start appending the + sign and an identifier to track your email.

like sign up to sites (or change your account email there) to youraddress+amazon@gmail.com, youraddress+walmart@gmail.com, etc.

sometimes it makes it a lot easier to figure out where your info was compromised when you start receiving spam messages addressed to youraddress+grubhub@gmail.com.

if youre signing up for sketchy sites, sites with lax security (like a low traffic web forum lol), or sites you generally wouldnt wanna be publicly traced to (like porn sites)...you should be using an entirely different email (and still using + to track). you can just forward all messages to your real email so you wont miss any.

you dont want these accounts being linked to your primary email/identity by data collectors/furnishers like intelius, spokeo, etc.

you should prolly get a google voice number to use as a spambox too if you have to enter your number somewhere that you dont want to give them your real number. i have several different google voice numbers for online stores, banks, credit cards, social media sites, etc. keep in mind credit cards (and banks if you get lending) list your number on various credit bureaus/agencies and it can be seen by anyone doing an inquiry. and most of these companies/sites sell your info off to third parties (who may sell it off to even more people). so you prolly dont wanna use your primary mobile number and have it floating around out there.