the kids, etc. One time a guy asked to speak with my wife - I asked which one? Got a pregnant pause and a hang up on that one.
Those cards make handy spatulas for smoothing caulk. Scratch-free scraping. As an electrician I frequently have to patch small holes in plaster or drywall and those cards are great for feathering in spackle. Bypassing some locks is easier with one and I also use them as bookmarks.
Not those credit card look-alikes but related I have found uses for those CDs that come in the mail: They make, if halved, fairly good shims. Great for damp locations. They won't rot.
When I have to work on mobile homes, Oh joy, I sometimes have to open up the tarp-like sheeting under them that serves to keep the cats out. Once sliced open it is hard to patch. Tape won't hold and staples and normal fasteners pull through.
I have found a short, wide-thread, drywall or deck screw run through a washer and this used to hold a CD. Like a soft-sided super-sized fender washer it holds the sheeting in place very well.
A friend, faced with storms bearing down, nailed his tar paper down with roofing nails run through CDs, a bit off center, in spots where he expected the paper to lift. He said they worked really well. Better than the plastic cap or simplex nails.
and here is what you can do with all of those unwanted AOL CDs...
http://www.nomoreaolcds.com/
"and here is what you can do with all of those unwanted AOL CDs...
http://www.nomoreaolcds.com/"
Funny stuff.
According to the site, their top CD contributor sent in 43,000 of them. At about 5 cents each for shipping, that's $2150 in shipping costs. The environmental damage aspect of the program is sort of funny too. How wasteful is it to ship 1 million CDs with packaging from all around the country, then truck them to AOL, who will then truck them to a landfill...
Who's being wasteful? Perhaps AOL shouldn't send out millions of cds. Just because someone puts them all in one place doesn't make them the problem.
"Who's being wasteful? Perhaps AOL shouldn't send out millions of cds. Just because someone puts them all in one place doesn't make them the problem."
Sending out the CDs in the first place is wasteful. Packaging and transporting them a 2nd time is wasteful. Then transporting them to the landfill is wasteful a 3rd time. Protesting environmental impacts by repeating those same environmental impacts is either ironic or tragic. You decide.
Take your personal info off of the nail and stuff it back into the prepaid envelope and send it back. This way the cost of sending junk goes up and you give a little extra cash to the USPS. If you keep the scraper, you and the postal service are happy and the solicitor gets to experience receiving unwanted mail. Win - win - win!
I do a bit between the two, I send a galvanized gusset in between the paper, and what ever else thats around. Really pi$$es me off when its my credit card co sending me promotion garbage. Seems like a brick wouldnt get past the first post office.
-zen
I've heard of people sending back a bit of er, "almond Roca", from the litter box....
The person you offend today, may have been your best friend tomorrow
It might not do any good , but is sure feels great.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
"So I now WELCOME those once-annoying mailings. Please, every credit card company around, send me those samples. Put two to an envelope so I can use them even faster!"
I give them to the kids to play with. Playing 'store' is big with the preschool set.