Lemons into Lemonade... or, what I learned from getting robbed

What to do after getting robbed:

1. Take a week off of blogging to spare everyone your whiny self pity about how both your cameras were stolen so you can't take any photos.

2. Think of other fun things you can do- like a giveaway (coming soon). Or maybe a tutorial, either about how I edit my outfit photos, or tips for thrifting vintage clothes, or how I made my T-shirt dress. Or maybe something else. What do ya'll think, anything you want to hear about?

3. Share some tips with your blog friends so that they can learn from your robbery mistakes.


Seriously though, I was super lucky in this robbery for a few reasons, and I want to share with you what I've learned:

1. Get renters insurance. DO IT NOW!! If you own your home, make sure your homeowners insurance covers things like this. I would be crying all day and night if I thought I had lost $2,500 worth of my most precious belongings and didn't at least have the hope of my insurance covering some of that. It adds up fast- 2 cameras, an ipod, and all the accessories, plus my favorite pearls.

2. To actually use said insurance you need proof that you owned the item. Save reciepts. If you don't have receipts, take pictures of it (apparently this is good enough proof for the insurance company). See- taking gratuitous photos of yourself in the mirror does pay off, as long as the camera is visible in the shot!

3. Lets say all your stolen stuff gets pawned- what else is your friendly neighborhood robber going to do with three cameras? All the pawn shops are supposed to send the serial number of every item they get to the police station, so if you know your serial numbers and can tell them to the cop, he can find your stuff. Moral of the story- write down your serial numbers and save them somewhere safe.

3. Backup your computer. Backup your computer. Back it up again. I hadn't done it in a LONG time, and fortunately I had my laptop with me on the afternoon on the tragic incident. I would have done more than cry all day and night if all my photos were gone, all my documents, all my book-keeping, any precious copy of photoshop.

4. So now you have your computer backup on an external hard drive and your serial numbers written down and maybe a few checkbooks that it wouldn't be ideal for a robber to get his hands on. If you are really smart, like my mom, you will get a safe deposit box and put it all in there. While you are at it, you might want to put the really nice pearls that you parents gave you for your high school graduation in there. Because, after all, they are irreplaceable.

Ok, I think I'm going to go follow my own advice, and I think that ya'll should too! And even if you think there is no chance in hell your house will get broken into (which, really, is what most of us think), this is good advice for fires or floods or any number of other disasters that could strike!

Oh, and thanks to everyone for your kind words after my last post! I have no clue who did it. I do live in a kind of marginal neighborhood- but my neighbors houses are literally ontopofmine and can see and hear everything we do. When the cops came they went all CSI on the place, but they didn't find anything useful. They said that unfortunately, with the economy the way it is, people are desperate for money and this type of thing is becoming more and more common. As long as I get all my insurance money to replace the things that I need daily (like my camera and my ipod), I'll be a happy camper.