Dear Annie: With this pandemic and people out of work, this might be a good way to get a few people back to work AND to save a ton of money. Both small and large businesses need to purge their mailing lists. I get mail from places I may have sent for a catalog years ago but haven’t done business with them for many years. I’ve even cut off mailing labels and returned them at my expense to companies asking to be removed from their mailing list, but I continue to receive the mailings. And yes, I’m registered with www.catalogchoice.org and https://www.dma-choice.org.

Think of all the trees that are killed. Think of all the extra trash in the landfills. Purging the list could be as simple as reviewing their records and deleting all addresses of people who have not done business with them in some number of years. Or, perhaps send a postcard asking if the person wants to continue receiving the mailing. If so, they call the company. If they do not hear from the customer after a period of time, then they should delete the name. Let’s stop the waste. Purge. — Carol Lynn, The Villages, Florida

Dear Carol: This is a smart idea. And it would be fantastic if your plea reached the eyes and changed the minds of the bigwigs in a position to do something about this from the top on down. As it is, your letter includes two great tips , Catalog Choice and DMAChoice. One more resource to add to that list is Opt Out, which prevents companies from sending you unsolicited credit card and insurance offers. To use this service, visit www.optoutprescreen.com or call 1-888-567-8688. The company notes that deaf and hard of hearing consumers can opt-out by calling 7-1-1 and referring the relay operator to 1-800-821-9631.

Dear Annie: I was raised by a very strict mother. I am now a middle-aged man.

Several years ago, out of the blue, my mother asked me if she had been too strict when I was young. I told her I thought she was. Do you think this was her way of apologizing or something else? — Strict Mother’s Son

Dear Strict Mother’s Son: It well could be an apology. If that’s something you are looking for, why not ask her? It would be helpful to be aware of this and to try to relax before talking to her. Also make a list of all the things she did right and that you love about her.