I have a theory. Its based on taking advantage of Murphy's Law (if there can even be such a thing as taking advantage of it).
So, if you lose something, Murphy's Law would dictate that you will never get it back. Or alternatively, you get a replacement and you find your things again.
The only way I see out of that is to buy a replacement immediately after you lose something. This way, if Murphy's Law holds true, you get your things back, and now you have an extra; or you don't get your things back, but you already have a replacement.