Help Me Find One Important Paper
April 4, 2018 11:56 AM Subscribe
You take a card out of your wallet, thinking "this won't be useful for a few years". You were wrong. So horribly wrong. But where would you have put it in the meantime?
Card is wallet sized but is not in either wallet or either commonly used purse. I am most interested in the thought processes why a particular odd place may make sense, am hoping that I can recognize said thought process and track this thing down - especially from fellow people with ADD or other memory fogs.
Card is wallet sized but is not in either wallet or either commonly used purse. I am most interested in the thought processes why a particular odd place may make sense, am hoping that I can recognize said thought process and track this thing down - especially from fellow people with ADD or other memory fogs.
Did it turn conceptually into paperwork rather than a card in your mind, i.e. could it be stashed with other paperwork from around the same time you took it out of your wallet, maybe mixed in with larger items where it would be less obvious?
posted by terretu at 11:59 AM on April 4, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by terretu at 11:59 AM on April 4, 2018 [7 favorites]
What is the card made of? Is it made of plastic, in which case where do you keep plastic things, or identity documents. Is it made of paper? In which case is it with stationery or books or filing?
posted by einekleine at 11:59 AM on April 4, 2018
posted by einekleine at 11:59 AM on April 4, 2018
High bookshelf (thought process: flat surface + out of the way, won’t get cluttered up in other stuff). I then lose things I put there because they’re out of my eyeline.
posted by Catseye at 11:59 AM on April 4, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by Catseye at 11:59 AM on April 4, 2018 [9 favorites]
I'd put it with other business card sized things or maybe with my collection of mostly expired IDs (up to and including passports) if it was some sort of ID.
posted by Grither at 12:00 PM on April 4, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by Grither at 12:00 PM on April 4, 2018 [5 favorites]
Nightstand drawer
Glove compartment
posted by tatiana wishbone at 12:03 PM on April 4, 2018 [5 favorites]
Glove compartment
posted by tatiana wishbone at 12:03 PM on April 4, 2018 [5 favorites]
As I can recollect, I've put cards:
* inside notebooks, novels, DVD cases, and otherwise empty small packages (things I don't want to carry but don't want to be in clear view)
* tucked into unused mugs or mug holders, or the lids of repurposed gift boxes (expired stuff)
* in the pockets of various outerwear (for convenience)
* on the counter where I usually put my keys (because that's where all the boring stuff is)
* stashed somewhere among the detritus of my computer desk (because that's where I do stuff)
posted by inconstant at 12:04 PM on April 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
* inside notebooks, novels, DVD cases, and otherwise empty small packages (things I don't want to carry but don't want to be in clear view)
* tucked into unused mugs or mug holders, or the lids of repurposed gift boxes (expired stuff)
* in the pockets of various outerwear (for convenience)
* on the counter where I usually put my keys (because that's where all the boring stuff is)
* stashed somewhere among the detritus of my computer desk (because that's where I do stuff)
posted by inconstant at 12:04 PM on April 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
Junk drawer/center desk drawer.
Wherever you keep your passport
Wherever you keep the credit cards you don't use, old library cards, old school IDs, etc.
Wherever you hide things.
Wherever you put "extra things that don't need to be in my wallet anymore."
Somewhere relatively "safe" and near the place you happened to be standing (or sitting) when you decided you didn't want it in your wallet anymore.
If the card is associated with someone else (e.g. parent, child, spouse), where you keep things related to that person.
(I wrote these in second person but they're the places I would put such a card if this were me.)
posted by 2 cats in the yard at 12:04 PM on April 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
Wherever you keep your passport
Wherever you keep the credit cards you don't use, old library cards, old school IDs, etc.
Wherever you hide things.
Wherever you put "extra things that don't need to be in my wallet anymore."
Somewhere relatively "safe" and near the place you happened to be standing (or sitting) when you decided you didn't want it in your wallet anymore.
If the card is associated with someone else (e.g. parent, child, spouse), where you keep things related to that person.
(I wrote these in second person but they're the places I would put such a card if this were me.)
posted by 2 cats in the yard at 12:04 PM on April 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
I may be projecting, but if it was something like my Nexplanon renewal card, I would put it in my underwear drawer, or in my makeup storage bin, or on the shelf under my box of tampons (basically thinking Nexplanon = girl stuff, and stashing it somewhere that it wouldn't get stumbled upon and accidentally thrown away by someone else).
posted by stellaluna at 12:06 PM on April 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by stellaluna at 12:06 PM on April 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
Erstwhile cell phone pocket inside a bag: phones have since outgrown it, but it's the perfect size for stashing expired credit cards I'm totally going to shred, loyalty punch cards from places I don't go very often, and business cards I definitely won't need any time soon unless I'm very wrong.
posted by teremala at 12:07 PM on April 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by teremala at 12:07 PM on April 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
It is sitting vertically along with several other similar sized cards, perhaps between the columns of a pencil organizer, on the side of a mail inbox, or against the vertical side of the shelf nearest the desk where you tend to do your mail.
posted by bondcliff at 12:07 PM on April 4, 2018
posted by bondcliff at 12:07 PM on April 4, 2018
"I would only need this if I'm at work / going to work." => in my car; usually in glove compartment.
"This is pet related" => in the plastic bin of pet care stuff.
"This is a coupon/loyalty card for some store." => in my wife's car (it's the "family" car). Possibly in my car if it's a store I'll 95%+ be going to on my own (i.e. pool bulk chlorine card is in my car).
"This is some business card that I probably won't need, but there's a 1% chance I might so I can't throw it away quite yet. -> my junk drawer (currently a section of my monitor stand). As agreed up thread, doesn't everyone have a junk drawyer?
"This is related to a surprise for someone who lives here." Either on top of something too tall for my wife to reach sans step stool, or under something heavy.
posted by nobeagle at 12:10 PM on April 4, 2018
"This is pet related" => in the plastic bin of pet care stuff.
"This is a coupon/loyalty card for some store." => in my wife's car (it's the "family" car). Possibly in my car if it's a store I'll 95%+ be going to on my own (i.e. pool bulk chlorine card is in my car).
"This is some business card that I probably won't need, but there's a 1% chance I might so I can't throw it away quite yet. -> my junk drawer (currently a section of my monitor stand). As agreed up thread, doesn't everyone have a junk drawyer?
"This is related to a surprise for someone who lives here." Either on top of something too tall for my wife to reach sans step stool, or under something heavy.
posted by nobeagle at 12:10 PM on April 4, 2018
Junk drawer! One of the small ones in the top of the desk. That's where I found my important thing the other day.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 12:11 PM on April 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 12:11 PM on April 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
bulletin board / magnetic white board
kitchen junk drawer.
bedside drawer.
desk drawer.
posted by fingersandtoes at 12:12 PM on April 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
kitchen junk drawer.
bedside drawer.
desk drawer.
posted by fingersandtoes at 12:12 PM on April 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
My box of papers to deal with (kitchen counter) or my casserole dish of weird stuff like that (next to the phone charger).
posted by The corpse in the library at 12:13 PM on April 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by The corpse in the library at 12:13 PM on April 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
Most things like this I put in between pages of my passport, which itself is stored in a secret box, since I never use my passport.
posted by phunniemee at 12:14 PM on April 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by phunniemee at 12:14 PM on April 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
I might make a file for it in the file cabinet if I was in the grip of an ORGANIZE ALL THE THINGS binge.
posted by fingersandtoes at 12:15 PM on April 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by fingersandtoes at 12:15 PM on April 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
It's in the shoebox full of other old but possibly "important" documents or whatever that are basically trash but am keeping around just in case, despite never once having ever needed to reclaim anything from said box.
posted by GoblinHoney at 12:21 PM on April 4, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by GoblinHoney at 12:21 PM on April 4, 2018 [3 favorites]
Any idea when/where/why you removed it from your wallet?
Like after a trip, I usually have a bunch of ticket stubs, receipts, notes, whatever, and pull all of them out and put them together somehere "to go through later", often with other debris from the trip (like if I took a book on the trip, I'd put the stuff inside the book, or if I took swim goggles I might put the stuff on a shelf with the goggles).
Did you finish some thing or close out a period of time associated with the card? Like would you have last looked at it during tax season, or insurance renewal season, or the beginning of the school year? I'd think about where I would have put other junk from that time.
Did you move house? What do you remember about packing... could it have gotten into a box that hasn't been unpacked?
posted by LobsterMitten at 12:24 PM on April 4, 2018
Like after a trip, I usually have a bunch of ticket stubs, receipts, notes, whatever, and pull all of them out and put them together somehere "to go through later", often with other debris from the trip (like if I took a book on the trip, I'd put the stuff inside the book, or if I took swim goggles I might put the stuff on a shelf with the goggles).
Did you finish some thing or close out a period of time associated with the card? Like would you have last looked at it during tax season, or insurance renewal season, or the beginning of the school year? I'd think about where I would have put other junk from that time.
Did you move house? What do you remember about packing... could it have gotten into a box that hasn't been unpacked?
posted by LobsterMitten at 12:24 PM on April 4, 2018
And was there ever a time when you had to take it out to show someone else, or to enter a number into an online form, that kind of thing? I'd think about where/when that might have happened and then basically look around that area to see if I'd put it up on a high shelf, or it got swept under a couch, or put into a drawer there, or whatever.
posted by LobsterMitten at 12:27 PM on April 4, 2018
posted by LobsterMitten at 12:27 PM on April 4, 2018
Has it turned into a bookmark? Check the books that you and your cohabitators were reading when it vanished.
posted by nebulawindphone at 12:27 PM on April 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by nebulawindphone at 12:27 PM on April 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
Near-to-hand places I might have put it: a coat pocket, a bag (not my usual bag because that would be too obvious, but luggage or something odd I was carrying that day), as a bookmark for a book I was reading, in some spot in the car, the key/change/junk bowl, and *under* that bowl because I am just that special.
"Safe place" places I might have put it: the junk drawer, the place where I keep envelopes and stamps and stationary, in the pile of "to be sorted" papers on my desk, in the place I keep old bills, in the place I keep some extra money, in the place I keep my passport.
Really dumb place I probably would find it: In the wallet it was in from the beginning, but in a different spot than it was before.
posted by tchemgrrl at 12:29 PM on April 4, 2018
"Safe place" places I might have put it: the junk drawer, the place where I keep envelopes and stamps and stationary, in the pile of "to be sorted" papers on my desk, in the place I keep old bills, in the place I keep some extra money, in the place I keep my passport.
Really dumb place I probably would find it: In the wallet it was in from the beginning, but in a different spot than it was before.
posted by tchemgrrl at 12:29 PM on April 4, 2018
It's in that one miscellaneous folder in the accordion file.
posted by sacrifix at 12:33 PM on April 4, 2018
posted by sacrifix at 12:33 PM on April 4, 2018
Jewelry box, if it has one of the shallow drawers.
posted by praemunire at 12:37 PM on April 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by praemunire at 12:37 PM on April 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
Wherever you keep your passportYES. Because a passport is also something important that I might not access every day, but will eventually need. See also: in cheque book; next to tax returns.
I tuck things away in the smaller pockets of my suitcase sometimes. That way it won't get crushed / thrown away by mistake, but it's also not going anywhere, and I'm also likely to get reminded about it every X months when I travel. Ditto the smaller pockets in my laptop sleeve. (Not the one I use daily, but the bigger one I have for my home laptop, which just mostly sits at home.)
Was it a scary card? Is it in the freezer?
posted by miss_kitty_fantastico at 12:39 PM on April 4, 2018
Stuck to the fridge with a magnet, probably with something else partly obscuring it.
posted by Occula at 12:49 PM on April 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Occula at 12:49 PM on April 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
I have found important papers in the box my checks came in, under my computer monitor, in every drawer and in random pockets of bags.
posted by martinX's bellbottoms at 12:50 PM on April 4, 2018
posted by martinX's bellbottoms at 12:50 PM on April 4, 2018
If it’s at all health related, in the medicine cabinet.
When you do find it, start storing it in whatever the first place you looked for it was when you started looking.
posted by Weeping_angel at 12:52 PM on April 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
When you do find it, start storing it in whatever the first place you looked for it was when you started looking.
posted by Weeping_angel at 12:52 PM on April 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
"Do not discard (misc)" paperwork gets jammed in the storage slot in the Ikea kitchen table we have. Every year or so (whether it's tax time or not) we have to take the top off and dig through the accumulated papers to make the table top fit level again.
It's probably there, next to the expired passport, the manual for the toaster you bought five years ago and the Canadian Tire money, all with a thin layer of spilled sugar on top
posted by scruss at 12:54 PM on April 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
It's probably there, next to the expired passport, the manual for the toaster you bought five years ago and the Canadian Tire money, all with a thin layer of spilled sugar on top
posted by scruss at 12:54 PM on April 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
What do you remember about when you took it out and put it somewhere? Anything? Even if it's sort of vague, like "Oh, I was standing at my dresser," that can help. Now from there, where would you have put it that made sense to you at the time (and the "at the time" is key)? Then look there. If you don't find it, go sit somewhere else, obsess over it and then go look there again. It may not still be there, but it may remind you "Oh yeah, I was moving this stuff off my dresser into the closet" which leads you the closet.
Repeat as necessary.
I don't try to follow my logic of where I'd put it now for safekeeping. I try to follow my logic from then. Sometimes that's hard to do, but most of the things I've "lost" have been put in places that I figured would make sense to me later and not what made sense to me at the time. I do much better remembering what made sense at the time.
posted by darksong at 12:54 PM on April 4, 2018
Repeat as necessary.
I don't try to follow my logic of where I'd put it now for safekeeping. I try to follow my logic from then. Sometimes that's hard to do, but most of the things I've "lost" have been put in places that I figured would make sense to me later and not what made sense to me at the time. I do much better remembering what made sense at the time.
posted by darksong at 12:54 PM on April 4, 2018
I found a bunch of important papers in the GARAGE of all places as I had put longer term storage papers in a folder in a plastic bin and then completely forgotten about that organizational scheme.
posted by typecloud at 12:58 PM on April 4, 2018
posted by typecloud at 12:58 PM on April 4, 2018
If possible, I'd type out the information on the card and then either email it to myself, or save it in a folder labeled something like "Misc. Useful Stuff." Ideally I'd then be able to use the search function on my computer (or gmail) to find it via some key word I remembered.
I'm not very organized.
posted by DingoMutt at 1:02 PM on April 4, 2018
I'm not very organized.
posted by DingoMutt at 1:02 PM on April 4, 2018
The last time I did this, it turned out I had stuck it on the refrigerator with a magnet.
posted by beagle at 1:06 PM on April 4, 2018
posted by beagle at 1:06 PM on April 4, 2018
I have something intended as a travel wallet that has a lot of card space, and all such things are supposed to go in there. The trick is sometimes remembering that the thing was actually card shaped and so that's where to find it, as in the case of my car stereo security code, which I found only after first tearing every other storage space in my house apart. All this to say, are you sure it was really shaped like you remember?
posted by advil at 1:13 PM on April 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by advil at 1:13 PM on April 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
I should put it in the paper shoe box on my dining room table, which doubles as my junk drawer. I might have put it a harder-to-reach pocket in my purse, on my nightstand, my jeans pocket, or in the pile of opened mail that might also be useful in a few months.
posted by soelo at 1:20 PM on April 4, 2018
posted by soelo at 1:20 PM on April 4, 2018
It might help to try to remember if you removed a number of things, i.e. "housecleaning" your wallet/purse. If so, I usually rubber band them together and toss them in a drawer on my desk. The other things, if any, may also give you a clue to where you might have saved them.
posted by uncaken at 1:23 PM on April 4, 2018
posted by uncaken at 1:23 PM on April 4, 2018
Response by poster: To give an update:
I have checked the junk papers, nightstands, glove compartment, the tops of my high bookshelves, passport, 'random recent not filed yet' file drawer in file cabinet, bag of unsorted mail. I have found 41$ in loose cash, a chocolate flavored lollipop, my marriage license, but not the card yet.
I do vaguely remember being bored and sorting through it, so that narrows it to not a common area but either office, bedroom, or 'random retreat-room with sewing stuff and video games and books'.
I am going through all of these, please do keep them coming and thank you all for the assistance!
posted by corb at 1:28 PM on April 4, 2018 [7 favorites]
I have checked the junk papers, nightstands, glove compartment, the tops of my high bookshelves, passport, 'random recent not filed yet' file drawer in file cabinet, bag of unsorted mail. I have found 41$ in loose cash, a chocolate flavored lollipop, my marriage license, but not the card yet.
I do vaguely remember being bored and sorting through it, so that narrows it to not a common area but either office, bedroom, or 'random retreat-room with sewing stuff and video games and books'.
I am going through all of these, please do keep them coming and thank you all for the assistance!
posted by corb at 1:28 PM on April 4, 2018 [7 favorites]
I would check whether it fell behind the bench in the entryway where my purse sits and is also a staging area for things that either are leaving the house soon or came in with me but haven’t been put away yet.
Also pockets of pants, sweaters, and coats I might have been wearing when I last handled it.
Also the exterior pocket of my purse where receipts go until I take the time to glance at them and toss any that I’m not going to need.
posted by lakeroon at 1:28 PM on April 4, 2018
Also pockets of pants, sweaters, and coats I might have been wearing when I last handled it.
Also the exterior pocket of my purse where receipts go until I take the time to glance at them and toss any that I’m not going to need.
posted by lakeroon at 1:28 PM on April 4, 2018
In a pile of mail, or tucked under a vase etc on a mantelpiece or table.
posted by DarlingBri at 1:40 PM on April 4, 2018
posted by DarlingBri at 1:40 PM on April 4, 2018
I tend to make piles/bundles by function. Thinking about it, they are stored more or less by frequency of access. I also tend to process things in batches, so there's often a "to-sort" pile. For cards, I ask myself: How valuable is it? Is the value information or monetary? Is the physical card necessary to retain value? How difficult is it to replace? How often do I need it? How likely am I to need it on short notice?
In my desk drawer are bundles of mostly medium-term medium-value cards:
* Business cards for people I may actually want to contact someday
* Business cards for people/businesses I am very unlikely to contact (i.e. from craft fairs, trade shows, etc) grouped for easy disposal when I get the urge to declutter
* Transit cards for cities that I visit semi-regularly
* Gift cards for places that require advance planning (Costco)
* Cards that potentially have monetary value (really good coupons or business punch cards, usually multiples because I never remember to grab the current one in advance)
* Partially filled punch cards bundled up in redeemable quantities
* Duplicate library/gym/etc membership cards
High-value long-term things go in my "safe" box (where I keep my passport)
* "Important" ID cards like SSN
* Medical stuff (one of my old vaccine records is a plastic card for some reason and I don't think I can get replacements)
* Transit cards from other continents that may or may not be expired
* Credit cards that aren't regularly used
* Old IDs with sentimental value
In my wallet:
* ID cards like insurance
* Regularly-used credit/debit cards
* Gift cards that I might spontaneously decide to use
* Full punch cards, if it's not a super thick pile
posted by yeahlikethat at 1:41 PM on April 4, 2018
In my desk drawer are bundles of mostly medium-term medium-value cards:
* Business cards for people I may actually want to contact someday
* Business cards for people/businesses I am very unlikely to contact (i.e. from craft fairs, trade shows, etc) grouped for easy disposal when I get the urge to declutter
* Transit cards for cities that I visit semi-regularly
* Gift cards for places that require advance planning (Costco)
* Cards that potentially have monetary value (really good coupons or business punch cards, usually multiples because I never remember to grab the current one in advance)
* Partially filled punch cards bundled up in redeemable quantities
* Duplicate library/gym/etc membership cards
High-value long-term things go in my "safe" box (where I keep my passport)
* "Important" ID cards like SSN
* Medical stuff (one of my old vaccine records is a plastic card for some reason and I don't think I can get replacements)
* Transit cards from other continents that may or may not be expired
* Credit cards that aren't regularly used
* Old IDs with sentimental value
In my wallet:
* ID cards like insurance
* Regularly-used credit/debit cards
* Gift cards that I might spontaneously decide to use
* Full punch cards, if it's not a super thick pile
posted by yeahlikethat at 1:41 PM on April 4, 2018
Also one time I thought I lost my Metrocard and it turned out there was a hole inside my wallet and I'd accidentally stuck it between the leather and the lining.
posted by yeahlikethat at 1:45 PM on April 4, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by yeahlikethat at 1:45 PM on April 4, 2018 [3 favorites]
'random retreat-room with sewing stuff and video games and books'.
it's in here. you put on top of a book and it fell behind the book.
posted by prize bull octorok at 1:46 PM on April 4, 2018
it's in here. you put on top of a book and it fell behind the book.
posted by prize bull octorok at 1:46 PM on April 4, 2018
If it were me, it would likely be in the mail sorter or in a jacket pocket. As the seasons are changing, is there a jacket you haven't used since you last saw the card?
posted by Kriesa at 1:47 PM on April 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Kriesa at 1:47 PM on April 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
Do you have any pets (cats)? Suppose you stuck the card on a shelf, intending to put it somewhere safe later, and forgot about it. Cat comes along, hops on the shelf, and swishes card to floor. Later, you or somebody else is walking by and kick the card under a bookshelf or a couch or whatever. In other words, a remote possibility is that the card is gathering dust bunnies under a piece of furniture.
posted by Transl3y at 2:07 PM on April 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Transl3y at 2:07 PM on April 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
If you’re at all superstitious you could always try the prayer to St Anthony. It almost always works!
posted by stellaluna at 2:20 PM on April 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by stellaluna at 2:20 PM on April 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
In case you haven’t investigated this: any possibiity of getting a copy by calling a human who might take mercy on you?
posted by kalapierson at 2:27 PM on April 4, 2018
posted by kalapierson at 2:27 PM on April 4, 2018
'random retreat-room with sewing stuff and video games and books'.
Yup. It's in here, in one of the tiny drawers, especially if it's a card that's meaningful to you but not to others in the family.
posted by MonkeyToes at 2:54 PM on April 4, 2018
Yup. It's in here, in one of the tiny drawers, especially if it's a card that's meaningful to you but not to others in the family.
posted by MonkeyToes at 2:54 PM on April 4, 2018
Tucked under a blotter or large desk pad/calendar? In the sewing room, maybe under a fabric cutting mat or the thing your machine sits on?
posted by carmicha at 3:09 PM on April 4, 2018
posted by carmicha at 3:09 PM on April 4, 2018
If you have a car, don't forget its storage compartments and especially above the visors.
posted by teremala at 4:10 PM on April 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by teremala at 4:10 PM on April 4, 2018 [1 favorite]
Do you have a corkboard or anything, where you sort of wedge paper flotsam?
Or, did you file it with the 'type' of item, so maybe a medical card would be with medical records, membership card for Bird of The Month would be in the Audubon book, that sort of thing?
posted by A Terrible Llama at 4:11 PM on April 4, 2018
Or, did you file it with the 'type' of item, so maybe a medical card would be with medical records, membership card for Bird of The Month would be in the Audubon book, that sort of thing?
posted by A Terrible Llama at 4:11 PM on April 4, 2018
Is it in the Scary Box?
(Mine contains paperwork running from irrelevant to important that surely I'm going to file but meanwhile, airline tickets and boarding passes because I'm definitely going to make sure I got the frequent flyer miles but meanwhile, office supplies, checks [I have not written an actual check in years], and a whole lot of AAAAAUUUUUGGGGH. Yours may differ.)
posted by inexorably_forward at 4:15 PM on April 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
(Mine contains paperwork running from irrelevant to important that surely I'm going to file but meanwhile, airline tickets and boarding passes because I'm definitely going to make sure I got the frequent flyer miles but meanwhile, office supplies, checks [I have not written an actual check in years], and a whole lot of AAAAAUUUUUGGGGH. Yours may differ.)
posted by inexorably_forward at 4:15 PM on April 4, 2018 [4 favorites]
Underwear drawer or sock drawer.
posted by heathergirl at 4:21 PM on April 4, 2018
posted by heathergirl at 4:21 PM on April 4, 2018
Places I've put or found cards: Bookmark, a mug of random olio (buttons, collar stays, an old phone, etc.) on my dresser, under my computer monitor, under my computer, under my keyboard, under books on the bookshelf, in between books on the book shelf, under the bookshelf, on a window sill, in a dresser drawer (I don't know either), on the bottom shelf of a coffee table, on top of the fridge, under the bed, various areas of the floor that don't get swept/vacuumed as often as optimal, on the shelf in the bathroom, closet shelf, the pocket of an old jacket, the pocket of an old pair of pants.
posted by General Malaise at 4:23 PM on April 4, 2018
posted by General Malaise at 4:23 PM on April 4, 2018
When I get a new wallet, I do this kind of evaluation, only transferring the cards I use, so for me, it would be in my previous wallet (which I saved).
posted by Obscure Reference at 4:26 PM on April 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Obscure Reference at 4:26 PM on April 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
I hang up my pants, and sometimes something that was in a pants pocket falls to the bottom of my closet or in my laundry hamper. I once found my keycard in a boot!
posted by radioamy at 5:17 PM on April 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by radioamy at 5:17 PM on April 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
Sometimes when I'm tearing the room something is supposed to be in apart looking for whatever I've lost, my partner casually wanders out of the room to check other locations, and wanders back in a while later with whatever I lost.
Just the other day, I figure my coin purse was gone for good. I couldn't find it anywhere in my room, and I knew I had it when I left the grocery store, so I figured it fell out of my pocket, even though I had a vague sense of having set it down somewhere. I even went and checked the kitchen and bathroom. The next day, my landlord found it out next to the clothesline.
My point is, those rooms may be the most likely locales, but that may also not be where it is.
posted by aniola at 7:02 PM on April 4, 2018
Just the other day, I figure my coin purse was gone for good. I couldn't find it anywhere in my room, and I knew I had it when I left the grocery store, so I figured it fell out of my pocket, even though I had a vague sense of having set it down somewhere. I even went and checked the kitchen and bathroom. The next day, my landlord found it out next to the clothesline.
My point is, those rooms may be the most likely locales, but that may also not be where it is.
posted by aniola at 7:02 PM on April 4, 2018
Pockets of a random clothing item? Jackets are most likely, but I have found cards in jeans and hoodies.
posted by rpfields at 12:30 PM on April 5, 2018
posted by rpfields at 12:30 PM on April 5, 2018
Did you find it?
posted by Weeping_angel at 2:42 PM on April 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Weeping_angel at 2:42 PM on April 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
It’s in the drawer that you’ve already looked in five times but standing up flat against one of the sides. Or in the area under the drawer because it fell over the back of the drawer. Or it’s in that old wallet that you don’t like but haven’t thrown away because you don’t feel like finding places for the old junk still in there. (Mine has a Hot Topic Loyalty Card, for example. Am i ever going to need this? I’ll just leave it and think about it later.)
posted by artychoke at 9:16 PM on April 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by artychoke at 9:16 PM on April 5, 2018 [3 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by HeyAllie at 11:59 AM on April 4, 2018 [6 favorites]