I Need a Camera! And I Need Help! :)

Being the absent minded, creative, free-thinking person that I am, I often lose stuff.  I hate this aspect of my personality, but I guess if I'm the type to think outside of the box, then if the box represents my life, I often forget what is actually in the box.  Does that make any sense?  Probably not.  Oh well.

But that being said, I lost something very dear to me, and very expensive (at least to me).  My camera.  I lost it in the Tatra Mountains of Slovakia in a coffee shop.  I know it sounds exotic, but it still doesn't make losing my camera any better.  Thankfully, it was toward the tail end of my time in Slovakia this summer, so I didn't miss too much documentation.  The sad thing is, I missed documenting this past semester because I didn't have the funds to buy a new one.  I really regret that.  Pictures mean so much to me, and they capture memories so concisely and vividly.

So, being that I am going to be a semester in Colorado, and being that I have some extra money on my hands at the moment, I am looking to buy a new camera!!!  I will do everything in my willpower to hold on to this precious gem and not let it out of my sight (or put it in a floppy bag that it can fall out of, which is what happened before).  So here is my inquiry:  Have any of you bought a camera recently that is in the 150-250 dollar price range that you have been exceedingly happy with that you would love to recommend?  I am thinking about a Canon Power Shot, but I'm not quite sold yet.

And here is another question for all of you creative types out there (maybe you are also left-handed like me):  however nebulous this question might be, do you have any tried and true strategies for hanging on to valuables so they DO NOT get lost?  I won't go through the laundry list, but I have lost quite a number of things dear to me in my life, and I am tired of it!!!  I have gotten much better, but I know I have a long way to go.  Just thought I would throw it out there and see what answers I might get back.  Thank you so much!  I would appreciate your advice!