Seriously, I need help. I ride the metro every day, and when it rains, I hold my umbrella. If it’s wet, I’ll put it on the floor, and for some reason, I never think to pick it back up. So I end up spending $45 on umbrellas every 6 months. That hurts just to type.
In November, I had a $10 umbrella that I got from CVS and over the course of the next month, it got destroyed by the wind and became unusable. I didn’t like my umbrella having two spokes missing. Instead of protecting me from the rain, it would funnel all the water right onto me.
So I got a nice sturdy umbrella from Gap for $20. It’s even got a little flap so it doesn’t turn inside out from the wind. I loved the umbrella for about 3 weeks. Then I left it on the metro. As soon as the door closed, I realized what I forgot behind.
Finally, on the day when I learned how to make friends using personal finance, I got the same umbrella for $15. I even got made fun of by the clerk for buying an umbrella on a sunny day, as if buying two umbrellas in 3 weeks wasn’t embarrassing enough.
Does umbrella insurance exist? I tried calling up Travelers with that question and they assured me it did, but it seemed a little expensive for my fairly cheap umbrellas ;)
Should I go get another $15-$20 umbrella? Should I do it on a day it’s raining or on a sunny day so I don’t look so desperate? Or should I buy a $5-$10 umbrella because I know I’m gonna lose it in a few days anyway?
I think I’m going to get a $15 umbrella when I find another Gap coupon code, so hopefully the bad weather holds off until then. I should be ok because April showers bring May flowers, right?
I’d hold on to it but if you don’t want to do that, instead of laying it on the floor, try standing it up so that it would be in your way when you stand up to leave, reminding you to take it.
My mom always told me I would lose my head if it weren’t attached. However, there’s a good way not to lose an umbrella. Don’t buy one. A newspaper works just fine.
I now drive to and from work (sigh), but when I used to take the bus, I found a fool proof way to save my umbrella. Usually the umbrella stays shut with velcro. The fuzzy side is on the umbrella and the hook side is on the fabric that goes around to hold the umbrella shut. I would take the hook end and stick it to my shoelaces. If I wasn’t wearing shoeslaces that that, I would just tuck that little fabric piece into my shoe itself. After that I would feel the tug whenever I stood up to get off the bus, therefore always remembering my umbrella.
@Barb, That’s not bad, a gently tug for the just in case. I may try this one..
I think you should wrap the handle of your umbrella with a $100 dollar bill…that way you will NEVER lose it. :-)
@Lbergs, Ha, but I think that would make it more likely to get stolen. And much more costly for when it inevitably does happen. Might as well buy 6 of those umbrellas, you know, to last me an entire year!
Sorry, I can’t help you much with this problem, since I also lose way too many umbrellas. Somehow I never seem to find any though. Another problem is that any umbrella can get destroyed in windy rain. Therefore, I have come to only buying $5 umbrellas now. I don’t feel so bad if I lose it or if the wind destroys it.
@ctreit, Maybe there’s an umbrella troll on the metro who picks them up. I’m sure if you go to any lost and found, you’ll find a bunch of umbrellas. If I saw one on the metro, I wouldn’t call it ‘found,’ I’d probably just assume it was someone else’s.
I would buy a really expensive umbrella so that you become overly paranoid about losing it. If you do lose it, it should hurt you enough that you never make the mistake again. I’ve had the same umbrella for the last 10 years, so losing one has never been an issue. Of course I live in CA and have probably only used it 20-30 times in the last 10 years :)
That’s pretty good advice not just for umbrellas but a lot of seasonal things!
I put the loop of the handle through the handle of my attache. It is like a lot of things, you need a solution that works for you. BTW, My umbrella is compact so I can carry it in my attache after the rain. Good luck.
@krantcents, I *shouldn’t* have a problem when it’s dry, but who wants to hold a wet umbrella? gross!
Funny! My wife seems to lose sunglasses like you lose umbrellas. At least it’s not your wallet being stolen, or left behind. I’m paranoid when it comes to losing my wallet. I have developed a strategy where I spread my risk…cash and phone in front left pocket, keys and change in front right pocket. Wallet with only simple ID and credit card in back right pocket. Yeah, paranoid.
Umbrella insurance would be perfect because I do the same thing. It leads to the purchase of many new, shiny umbrellas each year. Sigh…
just lost an umbrella :( and it’s still raining outside!