Going local

Today I want to talk about the many benefits of shopping and keeping your business local. I live in Glendale, California, a city of over 200,000 nestled right up against Los Angeles, a city of 4 million. I'm spoiled for choice when it comes to huge shopping centers, cute boutiques, grocery stores, even farmer's markets. There are thousands of doctors, lawyers and banks in the area. Tell me, then, why have I gone to a dentist 75 miles away for the past six years?

We tend to stick with the things we know. Once we find a dentist, or therapist, or even a dry cleaner we trust, it's hard to leave, even if we move away. However, by being willing to accept a change, we can take advantage of the benefits of having our service providers local, including:

For instance, I always go to my closest In N Out!

• Saving time. You save on driving time, but also it's easier to make return trips if necessary.
• Saving money. In gas alone, you'll save big, but often business will offer discounts to locals, or if you are in their area you'll receive coupons in the mail.
• Less stress. If you don't have to plan a trip to them far in advance, it makes it less of an ordeal to gather your dry cleaning when you have a spare minute and take it down the street. Also, you are less likely to end up sitting in traffic (especially in LA).
• More exercise. If you live close enough to walk to businesses, leave the car at home once in a while.
• Safer. If you have an accident or get ill, it takes some of the guesswork out of the equation when you know you have a doctor nearby.
• Improved sense of community. By actually living your life in your community you make it stronger both economically and by getting to know the people and places that surround you every day.

How to find local business? The Yellow Pages are still being printed, though many of us feel they are obsolete in the wake of the Internet. Yelp is a fantastic free resource for local business, while Angie's List is a great paid one. Ask your friends and neighbors. Word of mouth will never go out of style.

Lelah Baker-Rabe is a Los Angeles-based professional organizer. To discuss your organizing needs, call her at 818.269.6671 or email lelah@lelahwithanh.com

A multi-tasking toy

As a Christmas gift, my husband and I received a Playstation 3. We'd had our eye on the video game system for months, having decided it was the best way to solve two problems that we'd been having. First, it would replace our 12-year old DVD player that had trouble playing any DVD that wasn't perfectly spotless and new, and second, it would allow us to watch Netflix Instant on the nice TV in our living room instead of only on the computer in my office.

We opened the present with glee. Once home, the most difficult thing about setting it up was deciding on our username for our Playstation Store account, which we needed in order to install the Netflix driver. Within minutes, we were watching Gosford Park (for the dozenth time - I usually get it from the library and it skips terribly). It was like a miracle.

All in all, the Playstation 3 has performed admirably as a DVD player and a Netflix player. We don't have any games for it, and only one controller, so that can be something we add on down the road if we feel like it. The most surprising thing has been trying out Blu-ray discs. We weren't terribly interested in the format, but figured it wouldn't hurt to have the capability. Well, now, having seen a side by side comparison of the same movie in standard definition and Blu-ray, I've upgraded my Neflix account so we can get Blu-ray versions of films when they have them. It looks really nice. Still, there's no need to go out and replace our modest DVD collection with Blu-ray versions. It's all going streaming anyway, and from a clutter-control point of view, I couldn't be happier.

Lelah Baker-Rabe is a Los Angeles-based professional organizer. To discuss your organizing needs, call her at 818.269.6671 or email lelah@lelahwithanh.com

Elegy for a sticky note

Over the weekend, I lost something very dear to me. I won't bore you with the chain of events that led to the demise of all of my Stickies, but on Saturday morning, I started my computer and they were all gone. Just gone, in an instant. When I realized this, I wasn't hit with a wave of panic or regret at not having backed them up (though I wish I had). It was more like a sense of emptiness, of loss. The information on my dozen or so notes wasn't entirely irreplaceable. Sure, I had a running list of usernames and passwords on one note that I'll miss, and a list of interesting names that I turn to when writing, but those can be rebuilt. Rather, I was struck by the loss of my to do list, and how odd it felt to be on my computer without that touchstone of orderly tasks and ideas waiting for me to visit, to delete and add, to bold and highlight.

I've already started rebuilding my stickies. They are a really useful tool. I mourn for my lost information, but I look to the future and know I'll be okay.

If you also use Stickies, don't forget to include them in your regular back up. From Wikipedia:
Backup data: Stickies keeps all information in a self-contained database. The database can be backed up by copying the file StickiesDatabase which is located in a user's Library directory (i.e. ~/Library/StickiesDatabase)

Lelah Baker-Rabe is a Los Angeles-based professional organizer. To discuss your organizing needs, call her at 818.269.6671 or email lelah@lelahwithanh.com

Announcing Lelah's News

I'm in the middle of updating and redesigning my website a bit. I'm adding a new color to my business's graphic identity and introducing new office organizing packages. Another new thing I'm excited to add to the mix is a newsletter sign up. I plan to share with those who are interested news, events and tips related to organizing. I don't want to just run one of my blog posts and call it a newsletter, rather, I want to use the email format to alert folks who really want to know when I'm offering a workshop, a special on my organizing services, or have a new service or product to offer.

If you are interested in being one of those people, please sign up today! I will send to this list no more than twice a month, and, more likely, once a month on average.

Lelah Baker-Rabe is a Los Angeles-based professional organizer. To discuss your organizing needs, call her at 818.269.6671 or email lelah@lelahwithanh.com

Helpful hooks

Last weekend my husband and I did a small DIY project. We installed new hooks on the back of two doors in our apartment. If you don't count the three times my husband went to the hardware store to exchange our original choices for the ones we ultimately installed, it didn't take any time at all.

We got bright brass (ie: gold colored to match the rest of the hardware in the rooms) Stanley hooks. They are sturdy and well designed with screw holes offset so you can easily screw them in without battling the hook itself.

We measured and marked where we wanted to put them, and drilled pilot holes with our drill.

Then I held the hook in place while my husband installed the screws.

Ta-da. Very simple and they will be very useful for guests towels and robes. We did this project together, but if you have a modicum of dexterity, you could easily do it alone.

Lelah Baker-Rabe is a Los Angeles-based professional organizer. To discuss your organizing needs, call her at 818.269.6671 or email lelah@lelahwithanh.com

LA Organizing Awards!

The 6th Annual Los Angeles Organizing Awards are being held January 29! I'm so looking forward to the event, which honors the best companies, products and services in the organizing industry, and is being presented by OfficeMax and NAPO-LA. This year, in addition to the dinner and awards show (hosted by actress Lisa Ann Walter), there is an industry exchange with booths from several different companies showing off their newest stuff, and a very exciting raffle (I have my eye on the Fujitsu scanner). Each attendee will get a bag filled with one of a kind goodies, from books to the latest products. I can't wait to get dressed up and help honor the best in my industry.

The event is open to the public, so if your interested in the most glamourous organizing event of the year, join us!

Lelah Baker-Rabe is a Los Angeles-based professional organizer. To discuss your organizing needs, call her at 818.269.6671 or email lelah@lelahwithanh.com

Keeping stuff alive in 2011

I love plants and gardens and flowers and all kinds of greenery. My family is blessed with an abundance of green thumbs. My grandfather's garden is a beachside paradise that I've played in since birth. My father manages roses, palms, lavender and fruit trees all in the same beautiful space. My brother not only professionally landscapes and works at a nursery, he did the flowers and plants at my wedding, for heaven's sake.

Wedding centerpiece. Photo by Attasalina Photography.

My track record with plants is not that great. I can water things when told to, but I can remember every plant I've ever been in charge of...and what happened to it. I either killed it, or gave it to someone who could give it a better home.

This year, I'm attempted to keep a few plants alive. This will require a little attention paid on my part. Fortunately, the plants I'm starting out with are hearty. I have two gorgeous succulents that will survive the summer heat of Glendale with minimal care (so I'm told), and a rosemary bush that can also tolerate the heat. I've had these three plants for just over a week, and they still look like they are thriving.

My plan is to keep them on my calendar and make a routine out of checking on them, just like I make a routine of backing up my hard drive and vacuuming my floors. And if I get worried, I can always call for help. Wish me (and the plants) luck!

Lelah Baker-Rabe is a Los Angeles-based professional organizer. To discuss your organizing needs, call her at 818.269.6671 or email lelah@lelahwithanh.com