8 People to Know in Your Community

1. Neighbors (at least 2)—Someone to lend a key to in case you lock yourself out. Someone to borrow a miter saw from. Someone to walk the dog when you are going to be at work later. Someone to get your mail when you are out of town. Somewhere you child can go when the bus is late. You need to know who lives around you.
2. Doctor—Great to have someone to call to ask medical questions without needing to pay a copay for an office visit. I also have had doctor friends write prescriptions for me after doing an informal, non-office consultation for things like allergy problems and such.
3. Handyman—You need to know a “Mr. Fix-It” for those annoying little problems around the house. Maybe he’ll knock it out for free. Maybe he’ll charge you, but come over outside of work hours. Maybe he’ll teach you to do it for yourself. This is much better than paying full price for a contractor.
4. Clergyman—Sometimes you need someone to really talk to. Sometimes it cannot be your spouse or your best friends because they are the subject matter. Sometimes you need someone to listen and your mom is not the best listener. Sometimes you need advice with a theological spin. Sometimes you need to know someone who can just pray for you. This is a great someone to know.
5. Butcher/Produce Guy—These guys can let you know when you can get the best deals, what the best cut of meat for your meal is, when the freshest mangos will be delivered, and how to prepare your food for optimum results.
6. Local Businessmen—I like supporting local businesses. I’m all about mom-and-pop joints. Often you end up with perks that you don’t get with chains. Sometimes you get inside info on sales, sometimes you get donations for your local charities, and sometimes you get new and fresh local produce from the farmers. Regardless, you need to know the people who make the businesses in your community thrive.
7. Lawyer/Judge—They can’t give free legal advice as your lawyer. As a friend, they can offer some off-the-record hypothetical situation that might give you a good idea. And you might need them to help with a traffic ticket sometime (ahem).
8. Teacher—Know your kids’ teachers. They are often great people and can offer you a world of insight into who your child is while you are not looking. Assume they do care for your child and have his/her best interest at heart—they don’t get paid enough to do it, so they must love it.

BONUS: I didn’t add this as a bullet in the list, as it might be a duplicate of someone already on the list. But ALWAYS know someone who owns a truck. That way, you don’t have to buy one yourself.

What other people would you add to this list?