If you’re one of those people, you’ve already (albeit secretly) lost your parking stub (or check/slip/ticket) more than once. And it doesn’t come cheap. To top it off, you’re treated like a thief driving off with someone else’s car (unless you really are stealing it).

If you’re guilty of this sin, here are ways to prevent this from happening again.

Ok, the first thing you have to do is organize the stuff that you’re putting into your pockets. If you’re a guy, the 3 most essential items that you take with you are your cellphone, car keys and wallet. If you don’t drive, then just your cellphone and wallet. Some guys also like bringing handerchiefs, which to me, is one of the main reasons why I’m writing this article.

I usually place my wallet in my left front pocket (here’s why) and my cellphone in my right front pocket. My car keys can go into either pocket. For the parking stub, there should be at least one dedicated pocket for it.

Some safe places for it can be:

Your shirt’s breast pocket.

One of your jeans’ back pockets.

One of your cargo shorts/pants numerous chambers.

The stub must not share a pocket with another item, especially handkerchiefs. I say this because parking stubs tend to cling to handkerchiefs (caused by static, moisture and other substances). So when you pull out your hankie, there’s a 75% chance that the ticket will fall out without you knowing. Receipts make it confusing to find the stub when you’re about to surrender it. The tendency is while rummaging the stub may fall into one of the crevices around your seat. If that happens, then consider it lost. Why not place it in your wallet? Not advisable either. Don’t put the stub anywhere that has removable items. There’s always the risk of dropping the stub from the wallet while you’re removing cash.

A few months ago I did lose my first parking stub. It was in my gym bag. I guess I lost it as I was fixing my things and getting ready to leave. But I’m glad to say that I’ve never lost one since. And hopefully this post helps you not lose one too.