Organize.com Logo visit simplehuman.com.

Ugg!! Where are my keys?

Is there anything more frustrating
than losing your keys?

lost keysI religiously place my keys in the same spot when I walk in the door. I can’t remember the last time I lost them.

I took great pride in my flawless record.

That is until the day the unimaginable happened…I misplaced them.

My kids found this amusing coming from the person that writes about home organization. I was teased relentlessly as we all searched the house, and the kids were more than thrilled about the opportunity to sarcastically recite my own lecture about keeping up with items.

Had they fallen on the garage floor? Did the dog run off with them? Are the kids playing a trick on me? They were hopelessly lost, but I was relieved I had a spare set.

TIP: Always keep a spare set of keys in case of an emergency.

Bye Bye Guitar Hero II keychain. :(

I finally came to the conclusion that I threw them away by accident. I frequently pull that mom move…you know the one where you try to get all the stuff out of the car and into the house in one trip because of an irrational refusal to make a second trip.

I tend to have one arm overflowing with my preschooler’s papers, lunchbox, book bag, my purse, a shopping bag, mail, and my keys in one hand while gathering up trash with the other. It resembles a cheap balancing act from a circus.

I figured, amidst the chaos of getting everyone inside, my keys ended up in the wrong hand and were tossed in the garbage. The trash was well on its way to the dump before I realized this possibility.

Find a spot to keep your keys and make it a habit.

Not only does it save you the time spent hunting, you are stuck at home without them.

Yay! I found them!

I’m thrilled to report that I found my keys a few days ago, and my favorite keychain is back in service. After being missing for over a month, the keys finally reappeared. Turns out they were in my purse’s side pocket (which I never use), so I guess they slid in undetected.

I can’t believe I had the keys with me all along.

What item do you misplace the most?

Related posts:

  1. 6 must-have items for your pool bag

About Melinda
As a busy mom of three kids, who also operates two home-based businesses, I understand the challenges of keeping a home running smoothly. I don't have extra time to waste looking for lost papers. Do you? The ideas on this website are actual tips I use myself and are proven to help keep the chaos under control. I truly believe if you can find "a place" for the things that tend to clutter up the home, you will find your time is used more productively. I love finding better ways of organizing my home and life and look forward to sharing them with you.

Comments

  1. ashok says:

    I’m pretty good with the keys – there’s always several spots where they could be. On trips, one spot and one spot only.

    Glad to hear you eventually found them!
    ashok´s last blog ..Emily Dickinson, “It is an honorable Thought” (946)My ComLuv Profile

  2. Marko says:

    Oh well I know this problem! :-) We placed a second set of keys in the neigbourhood because of misplacing our key a few months ago.
    Marko´s last blog ..Tretauto Geschichte – Historie und Entwicklung eines beliebten KinderspielzeugesMy ComLuv Profile

  3. Jodi says:

    Haha–I think we can all relate, Melinda! At least your story had a happy ending. The last time I lost my keys, I found them in my sister’s toilet. Hmmm…maybe I’ll blog about that one later. ;-)

  4. Lee says:

    That is funny Melinda… I would be just like a kid too and tease the heck outta not once but where you found them too. Did you tell the kids where they were all along? :)
    Lee´s last blog ..Whats the Dry Season of Your Life and how does it affect youMy ComLuv Profile

    • Melinda says:

      Yes they heard me when I screamed! I was so excited to have my Guitar Hero II keychain back. Sad..I know. It’s the little things that make me happy. LOL

  5. Hi Melinda,
    Just wanna stop by to drop my comment. I noticed you made some changes in your site. Well next time better keep your keys where you find it lol..

    Keep up the good work.
    Valentine Belonwu´s last blog ..Let GoMy ComLuv Profile

  6. Jae says:

    I’m so paranoid about losing my keys and locking them inside my car!

  7. Klaus from TechPatio says:

    Not only keys, but stuff that you place where you can always find it again, have a funny way of misplacing themselves in the weirdest places – like in that side pocket you never use :) I’m glad you found them again, even if it took a whole month!
    Klaus @ TechPatio´s last blog ..Sony Products for Review- Camera HX5V- Headphones MDR-750 -amp iPhone Docking Station DS11iPMy ComLuv Profile

    • Melinda says:

      I think that is the most frustrating part. Then there are just plain crazy ones like yesterday I was looking for the phone while I was talking on it. ;) I think that is just sleep deprivation.

  8. Wayne Farley says:

    How annoying that must be? I’ve never lost my keys, but other similar small items disappear….thanks to my kids. The thing is, nobody every moves them (or so they say) until they reappear.
    Wayne Farley´s last blog ..Flying Cars Set to Takeoff in 2011My ComLuv Profile

    • Melinda says:

      HA HA Tape is always disappearing in my house. The culprits are always my girls who have a crazy obsession with tape. They think it is the answer to fixing everything including ripped Barbie dresses.

  9. Claire from New Mom Jewelry says:

    I’m pretty good with my keys…I’ve had the same keychain for 32 years now. My parents gave me a Rolls Royce keychain for my 16th birthday as a huge joke.

    But sunglasses…I can never find those! I’ve even bought 3 pairs at the same time thinking at least I would always be able to find one pair. Didn’t work at all!

    And don’t get me started on tape either….I actually have a hidden stash of tape that the kids don’t know about. I’ve had to wrap too many presents with masking tape (don’t know why we always have that around)!
    Claire@New Mom Jewelry´s last blog ..Last Minute Mother’s Day Gifts – 2010My ComLuv Profile

    • Melinda says:

      I found if I bought cheap sunglasses and watches, I never lose or break them. If I buy nice ones, they last a short time.

      I have wrapped my share of presents with large packing tape due to a regular tape shortage. :)

  10. Recently my car was in the shop and the loaner car received was a Nissan Sentry. Now, those cars only have one key – and it opens the drivers door. There are no other locks – not on the other doors, or the trunk – as all has to be opened by a button on the driver door. I misplaced that one key and looked everywhere for it. It was on a 1″ leather strap about 1ft long and I thought it might have slipped out of my pocket and caught onto something and was yanked out of the car or something. I didn’t go far that day, so I walked back to where I met a client (tim hortons) and looked around.. and couldn’t find it. I went inside for a cup of coffee, and then .. D’oh! The key was around my neck – and under my shirt. // didn’t feel a thing!

    YEah. I felt stupid, but had a good walk and Tim Hortons soup and sandwich deal while I was there.
    HART (aka PetLvr)´s last blog ..Looking For Advice On Pet GroomingMy ComLuv Profile

  11. Chadrack says:

    I’ve misplaced mine a few times. But like you said putting a spare one somewhere handy has always helped me out. I’m not keen on looking for things. I give up easily. I just love putting them in specific places so even in the dark I can still get them when needed.
    Chadrack´s last blog ..Internet Marketers and Mailing List- You can truly learn a Lot!My ComLuv Profile

  12. Hi Melinda,

    “Of all the things I’ve lost, I miss my mind the most!”
    Mark Twain nailed it. I no longer worry about losing things, but it frustrates me to no end to lose my train of thought or to forget why I walked into a room.

    Even worse is, during the creative process, my brain goes faster than I can type. If I have three ideas, by the time I type down the first two, I’ve forgotten the third! My head is messed up for the rest of the day, when that happens.

    Cheers,

    Mitch
    Mitchell Allen´s last blog ..Caught In the WebMy ComLuv Profile

    • Melinda says:

      LOL great quote! That happens to me, too. I get a brilliant idea I am sure I will remember and it leaves almost immediately. I deny that has anything to do with age.

  13. Moondancer says:

    That’s great that you found your keys!

    I had something like that happen recently, in my case it was a library book. I’m still looking for it. I have no clue where I set it down. I know it happened while I went on a remove items from my house frenzy.

    • Melinda says:

      I can relate to library books. I had to stop going to the library for awhile because there was always at least one missing book. I would find them in the older kids’ rooms months later in strange out of the way places. That could be my fault for checking out about 15-20 books at a time (mostly books for me to read to my little one).

Speak Your Mind

*

CommentLuv Enabled

This site uses KeywordLuv. Enter YourName@YourKeywords in the Name field to take advantage.