Tired of sorting through unwanted mail, a stack that just gets bigger and bigger, especially during the holidays? How did your name get on all these mailings anyway?

The odds are pretty high that your name was added to a mailing list every time you bought something, ordered a product by mail or on the Web, entered a contest, made a donation, wrote a check, subscribed to a magazine, or sent in a warranty card. That mailing list with your name on it was then probably rented, sold, or traded to other companies.

Here are a few tips that just might help reduce your unwanted mail.

Those warranty cards that come with new purchases – don’t fill them out. When you purchase an item, that item is covered by warranty, even if you don’t fill out the card. Save your receipt for proof of purchase. The warranty cards are just a way to gather names for direct mail lists.

Send back unopened bulk rate mail with “Return postage guaranteed” on it. The original sender will have to pay the postage.

Mail that has no “return postage guaranteed” should be opened to see if there is a return envelope. If so, write on that envelope, “Remove from mailing list. Don’t sell or trade address.” Enclose your name (as it appears on the mailing) and address in the envelope and mail it back to them. The cost here will be a stamp.

Unsolicited first-class letters should be returned unopened. First, write “Refused – return to sender! Remove from mailing list!” on the envelope. Next, mark out the bar code so the letter doesn’t come back to you. Put it back in the mail and the original sender will have to pay the postage.

Notify mailing list brokers that you want to be placed on their “suppress” files. These brokers include: Donnelly Marketing, Inc., 470 Chestnut Ridge Rd., Woodcliff, N.J. 07677 or Experian, List Maintenance, 901 West Bond, Lincoln, NE 68521.

Another place to notify is the Mail Preference Service, Direct Marketing Association, P.O. Box 643, Carmel, NY 15012-0643. Include on a postcard or letter your full name, address, ZIP code and a request to “activate the preference service.”

And lastly, don’t forget to call mail order catalog companies and ask to be taken off their mailing list. Most catalogs have a toll-free number for placing an order.