I misplaced my keys. I am not saying that I lost them, as that could be interpreted to mean that I will not recover them. And I absolutely will recover them. Someday. Meanwhile, I am struggling to keep my sanity. Sound familiar?
Regular readers of this column may recall me writing about my vehicle key fob and how I use a carabiner to clip it to my belt loop. 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.
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 percent of us from blaming others when we can’t find our lost items.
So the search continues.
Have a wonderful Wednesday, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305 | 
