I've never used a mailing list broker. Reason? When I first started doing postcard mailings back in 1996, I could barely afford to pay my house rent. So, renting a mailing list was out of the question.

One of the advantages of operating on a low budget is that you can't spend your way out of problems, you have to think your way out. In the case of my mailing list, the thinking centered around the question of Who Do I Know?

A spin through my desktop Rolodex yielded a treasure trove of names. Then there were those helpful family members and friends who referred names to the list. (Most of the time, I didn't even have to ask these people for names. But it never hurts to ask!) And thumbing through the directories of organizations I belonged to was also useful.

So, there you have it, four readily available sources of names:

1. Your Rolodex (or some other business card file)
2. Family and friends
3. People referred by your family and friends (ask them!)
4. Membership directories from organizations you belong to

You'll be able to build up quite a list in no time. And if you keep postcarding over the years, your list will grow some more.