Our planned neighborhood is now in Phase 4 out of like 75 phases. New neighbors are constantly moving in to their newly finished homes, so even though we’ve lived here for over four years, we still meet new people every time we are outside.
If you’ve lived in a planned community under construction before, you know that door-to-door salespeople can smell new neighbors like a shark can smell blood in the water. I honestly see them every single day walking up and down the streets, looking for fresh meat. They are trying to sell their security systems, water softeners, pest control and lawn services. In fact, sometimes they even ARE selling meat.
This is the part of living in a new neighborhood that I hate. What’s worse is when they ring my doorbell to sell me a water softener (that I already have) and wake my napping toddler or make my dogs bark. It just makes me crazy!
So, I decided to try to put an end to that.
Since I’m not one to just put a typical “No Soliciting” business-like sign or even a Post-It Note over my doorbell, I had to get creative. I found the “No Soliciting. Really. It’s annoying.” plaque for a song during a Fab.com sale. Is it a little rude? Perhaps. Is it ruder than someone waking up my baby or making my dogs bark just to try to sell me something that I don’t want? Absolutely not. Plus, I find it funny, so hate me.
The plaque itself was pretty small, so I decided to make it a little more substantial. I found this Nancy Drew book at Goodwill for $1.99. Okay, I can feel the collective jaw drop of the Internet and I know y’all are ready to discend upon my house with your pitchforks. Nancy Drew fans and collectors – PLEASE don’t give me a hard time about using this book. Just know that I chose it because it made me smile, and I’m pretty sure that’s what Nancy would want. Plus, there were tons of them at Goodwill (so look there if you are a collector!).
To make sure that the book could withstand the Texas humidity, I clamped the book closed and applied three layers of Mod Podge to the edges of the pages. The Mod Podge sealed it shut really well. I sprayed the edges, cover and spine with a clear acrylic sealer and then glued the plaque to the front. I used Liquid Nails to attach it to the stonework on the front of my house and held it in place with duct tape overnight. When I’m ready to take down the sign, the Liquid Nails can be removed with a scraper and mineral spirits, so the stone will be no worse for the wear.
Will my book sign cut down on door-to-door sales? I don’t know. But, I can certainly say that there is no way that they won’t see the sign. And on days when I’m feeling extra feisty, I can point at it and say, “Can you read?”
However, I just might have to put a “Girl Scouts are Okay” Post-It Note up when it’s Cookie Time. I’d hate to miss my chance for some Thin Mints.
Do you have (or need to have) a no soliciting sign by your front door?
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Speaking of soliciting, did you know that you can advertise your small or large business right over there in the sidebar of this blog? Craziness!
Over the years, I’ve gone back and forth on allowing and not allowing private ads in my sidebar. After a lot of soul searching, I’ve decided that it is a go. I’ve hinted around to some big, fat changes Living With Lindsay is going to go through in the coming months, so I thought I’d point out the opportunity if you’d like to get in while the getting’s good. Just send an email telling me a little bit about your business to lindsay@makelyhome.com, and we’ll chat!
