I misplaced my keys. I am not saying I lost them, as that could be interpreted to mean I will not recover them. And I absolutely will recover them. Someday. Meanwhile, I am struggling to keep my sanity. Sound familiar?
I normally use a carabiner to clip my keys to my belt loop. It’s a little trick I picked up from Schneider on “One Day At A Time.” That process has worked magnificently. Until recently. I changed clothes at an event a couple nights ago, and I thought I threw the carabiner in my duffle bag. I thought.
I am apparently not alone. According to a Lost & Found survey released by Pixie in 2017, Americans spend $2.7 billion dollars every year to replace items we can’t find. Two-thirds of us spend up to $50 a year to do so. And those are numbers from seven years ago!
The Pixie survey reveals that 45% of us lose the remote controls to our TVs at least once a week. Phones are next at 33%, then eyeglasses at 27%, shoes at 24%, and wallets/purses at 20%. And those dastardly keys? Well, 28% of us lose them at least once per week. Sigh.
Pixie’s research also reveals that Americans spend an average of 2.5 days a year — nearly half a workweek — looking for misplaced stuff. The study also shows that 60% of people have either been late to work or school because of lost items, 49% have missed appointments or meetings, and 22% have missed flights, trains or bus rides.
The average time spent searching for a misplaced item? According to Pixie, it is 5 minutes and 20 seconds. I wish. I am clearly well past that.
But surely losing these keys isn’t my fault. Well, it most likely is, but that doesn’t keep 63% of us from blaming others when we can’t find our lost items.
So, the search continues.
Have a fantastic Friday, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@dmcityview.com
641-755-2115