We all lead very busy lives. From work and family to after-school activities and rush-hour traffic, it can sometimes be hard to check every item off the to-do list from day to day. Luckily, there are several local businesses and new technology services that cater to our fast-paced jam-packed lifestyle. Here are some of our favorites to make your life a little easier!
To keep their homes in tip-top condition when life gets hectic, local residents turn to services like the Locke Domestic Agency, a private home placement agency for permanent household staff. Founder Deloris Locke says her clients love the way her agency streamlines the process for them. “We eliminate the time it takes to do pre-screening and background checks for our clients,” she says. “We do reference checks and train staff with all the skills they need, so by the time we place people in a private home, they’re totally prepared.” The Locke Domestic Agency helps staff a number of roles, from nannies and cooks to gardeners and housekeepers.
Our many green spaces and trails make Buckhead a great area to raise a dog. Unfortunately, busy work schedules can make it hard for families to spend as much time with their pets as they want—which is why they turn to places like Sawnee Dog Retreat. Founded by Rawson Livezey five years ago, Sawnee Dog Retreat is located on a sprawling family farm in Alpharetta, where pups have ample room to roam and play. Sawnee offers Buckhead residents the added convenience of pickup and drop-off of their pets each day. “Customers love that their dogs have a huge, fenced-in area to roll outside or chase balls,” Livezey says. “But the biggest selling point is definitely the pickup—it saves them so much time with traffic.”
This handy network lets residents stay up to date on neighborhood news straight from their phone, including new business openings, crime activity, available housing opportunities, items for sale from fellow neighbors and lots more. Accessed by neighborhood, membership is extended only to neighborhood residents, creating a sense of community and trust. It’s been extremely helpful for residents like Buckhead.com reader, Katie Azevedo, who lives in Brookhaven and works in Buckhead. “Nextdoor is the first place I go to get info on what is happening in our area—whether it is looking for information on a closed road, finding out which houses are open to trick or treaters, or getting recommendations for the best local painter,” she says. “It helps me stay connected to my neighborhood on the go.” (Photo: Nextdoor.com)
#4: Local and Organic Grocery Deliveries
When life gets busy, grocery shopping and healthy eating can be some of the first things to go. But a number of grocery deliveries are making it easier than ever for residents to get fresh, organic food from nearby farms without the trouble of driving in traffic to the grocery or figuring out meal plans for the week.
Located in Clarkston, just east of Decatur, Fresh Harvest provides home and office delivery of local, organic produce. With its own garden and partnerships with other organic growers in the surrounding area, there are ample grocery options, which include fruits and vegetables, dairy, and baked goods, delivered in a box straight to customers’ doors. Customization is always an option—for example, if a particular customer always wants a particular vegetable, Fresh Harvest will make sure they get it, provided it’s in season. Plans start with The Mini Basket, a $39 basket of groceries delivered every other week. “Not everyone can get to a farmers market, so we’ve essentially created one online,” says Fresh Harvest sales director David Melton. “We’re connecting local consumers to local growers and automating their health. And customers appreciate not having to make that decision of what to get and eat each week at the grocery store—with us, they just have to do it once.”
Co-founder Michael Kirk describes the business as, “an online, sustainable grocery store.” The service lets customers order fresh, organic produce and craft food products from distributors around the country, which are delivered for free to any address in the Greater Atlanta Area.
Customers can choose from a fruit, vegetable, or meat-only box, a local-only box, or build their own. “In addition to getting really high quality groceries, our customers have a chance to try out products from other parts of the country that they wouldn’t find at their local grocery store,” Kirk says.
Founded by Kelley Sibley, Bamboo Juice are fresh, farm-to-table, cold-pressed juices, and Buckhead home delivery is FREE! The company partners with Serenbe Farms to ensure customers are getting juices crafted from the highest quality fruits and vegetables, including beets, cucumbers, carrots, ginger, and other ingredients. Juices run about $9 and must be ordered one day before delivery. “Customers really appreciate our home delivery, because it means they can get farm-fresh juice without having to drive 45 minutes or more to an actual farm,” says Sibley. “We’ve heard so many great stories from customers who drink our juice. They tell us their skin clears up, or the juices help them with chronic inflammation—it really ranges.”
Located in Ranger, Georgia, Riverview Farms offers grass-fed beef and heritage breed pork to customers once a month through a home-delivery service. The service starts at $68/month for a 10-pound box, and customers have the option to add on products. “Our customers tell us they enjoy the chance to support a family farm while eating local, sustainably raised meats,” says co-founder Charlotte Swancy. “They feel good about getting their food needs met without having to go to a grocery store or questioning where their food comes from.”
#5 Mommy’s Helpers
Not only is it the world’s most important job, being a mother is also one of life’s busiest jobs. Here are two businesses helping moms manage their busy families every day.
Atlanta Momcierge dispatches nannies to homes from Sandy Springs to Grant Park to help busy moms with day-to-day responsibilities, whether that’s picking up from soccer practice, unpacking from a recent trip, housework, or preparing dinner. Sarah Hodgin, Atlanta Momcierge founder and former nanny herself, says that, “our mothers say they appreciate us because we give them the gift of time—time to focus more on their family, work, or whatever it is they’d like to be present with at the time. My favorite testimonial was when a mother told us we saved her marriage!”
Uptown Concierge charges $60/hr for help with an array of responsibilities, from organization and cleaning to moving assistance, estate sale planning and more. “The fact is most people live in chaos of some fashion, whether it’s a closet being totally unorganized or a dirty pantry,” says founder Kat Duncan. “We go in and create a sense of peace in busy people’s homes so they can spend their time with family instead of doing tasks like grocery shopping or cleaning.”
The food delivery app, which launched as a sister app to ride-sharing app, Uber, immediately increased Buckhead restaurant delivery options when it launched in 2015. Each day, the app lets customers order a particular dish from several restaurants straight from their phone; meals are delivered for free within 30 minutes or so. Uber Eats has been especially popular for those who want a quick lunch delivered straight to their office and those who want to avoid lunchtime traffic.
“I love the variety of options and the speed of delivery of Uber Eats,” says hairstylist and Buckhead.com reader Dyana Nematalla. “It makes it easy to snag a quick juice or healthy meal when I’m on the run between clients and don’t have time to stop and eat at a restaurant.”
Though Buckhead has plenty of lunch options of its own, Uber Eats lets customers order specials from a number of restaurants in other neighborhoods, including Bone Lick BBQ on Edgewood and downtown’s Aviva by Kameel, Atlanta’s most highly rated restaurant on Yelp.
Now we want to hear from you in the comments below. Have you utilized any of these local life-hacks?
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