No more junk mail.
Yesterday I decided to look into getting rid of junk mail and telemarketer phone calls. Not only will this make my life easier – it will also help the environment. I found some free resources that you can use to get your name off of direct mailing lists, including DirectMail.com’s removal service and OptOutPrescreen.com, which enables you to stop getting pre-approved credit card and insurance offers. The sign up is simple for both sites. I also signed up at do not call to remove both my cell phone and home number from receiving marketing phone calls. Some states also require you to register on their site as well (Georgia is not one of them)
I also found out about two different inexpensive paid services, including GreenDimes and 41pounds.org. Both cost only a few dollars a month though, and GreenDimes will plant a tree a month on your behalf and 41pounds donates more than 1/3 of your fee to the environmental organization of your choice.
Other things you can do:
- send an email to optout@abacus-us.com – put remove in the subject line. Type your name and address in the email. They are a big company that sells names to catalogs.
- Fill out the form at ADVO. They send a bunch of junk to your house each year.
- You can stop receiving Val-Pak coupon mailers. If you do use one or two you can print them online. Fill out the online form.
- Call 1-800-873-7655 (Opt-out program) and use their automated system to request that the consumer credit reporting agency Equifax not share your information with other parties.
- Fill out this form (and pay $1) to get off of even more lists.
I hope this helps!
Oh yeah…if you are interested in a big sale – J.Crew is having their final Summer Clearance sale.
Radio Thursday – Beat Summer Boredom
Now that it is July I’m sure you could use a few more tricks up your sleeve to entertain the kiddies! Here are a few new ideas that I tried out this Summer:
BeeBo0 Bubble Mix – Want to create the “world’s largest bubble”? If so, you need to use the BeeBoo Bubble solution and wand. This company set a Guinness World Record in March 2006 for the largest bubble…it was 105.4 cubic feet! This is a super fun & easy bubble set that allows kids of all ages to create giant bubbles. The bubbles & wands start at $15.
Thumball – This is a fun new game that can be used for entertainment and education! Its pretty simple…you throw it, your buddy catches it and looks under his or her thumb and responds accordingly. Each ball has different categories or skill levels so that virtually anyone can play. When Thumballs arrived at our house we immediately had a giant group of kids gathered on the front lawn tossing the balls back and forth – they are great conversation starters or icebreakers for parties. Some of the themes include emotion, category, ice breaker, who are you….and on & on! The balls start at $8.99.
Sassafras cooking kits for kids - These little cooking kits are awesome! How many kids have their own battery operated ice cream maker? For only $20 your little one can make ice cream using a few simple ingredients! It is so simple…and yummy too! Riley loves the pizza making kit – it comes with an apron, pizza pan, pizza sauce, crust mix, rolling pin, wooden spoon, measuring cup and recipe! They have many other kits available from cookies to french toast. Each kit contains ingredients & utensils so that your child can create something that they are proud of! Cooking is very fun and also very educational for kids.
Kids Central Kitchen – They offer a wonderful selection of natural, whole grain baking mixes for families to cook together. They are super easy to make and contain no trans-fats, no hydrogenated oils, no high fructose sugars, colors, or preservatives. They even have low fat and low cholesterol mixes available. So not only do they taste great…they are really good for you! Some of my families favorites include the Propeller Energy Bars, the Homerun Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, the Flip Flop Flapjacks Pancake mix, and the Mudslinger Brownies. It is really fun to show the kids how unique ingredients like yogurt and applesauce can make great baked goods. The site also has a great selection of fun cooking tools. The mixes start at $4.99.
Four Peas Activity Kits – These activity packs come in a cool plastic carrying case and contain a plethora of items designed to keep kids over 3 happy and entertained. It includes paper, silly putty, crayons, slinkys, stickers, activity pads, and much more. After they use the items you can refill the sturdy case for more adventures. For $20 you can choose either a boy or girl kit. These are great for car trips, long restaurant meals, waiting rooms, or rainy days. We took ours to Texas and Riley had so much fun with all of the different activities in the kit.
Tree Blocks Music Wands – With these hand crafted, sculptured chimes kids can unite together and make music! Each design or shape creates a different tone. Simply pick your favorite shape (from stars to dinosaurs and everything in between) and tap on a hard surface to create music. These were a HUGE hit with kids of all ages at our house. The creativity really came out – they put on concerts and shows for us. For $6.50 each this is one concert I don’t want to miss out on!
Momergency Kit – This kit contains everything you need to entertain and attend to every child. Perfect for long car trips long lines…you will be covered! In this pouch is a book filled with essential information (calendar, phone list, etc) and 20 activities to entertain your child using contents from the kit. Some of the items include a red balloon, googly eyes, dice, mirror, glue stick, and lots more. Only $25 for tons of sanity!
Tovolo Ice Cream Sandwich Molds – We have had so much fun at our house making our own ice cream sandwiches! We pick what kind of cookie we are going to bake and then choose our flavor of ice cream – after that we still get to pick what shape we want our treats to be! A star, cow, pig, heart…..who knows. Recipes and full instructions are included. You can get them at many places like Amazon or Cookin Stuff. They sell for around $11.
Now you have an answer for your kids when they come to you and say “I’m bored”.
