There was cause for great celebration in SlobLand last night!!!
We found the keys to our Camry!!!!
Lost keys happen. They happen around here way too often. But this was a very special case of Seriously, Do These Things Happen to Other People or Just US!?!?!?!
The (way too long) story:
We bought our Camry (used) in our second year of marriage.
That was fifteen years ago.
The little car served us very well for a very long time. But in the past year, not so much. Things start breaking. The radio knob disappeared. The light switch fell off. The vinyl on the arm rest cracked. The fabric on the sides of the doors started peeling, both doors at the exact same time.
We couldn’t ride in it as a family because one of the back seatbelts didn’t work. The passenger door hadn’t opened from the outside in years.
And yet it ran. Hubby drove it to work each day and parked it proudly(ish) next to all the fancy cars.
But then it became officially unreliable. Because of the ba-jillion other problems, we started looking for another used car rather than pour money into it.
Since we made the switch to only paying cash for cars a few years back, we’d been saving up a car payment equivalent each month since then. We had enough for a decent, cheap car.
Decent, cheap cars aren’t super easy to find.
Especially when we decided the “new” car would be mine and needed to get better-than-average gas mileage. With three kids at three different schools, and one across town in Junior High, I drive a minimum of 26 miles a day. Minimum. Add hour-away monthly speaking engagements and hour-away weekly trips to help my in-laws, and it was time for mama to drive a non-guzzler.
And then one day, a few months ago (almost exactly two months ago . . . ), the Camry wouldn’t start at all. When I expressed concern about him continuing to drive it, Hubby did admit that in the recent rains we’d been having, the electrical system seemed to go out every time he drove through a puddle.
Ummm, what??
Some friends offered to lend us their extra car while we continued our search.
We gratefully accepted their offer.
One day, soon after we started driving their car, I ran out to get my (affiliate link alert) handy-dandy cassette-converter-thingy so I could listen to podcasts while I drove our friend’s car.
I came back into the house, and randomly put the key down somewhere.
That night, Hubby asked where the key was. It was lost.
Here’s the thing. We weren’t using that car, so I didn’t HAVE to find the key right away. So I didn’t look. I assumed it would eventually show up, as things do.
That (so dumb) attitude is exactly why we generally only know where one set of keys is at a given time. I know where the ones are that I’m using. I have to find those, y’know . . . so I can drive the car.
The other set shows up eventually, we rejoice, and then the next time I can’t find my keys, I grab the “other” set (because that’s more practical and expedient than wasting time looking for the set I’d been using, right??) and go on with life until the original set randomly turns up.
Huh?
OK. When I ONLY have one set, I don’t lose it, because I HAVE to have it. When it goes missing, I search and search until I find it because I have no other choice.
When I search on the same day the keys were lost, I find them.
Maybe it’s because they haven’t had time to migrate to another spot, under a pile of paper or behind a couch.
Or maybe it’s that my brain has better memory when they were lost so recently.
But as soon as I have two sets, I lose one and don’t look for it immediately, so it’s lost for a much longer time. It’s what happens.
Well, in this unique case, the single key we had available for the Camry was kind of like an “extra” key because the Camry was basically an “extra” car. We weren’t driving it. We didn’t need it.
So, the next weekend when we realized we should clean it out so we could donate it to one of those running-or-not-we-don’t-care donation places, we were slightly irritated that we couldn’t find the key.
But we figured it would turn up. It always does.
Eventually.
But eventually is way more annoying when you’re waiting for it to happen so you can move a huge, embarrassing eyesore from in front of your house.
Eventually, we got our new-to-us car.
But we didn’t have a garage door opener to put in it, because it was locked in the Camry.
My son wanted to use Hubby’s ten-pound dumbbells. Sorry, son. They’re locked in the Camry.
My oldest wanted us to give the car to the place that promised free Mavericks tickets with a donation.
We thought that was a great idea.
The Mavericks’ season ended. Still no key.
Last weekend, after almost TWO MONTHS of not being able to get into that car, we spent Saturday going through junk drawers and paper piles and jacket pockets and under-the-couch treasures and everywhere we could think of, looking for ANY one of the three blankety-blank keys we have for that car, but we didn’t find a single one.
It was no longer funny. Just maddening.
But finally, last night, after thinking to myself that I wished I had put one of (affiliate link alert) the new electronic Key Finders on Hubby’s keys, I stopped.
A vague memory entered my mind. Had I replaced his key finder? Maybe? He wasn’t a big fan of them, since the first time we got them, something at his office caused the yellow one to beep at random times. He’d finally removed it.
But in this vague memory, I saw Hubby’s eyes rolling and my own rolling right back at him as I put one from the new set of Key Finders on his favorite, least-often-lost Camry key.
Yes. Yes, I might have just done that.
What if??
So, I got the remote key-finder (which hangs on our key-hanging station ALL the time) and held my breath as I walked through the house, pressing the blue button. I walked into our bedroom (which we’d torn apart multiple times in our search for the key), and heard a faint beeping.
It grew stronger as I walked toward our closets.
Even stronger in Hubby’s closet.
I started moving things.
The beep grew stronger.
Finally, in the pocket of Hubby’s coveralls which get worn once a year at the most, I found it. It had been in that pocket since our “Snow” Day.
Yesterday was May 3rd.
“Extras” create an endless cycle of crazy in this house. When I have extras, I use them. That always sounds so much easier than looking for (or walking across the room to grab) the one I used yesterday. But after I’ve used up all the extras, they’re now strewn across the house, creating a big mess, and/or the original one(s) are long lost and much more difficult to find than if I’d looked on that first day when they weren’t conveniently at my fingertips.
It’s the same with ponytail holders, with clothing, with dishes, with whatever-else-you-can-name.
When I limit the amount of stuff I have, my “stuff” naturally stays under control more easily.
Not that I’m saying I should have fewer keys.
Note: The key with the Key Finder on it wasn’t even the one I most recently lost.
Note #2: I am thankful the Key Finder still worked even though I washed and dried those coveralls. I doubt that’s recommended.
Another Note: I promptly added a Key Finder to the single key I have for our “new” car. I already loved those things, but now I love them even more, and I think Hubby is finally on board with them and considers them worth the annoyance of the random beeps.
Yet Another Note: Key Finders don’t work if you don’t remember you have them and never actually push the button on the remote.
One Last Note: If you’re confident you can solve all my problems by suggesting I hang a hook by my door and ALWAYS put my keys on it when I come into the house, welcome. You must be new here. Always is a fictional concept in our home. That’s my key finder in the picture at the top of the post.
Final Note:
Obviously, the Key Finders are worth the money in this house, even though they don’t last forever. I’m on my second set. Here’s an affiliate link to what I think is the current version of the set in this post, though you can get a set with fewer colors that is cheaper. (And now I’m using these – affiliate link again – Tiles)
P.S. to the Final Note:
My key finders were sent to me to review. That review can be found here, and all obligation to mention them ended once that post went live more than a year ago. Their mention in this post is purely because they saved my sanity once again.
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--Nony
Oh my goodness, Nony! We could be long-separated twins. “Always” is a concept that doesn’t exist in this house, either.
Also, your posts ALWAYS crack me up.
Love,
Long-time fan, infrequent poster (who feels like it should be spelled postor along the lines of debtor or, um, well, I can’t think of anything else right off hand, but I’m not a pretty picture push-pinned to the wall.)
I haven’t least 15 pairs of reading glasses but I end up not being able to find a single one when I desperately need them! Then I misplace my husband’s readers…😼
For nearly half a century I have used a crossbody shoulder bag. My keys are hooked to a split ring
I put on the strap. Since my purse stays with me, I have never misplaced my keys. Never.
I think it’s totally true. Fewer things=Less frustration. When I have only one of something I use all the time I take better care of it. And I look for it as soon as it’s lost which is usually before it gets buried under a pile of something I’m in the middle of taking care of that I’m just setting down right here for a second while I do something else that is urgent, but in reality might sit there for weeks (or months).
Shaking my head in amazement that someone else thinks so much like me – and nodding my head saying “oh yes, this could easily have played out at my house!”
My two favorite things you said were:
“We weren’t using that car, so I didn’t HAVE to find the key right away.” and “was kind of like an “extra” key because the Camry was basically an “extra” car. We weren’t driving it. We didn’t need it.”
This pretty much sums up my own personal way of thinking. I have to retrain those logic pathways!
I got so tired of always running around looking for my keys that I finally decided to just leave them on the dashboard. Easy peasy. I roll my window down as I pull into the garage just in case. We have enjoyed almost a year of search-free departures. . . . We did have an unfortunate incident about 3 weeks ago when my car was parked in the key-inside, windows-up position. My 7-year-old daughter went to retrieve an item from the car and pushed the _lock_ button on her way out. 🙁 We missed a Scout meeting and a playdate that afternoon.
When I lost the keys to our old van after we bought another,I told my hubby that I couldn’t be the only one that did that.He shook his head and grumbled, only in our house. It was last June I lost them and only found them last month.I know. Ten month’s of no keys. In my defense,we don’t drive it because it smokes like a freight train, from under the hood.Now I just need to find the car vac so I can finish cleaning it up.
Did you put the key finder back yet? I didn’t and it’s gone somewhere for over a month now.
That’s the ONE thing I put back!!! And both of the remotes work (from the first and second sets), so they’re both there!!
“You must be new here.” Bahahahaha! I love that. So many friends want to fix me and help me see the light and the error of my ways. So many systems have completely failed this crazy brain of mine!
My favorite ad ever from our local free newspaper was a “lost keys” announcement. “Lost keys downtown. Key finder attached.” Clearly they’re not 100% foolproof! I can just picture that poor person walking up and down Main Street with their finder remote! And to think – they *knew* they had a problem, but *still* managed to lose them. I could soooo relate to that! Thanks for keeping it real. (Oh yeah, and admitting that there were still piles to go through in your search – there is no overnight fix – but practice makes progress, right?!)
Lol. I was just coming to ask what happens if you lose the key finder? (which I would, btw). So instead I will just tell you that I’m relatively new here but even I know not to suggest a hook by the door, and that you are my blog crush because of your sage advice. Putting stuff where I would look for them? You have changed my world!
Oh how I wish we lived close enough to go and grab coffee sometime…it would be a pure chuckle fest and one of renewal! You see, we are so similar, and I’ve not found anyone who really gets it. Thank you, Dana, for teaching me to laugh at myself, keep trudging forward, and most importantly, to stop beating myself up. God created me this way…probably so I’d rely on Him more (which has happened) but also maybe to mellow my husband out a little more (that is still a work in progress)!
Thank you for following God’s pathway for your life–you truly minister to me thru each posting and podcast!!
Thank you for this comment, Lori! It means so much to me!
Ditto, everything that Lori said! You are a blessing to me, Dana.
My entire philosophy on stuff is that less is more. The more you have the more you have to wade through, think about, move around. That’s stressful!! So glad you found your keys. 🙂
Every morning I hate myself just a little bit as I madly search for purse and keys. Why, I think to myself, why can’t I just hang them where they belong so I can not be so anxious every morning? What do I get out of this insanity that I keep doing this? Why? And u watch as the click clicks from arriving a bit early to being late because of the same problem. This is my insanity!
Just get some copies made so you do have more than just one key. Then if you misplace one, you have a backup
This is a common scenario in our house, loosing things and hoping they will turn up. Last summer I lost my key to my husband’s car. I keep thinking it would turn up. Finally I tore the hous apart. Never found it. After discussing it our best guess is I left it at the hotel at the beach. Now, had I looked for it right away we might have had a shot of the hotel finding it. But, because I waited forever, nope, no luck. Oh, did I forget to mention it’s a keyless car and the fob is expensive to replace. So, we can never loose his.
Keyless car! I LOVE mine. The fob is NOT allowed to leave my purse for any reason. If you have to get something from the car, you have to take the purse. My other sets of keys? (yes i said ‘sets’ I have extra CARS), putting lanyards on them has helped immensely. It is easier to spot the long cord than just the keys. Different laynard for each car and something useful to do with the clutter of all those laynards that we somehow collect.
We rented a keyless car last summer and sat in the parking garage for way too long trying to figure out how to start it!! I look forward to the day when keyless cars are 8+ years old and we can get one used!!
First: Thank you. Not only for the inspiration but also for telling me what this cassette-thingy actually is. I found one just yesterday in one of the random boxes. (And yes, we moved in two years ago! I’m just glad I am not the only one person in the world with clutter issues 😉 )
Secondly: I always suspected that too much is causing problems. We have waaaay to many socks and I never seem to find a matching pair. And I wasn’t able to find a system to keep socks together. I am going to make use of your solution. I’m goning to throw most of them out. Problem solved. 🙂
I am rolling with laughter! I misplaced my car key a couple of weeks ago to our only vehicle. I usually just leave it in the driver’s seat of our car… I know, “dangerous” on so many levels. (Our one other key was in my husband’s stolen van.). So we had no vehicle. Luckily my MIL was avail to take our kindergartener to school. I sent a text to my group of Bible study ladies asking for prayers. Sure enough, one friend suggested that I get a hook to hang them right by the door. Ha! I have a hook! It works most of the time, but not his time. Thankfully, I found them before I had to pick up my son from school… An example of “I had to, b/c there was no other key.) I am going to order a key finder today! (And get a copy made, for my husband to have.)
Oh dear. I’m so glad that I’m not alone.
I miss my vest, at least 3-4 pair of glasses, a handbag, a pair of shoes and a lid. Honestly there is more. It frustrates me, because I don’t know, if I really lost all this things or if they play hiding in my flat.
With your posts I at least have something to laugh.
Thanks 🙂
LAUGH OUT LOUD!!!!!
You had me at, ‘welcome.’
Wayyyy too funny.
This made my day! Especially at the end where you say “…welcome, you must be new here.” That is how I feel when well-meaning friends give me advice on “keeping” my house clean. It never has been clean. Come back when I’ve moved out. LOL
So glad to have found this community of like minded individuals! Less is more: more time, more sanity, more peace. As I atrack my so out of control for so very long house I keep repeating, “anything that leaves the house is a victory.” And anything that tries to come in gets the stink eye and must pass a rigorous audition and background check with a three day waiting period to pass through the door. Blessings on you all.
We just lost the single key we had to our “spare” car. But I’ve been following you for a while so it was much easier to find than it would have been. I bought a key finder at one point, but it’s lost (still). As for making spare keys? Checked on that. If you have a key it costs about $100 if you have the ones with a fob, but if you can’t find your key it can cost nearly $1500. Guess who’s making a spare key while we know where the key is (and it’s going on my chain till the car is gone).
I am responding because I laughed and laughed while reading. I had to go on vacation to Punta Cana to find my spare car key that was missing for over five months. Found them in the pocket of shorts brought to wear there which had gone through the wash in the summer and were not worn again as the weather changed. I definitely have too many of everything.
I got new TILES and put one on my car keys. Soon I misplaced those car keys and used the back up set for six months.
Tiles didn’t beep.
I finally found my car keys in the pocket of a sweater that I don’t wear often.
I’ve read this post before and remember thinking the same thing then: I have an “extra” of things that I never use, because I’m afraid of losing the “extra”! In fact, I have all kinds of “extras” in various purses, backpacks, glove boxes, suitcases, bathroom cabinets, kitchen drawers, skirt pockets, coat pockets, and more, just in case I need them. But usually when I need them, I am afraid to use up my emergency stash, in case I forget to replace it and need it even more the next time. Is there a name for this condition?
The magic of the Tile is that you can call it with your cell phone, no “Finder fob” needed, unless you lose the phone at the same time. (which I do, sometimes). But my daughter got me those for Christmas a few years ago and they saved my behind SOOO many times. I consider my ability to lose things to be one of my spiritual gifts…but I love being able to click my key fob and find my lost phone! Thanks for sharing this story. You encourage me every time I read your blog. There is hope!
We learned this lesson brutally with our first baby. Lots of pacifiers? You’ll never find one. Down to one? You’ll never lose it – the risk of an angry baby who can’t- way too real.
It’s honestly just a matter of brain wiring. I have a place for keys (a pretty bowl near the front door) and that’s where I put them 99% of the time. My husband puts keys, wallets, sunglasses, tools or whatever down randomly and LOSES these things practically daily. *sigh*. Not saying I’m perfect. Far from it. I’ve got a handle on keeping my keys, sunglasses and handbag (& these days- my anti Covid19 mask… 🦠😳) safe though.
Plenty of the rest is still a major work in progress 🙊
Thanks Dana, we love you coz you are so relatable:-)
I love all your “key notes”!
We borrowed a van from my in-laws. The previous owner had lost the spare key. Unbeknownst to us, one of our cats had jumped into the van when we had opened the door. The key was inside the van. By the time we discovered the cat in the van, she had evidently stepped on the lock button and had locked herself in! We figured if she had locked her self in, she could unlock the door as well. We kept trying to coax her to step on the button, and miraculously she finally did! My biggest worry was that she would make a “mess” in the van! We had called AAA to come out and unlock the vehicle door. When we called to cancel our request, they thought it was pretty funny that the cat had taken care of the problem!
I bought my husband a key finder he never used until he lost his keys. Then, he put on on his keys and one on the TV remotes. I have to call his phone frequently. He just puts things down where ever and then I put things down then he does until important things are buried.
You know, even being the person who ALWAYS puts her keys in the little bowl on the counter doesn’t always work. A couple of weeks ago, I couldn’t find my keys when I had to leave for work. And I only have one, because it costs so much to make a spare, and I’m the person who NEVER loses her keys. But they weren’t in the bowl, or my pockets, or dropped on the ground between the car and the house…I had to borrow a friend’s car to get to work, and I fumed and ranted all day. When I got back home, I finally found them. In the ignition. Apparently, I got distracted between turning off the engine and pulling out the key.
Thank you for the lesson on Podcasts. I kept hearing about them, but didn’t know how to get them on my phone. How easy was that!
You are my people!
I love love love you!
You are a real person, in real situations, that literally ANYONE can relate to.
You are changing the way I look at the stuff in my life.
Whenever I read your blog, I feel like you’re writing about me. While I appreciate the camaraderie, I wish I’d stop losing so many things!
My husband has OCD. I do not…
I struggle with the whole everything has a place concept and planning ahead. Except for the pantry.
We’ve been married 42 years.
I still lose keys, books and knitting needles…
Keep up the good work. You are making a difference, especially in my world.
Sometime between last summer and this spring, my newly purchased leather gardening gloves and pruners have disappeared… like gone to a galaxy far far away or maybe another dimension.
Im sure I carried them in after some garden session to keep them safe from the rain…after that it’s a mystery. I’ve looked every place that comes to mind with the “Where would I look for this first” question with no luck.
So it’s not only cost me my time, and sanity, but also the $28 to replace them while knowing they have to be at my house…
Thanks for making me not feel so alone!
So, how long did it take for the other 2 keys to appear? Did you find them when you moved? Inquiring minds want to know!~
I was thinking the same thing, Penelope! I remember this story from one of two previous times it has been posted, and am really interested in whether those keys have turned up 😃
My husband finally had it and locked all the extra keys in the safe. Now there’s only one set of keys per car which has been a tremendous improvement. We have 7 cars and 7 drivers and we are constantly switching cars depending on the kind of trip (going to the dump? driving a long distance? just going to town and can use the 20-yo car?). Now the keys are mostly on the hooks, and if they are not we notice right away and whoever used it last needs to search all their pockets until it’s found!
and if we don’t find it and have to go, we can get the one from the safe… but DH will hound you till that first key is found, hahaha!