If you lost your purse, what would you do?

[Lyndee]

Let me tell you about my hellish morning.

It's Friday today so I had to drag a lot of things to the car. Brandon and Lauryn's water play clothes, our food cooler for the car, my lunch, my computer bag, my coffee. My hands were full!

Drove to my office (daycare is at my office) and reached down to get my lipstick. But no purse there. :woa: :duh: I left it at home. Well great, I can't get in the building with no badge and I can't get a badge because I have no license.

Well, I waited for someone to open the door and I took the kids in their classrooms. I tried to call my mom to see if she was still at my house (she lives with us) but my brother had come to pick her up this morning. No answer at home.

So I started my 11-mile drive back home to retrieve my purse. I had put it in the closet last night because I was practicing my "cut down clutter" training. I'm a visual person so I have to see things I need to bring. Out of sight, out of mind. I usually leave my purse on the foyer so I can see it when I walk out.

I had planned to retrieve my purse, drop off the drycleaning, pick up some lunch at Panera- since I was running late anyway.

I got in the house and reached in the closet in the dark. No purse. :headscratch: I turned on the lights and looked in. Still no purse. Where can it be? I knew it was in there last night because I just put $10 in it. I start to frantically look around the house.

Then I thought, wow, I'd feel really stupid if it was in the car. Went out to the car. Nothing there. Went back in the house and panicked even more.

What would you do if you lost your purse?

Get new badges for work?
Get a new license?
Close my checking accounts since my checkbook was in there?

Then I thought about all the other stuff I had in my purse:
-4 Gymbucks
-a $50 Amex gift cheque that I haven't gotten around to spending
- Receipts for things I needed to return to the store (worth about $200 at least)

And of course my credit cards- but I actually photocopied my whole wallet right before we went on our last trip so I wasn't as worried about those.

[Lyndee]

My heart was palpitating at this point. I was just so upset. And oh, I would have to replace my D&B bag- which is the most expensive one I've bought to date. :(

I called my brother on his cellphone since he came over to help me pack the kids up this morning. Wanted to see if he remembered me with my purse. His voicemail came on and I left him my frantic message.

I tried to call my mom's cell phone but her number was on my cellphone which was with my purse!

Then I happened to call my office voicemail. 2 messages. Oh please :pray: let this be something about my purse.

Message 1: Lyndee, this is Ray (my brother), I noticed you left your purse at home.
Message 2: Lyndee, I'm taking your purse to your office.

:faint:

Music to my ears but I didn't know if I was going to break down crying from being upset because I drove all the way home or happy because my purse was at my office without me.

I sat down on the recliner. The house was so quiet. I had wished so many times for me to be alone. by myself. Here I am this morning- but definitely not the circumstances I had hoped for. :(

So I couldn't get lunch because I now didn't have money nor my credit cards. :(

So I trekked the 11 miles back to my office. My brother can't get in the building so he left my purse with the daycare director.

:faint:

I was so shaken up. It was like I had lost my identity there for a while.

You know, I've got all sorts of contingency plans for things, but not one for losing my purse! I will need to work on that. The photocopied wallet was a good thing but geez- everything else!

[Nichole]

Cry?

:lol: No really, I think I would. Just because of the hassle of replacing everything.

Are you asking what you should do or what we'd have to do in that situation?

If the latter, I'd have to:
Get a replacement work badge
Get a new license
Cancel all credit cards and get new ones/put alerts on all of the accounts
Replace all of the misc membership/library cards, etc.
Get a new cell phone
Get replacement glasses
Find a new purse that I like

:bawl:

ETA: We were posting at the same time.
Oh good! I'm glad your purse wasn't lost! :faint:

[Lyndee]

Are you asking what you should do or what we'd have to do in that situation?



I guess both! I guess what you would have to specifically do. It's something you don't think about until the situation arises.

I just need to come up with my contingency plan.

[Cami]

In your situation, I'd be nuts because you knew you had it... somewhere!

If my purse (diaper bag) did get lost or stolen, I'd be so pissed about the inconvenience. Even when you try to remember all the cards you have (memberships, etc), there's some you forget about until months later when you need it again.

[Bev]

Oh Lyndee! What an awful morning. :hug99: For a while I was thinking you were driving down the road with it on your roof!

I would be more upset about the hassle of everything than anything else. Basically I could call my two banks and cancel those cards (debit and credit) then I would go online for the other 2 store cards I have. I don't usually have cash so that wouldn't be an issue. Not much of value in my wallet; I have a $2000 limit on my credit card so a theif wouldn't get much. :lol: I don't normally carry my LOC card so that wouldn't be an issue. I'd definitely need a new driver's licence and library card.

Thankfully I don't have too many credit cards or other stuff. A few points cards but those aren't worth anything to anyone.

I'm glad it all worked out for you.

[Clare]

I'm so glad it worked out for you, Lyndee! :hug99:

Unfortunately this has happened to me twice :( The first time my whole handbag was taken from my car at daycare. The second time, my wallet was taken out of my bag at the grocery store.

I had to cancel and replace credit cards and my library card, get a new drivers licence, insurance, medicare cards. Both times I lost cash, gift cards, concert tickets :sad: Nothing I could do about the cash or gcs, but I informed the ticketing company that my tickets were stolen and they replaced them. I also lost sentimental stuff, like photos of the kids, notes from friends etc :mad:

When my whole bag went, I aslo lost my cellphone and sunglasses. It's a huge inconvenience to cancel and replace everything but also costly when you need to buy new bag, wallet, phone, glasses etc.

[Lissa]

Thanks goodness you found it!!!!

[Jen]

It's happened to me a few times as well. Once I left it in the basket at walmart and 10 minutes later people were already using my credit cards. The other someone broke the window of my car and snatched it out of the front seat (I know it was dumb to leave it but since there was nothing of great value in it at the time I didn't think anything of leaving it there).

First off I called the bank and credit cards and reported them stolen.
I would replace my driver's license
I would make a mental note of what was in the purse and what I needed to replace (sunglasses, lipstick, appointment reminders, cell phone, etc.)

I also had lots of GCs in my purse the first time. It's so frustrating because I like to hoard things like that and although I don't carry much cash, I never thought of the GCs being lost or stolen. I was very upset.

More upsetting was that I had personal notes about my daughter that I planned to put into her baby book. Stuff like that is the worst because you know the person who has your bag doesn't give a crap about it but it's priceless to a mom.

I did end up getting a few of my items back, the theif put my DL and some paper scraps into a sack and threw it down and someone called me to return them. I was very grateful.

Losing (or almost losing) your bag makes you rethink what you keep in there. I try not to keep anything I can't afford to lose in my purse anymore. Also never keep your SS card with your DL because you can't get one without the other and many times you can't get a new bank card without your DL and you can't withdrawl money without a DL so you are SOL!

[Dennis]

Also never keep your SS card with your DL because you can't get one without the other and many times you can't get a new bank card without your DL and you can't withdrawl money without a DL so you are SOL!

Not to mention if someone gets your SSN you are wide open to identity theft.

[TtownAnne]

Wow, I had to come read this thread just to see what Dennis was contributing to missing purses! :lol:

[MrsPeacefrog]

:errr: Just the thought of it gives me the shakes

I am so glad that it worked out for you.

[Bev]

Once I left it in the basket at walmart and 10 minutes later people were already using my credit cards.
That is so wrong! DH found a doctors gold card on Thursday and called him right away to say he had it. Of course DH is a cop but he would have done that anyway.

I could never not turn in a purse/wallet. I once saw a woman drop a $20 bill and picked it up and ran after her to give it to her and she snatched it away without a thank you. I said YOUR WELCOME! That wouldn't make me not give money back even though she was an ungrateful *itch.