I love junk mail! Please, send me yours!
I’m one of those people who keeps the junk mail system alive. Now spam, well, that’s a different story. Let me tell you about junk mail, though.
Many decades ago I opened an official-looking envelope and found a real honest-to-goodness United States $2 bill inside. The company that sent it to me wanted me to take about five minutes and complete a paper survey. Even if I chose not to complete the survey, the $2 bill was mine to keep!
Ever since then I open all junk mail or read it. Over the years I’ve received:
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$2 bills
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$1 bills
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Pennies (usually ten, arranged in circles, stars, etc.)
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Nickles, Dimes, Quarters
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Kennedy half dollars
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Dollar coins (Eisenhower, Sacagawea, and Anthony)
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United States postage stamps (penny stamps when the postage rate increased, first class stamps, and Forever stamps)
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Pens and pencils
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Calendars
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A wallet
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Letter opener (which I still have and use)
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Restaurant and movie coupons
My best piece of junk mail was a postcard, and it arrived on May 28, 2012, just 32 days ago:
See the part I highlighted in yellow. $100. I’m on it.
The survey guy showed up today at 3:00 p.m. All he did was walk through the house noting all the things that we use — type of computers, monitors, and printers; types of lighting fixtures and light bulbs; type of heating and cooling system; presence of ceiling fans, etc.
He was here about an hour, and look what he left us:
When I first started using a CPA, I got a call each year about the income documented in my Excel spreadsheet. I have two interesting categories:
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Found
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Junk mail
Found is money that I find and, yes, I do pick up pennies. I once found an Indian Head penny, a 1909 VDB Indian Head penny. It was not in good shape, but it was worth far more than a penny. The most I’ve ever found in one tax year was $176.07. The least I’ve ever found was $26.19, and that was in 1993, my first year in San Diego — obviously I didn’t know where to look upon my arrival here.
Junk mail is money that I get through, well, junk mail. The most I ever got is now this year. With the $100 I got today, I’m up to $127 for the year, and we’re only in June!
So, yes, I love junk mail. If you don’t, please, send me yours!
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Posted on June 30, 2012, in SNIPPETS and tagged junk mail. Bookmark the permalink. 18 Comments.
I don’t drive, so I walk everywhere… I too pick up pennies, nickles, quarters, dollar bills and even $20 …. Let’s face it, if it’s lying there with no way to return it to anyone…why not. I’ve found that the better the economy the more loose change goes lying about. The tighter the economy the less. Nowadays there’s hardly a penny in the parking lots any more. Although I did find a string of pennies on the way one one day almost as if they had been tossed there as a guide to someplace….
And I love junk mail because it often feeds my morgue… (that’s a research file artists use for collecting photos of things they may have to paint or draw sometime.)
Very interesting.
You are canny! Your grandmother would be proud!
MWOG was practical. So am I.
Now that is something else! Way to put a positive twist on something I despise! I will now pay more attention to the ‘stuff’ I didn’t like before, because it is a good exercise in finding the silver lining. Thank you for that!
We like junk mail too but we hardly get any now days. Hubby finds lots of coins when we are out and about. In the past we have gotten some of the same things that you have in junk mail. I gotta say though I do not know anyone that has prospered more than you with junk mail.
Brought a whole new perspective to junk mail… Maybe we should find a new name for that.
Very clever, Russel. I’ll examine mine more closely in future.
Hmmm, maybe I better pay closer attention to that junk mail. Even if it does annoy and irritate me.
Here’s what I do. First, I decided that television commercials irritate me the most, so during commercials I read through junk mail………..lol
Good plan!
The best I ever got were those lame address stickers; ugg. However, I do pick up pennies and any other money I see lying around. Got a big jar full of found pennies that I need to go through.Does it seem to you that since the economy tanked there are not as many pennies? “See a penny, pick it up; all day long you’ll have good luck!”
I do think people keep track of their change more during a bad year (economy, lost job, health problems, major house project, etc.).
It’s always refreshing to see the other side of things we normally take for granted…Thanks!
You are so very good at attracting and sharing the good!
“.”
Cat
$2 bills??? dang, ten of those you have lunch! all i get are stupid 15% off offers! but if you want them, their yours
Send me junk
i love junk mail.
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