Mailing Labels...
Seems everybody and their brother who ask for a charitable handout these days like to send out return address mailing labels... They come in all styles, plain, flat paper without any picture... plain, flat paper with a little image of a sun or some such thing... Then there are the fancy labels that are printed on glossy paper and are adorned with an image of a bouquet or a flag... The ones I like best are the triple threat... Glossy paper with shimmering gold borders and an image that's die cut around the edges so as to break the mold of the boring old rectangular return address label... I like these but typically I have to be sending a rather large envelope in order for the label to fit.
Here's the problem... I know they send these things as a little gift so as to entice the recipient to respond in kind... But I'm not independently wealthy! I'd like to give to everyone but that's just not possible. So of course there's always some guilt involved when I tear off the donation form and keep the labels... But there's even more guilt involved with throwing out perfectly good mailing labels... I mean, I might NEED to use them one day! So now it seems I'm collecting mailing labels like I collect boxes! I have a bin in my coffee table that is quite simply overflowing with return address labels. I hoard the fancy ones and only use them for special mailings... Like birthday cards, letters, invitations and packages... I would NEVER waste a fancy label on a bill... Bill payments tend to get the plain, non-glossy, maybe a small picture label.
So I ask myself... What the heck am I going to do with ALL of these extra mailing labels? Paper the powder room? Label my tools? My books?... Well there's an idea! Regardless, I just don't have THAT many books!
So I'd like to say to the charities that keep sending me mailing labels... ENOUGH ALREADY! Oh and to the charities that send me a nickel in the mail... Please keep your nickel... All it does is serve to infuriate me that your wasting money on the people you're supposed to be helping by sending out your change! I will never be interested in giving to an organization that's going to take the money I donate and purchase rolls of nickels with it to send out to people who also don't like seeing money wasted and throw the nickel into their change dish... A dish which is over flowing and needs to be taken to the 'Coin Star' machine at the grocery store.
Oh, and the other thing I hate getting in the mail is a package of cards to send friends and loved ones... You know the ones? The 'Get Well', 'Happy Birthday' & 'Thank You' cards that have tacky little cartoon birds on them?... I COULD send these out but I KNOW that the person who receives it will think to themselves... "That cheap @!%*& sent me one of those crappy cards I got for free in the mail myself last week!"... The only people who benefit from these cards would be people like my Grandma who couldn't make it out to the store to purchase cards on her own. So is this charity insinuating that I'm too elderly to get out to the store and purchase my own cards? I wonder how I might repay them for their kindness... I know...
Maybe in return I can send them my extra mailing labels?
Here's the problem... I know they send these things as a little gift so as to entice the recipient to respond in kind... But I'm not independently wealthy! I'd like to give to everyone but that's just not possible. So of course there's always some guilt involved when I tear off the donation form and keep the labels... But there's even more guilt involved with throwing out perfectly good mailing labels... I mean, I might NEED to use them one day! So now it seems I'm collecting mailing labels like I collect boxes! I have a bin in my coffee table that is quite simply overflowing with return address labels. I hoard the fancy ones and only use them for special mailings... Like birthday cards, letters, invitations and packages... I would NEVER waste a fancy label on a bill... Bill payments tend to get the plain, non-glossy, maybe a small picture label.
So I ask myself... What the heck am I going to do with ALL of these extra mailing labels? Paper the powder room? Label my tools? My books?... Well there's an idea! Regardless, I just don't have THAT many books!
So I'd like to say to the charities that keep sending me mailing labels... ENOUGH ALREADY! Oh and to the charities that send me a nickel in the mail... Please keep your nickel... All it does is serve to infuriate me that your wasting money on the people you're supposed to be helping by sending out your change! I will never be interested in giving to an organization that's going to take the money I donate and purchase rolls of nickels with it to send out to people who also don't like seeing money wasted and throw the nickel into their change dish... A dish which is over flowing and needs to be taken to the 'Coin Star' machine at the grocery store.
Oh, and the other thing I hate getting in the mail is a package of cards to send friends and loved ones... You know the ones? The 'Get Well', 'Happy Birthday' & 'Thank You' cards that have tacky little cartoon birds on them?... I COULD send these out but I KNOW that the person who receives it will think to themselves... "That cheap @!%*& sent me one of those crappy cards I got for free in the mail myself last week!"... The only people who benefit from these cards would be people like my Grandma who couldn't make it out to the store to purchase cards on her own. So is this charity insinuating that I'm too elderly to get out to the store and purchase my own cards? I wonder how I might repay them for their kindness... I know...
Maybe in return I can send them my extra mailing labels?
posted by EmBee at 10:04 AM
8 Comments:
I loved when we moved and I could shred all my excess freebie address labels. It was cathartic.
BUT, they've found me at our new address. My friend gave me some lovely address labels so now I gleefully grind the free ones w/o feeling guilty.
I know!! I get those too. What planet do these charities and businesses live on that they think labels will be enough to entice a response?
Most people I know barely use the old fashioned mail service any longer for even their bills.
And hardly anyone sits down to write letters to friends or family!
LOL. i'm old fashioned and still pay by check each month. i don't feel guilty using the labels. i didn't ask for them to be sent.
I've gotten the address labels. But a nickel?? What is the purpose of sending people a nickel?
Linda, Just think... A whole new collection of labels to amass!
M, It's the guilt factor... It usually works on me.
Lime, I like the pretty ones best!
Parlancheq, Oh yes... And the nickels are always the brightest and the shinest you'll ever find... The latest one I received came from the 'Kidney Foundation'... Just wait, I'm sure your nickel is on it's way soon.
I always get these really butt ugly ones from the ASPCA. They need to talk to their graphic design people b/c seriously... they're just ugly!
I know... and you think the SPCA would have SO many beautiful images to choose from!
Hi there,
I just found your article and thought i would leave a quick comment to help you out a little. I know how expensive labels can be to buy but i was fortunate enough to come accross a british labels company who sold me a batch of plain labels for a really low price. It may be worth taking a look at their site as they do many types of label printing aswell for a really low cost.
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