Do You Have a Friend That Is Always Asking to Borrow Something??

Updated on January 11, 2012
C.C. asks from Morrisville, PA
9 answers

Hi my good friend Irene. She is lovely and we have become good friends. She has no children so and I have four kids. Anyhow she is always asking to borrow this or that. I try to be as self sufficent as possible. I dont mind leading my stuff out occasionally...but when it gets to be a regular thing of asking I am now just saying no.
Example
1. curling iron
2. skirt
3.mixer
these are items most people have in their own house..would this start to make you nuts

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A.I.

answers from New York on

As long as I get the stuff back in a decent amount of time and don't need to use it at that moment it wouldn't bother me.

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R.D.

answers from Richmond on

I don't have a lot of kitcheny stuff and I'm always borrowing from my BFF ;)

I also lend what I can, when I can, like one of my girl friends borrows my mannequins quite often for her jewelry shows.

The way I see it: it all comes out in the wash ;)

Like today I get to find someone willing to lend me a dog leash so I can take my pup to the vet tmrw... ours is MIA ;)

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C.C.

answers from Portland on

I had a friend that always wanted something from us -- in the way of a service. Once she realized that DH was a techie, the requests would not stop: hook the printer to the computer, help us find a phone, new camera, how to fax from the computer, going wireless in their home, etc. The only time we hung out was dinner at their house because they needed DH to help them with something.

We are not friends anymore. Friendship is a 2 way street and I really needed a girlfriend to hang with at that time....

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H.J.

answers from Minneapolis on

My neighbor and I borrow back and forth a lot!

I borrow and lend out a lot to friends...randoms things I needed a certain type of toy for my daughter for PT and borrowed from a friend...as we didn't see a reason for me to purchase.

I have lent out dishes, movies, time, services...etc and have asked myself also.

This is a lot of how we save money.

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S.B.

answers from Dallas on

:) I had a friend call me last week to see if she could borrow a pair of my sons jeans. She had portraits scheduled in a few hours and forgot to do laundry. Her son wears a smaller size than my son and she was just hoping I had some of his older jeans lying around...I didn't have them and I didn't exactly feel bad saying no. Like your friend, she makes these odd requests pretty regularly.

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T.S.

answers from Philadelphia on

I wouldn't mind so much as long as things were returned to me quickly without me having to ask and that they come back exactly as I had them, not ruined or dirty. My husband borrows things and just never returns stuff until I push him to return it. I HATE that! If you are gonna borrow it, use it and return. Also, you are creating a bad habit here too. I think you are gonna have to put your foot down at some point.

R.H.

answers from Houston on

I HATE loaning. It is most often returned late, chipped or sometimes even loaned to someone else without my knowledge or consent. I am addicted to thrift stores so I rarely borrow when I can buy it cheap.

My mother also hated borrowing so I guess I got it from her.

If someone comes to borrow a cup of sugar because they have already started mixing the cake mix--then dammit send me a slice of cake when it is done! LOL (but serious!).

R.B.

answers from La Crosse on

Yes my neighbor! We are friends but still....

She only works when she wants to and has 2 kids and more or less barters for everything.She does get some asst. She doesn't have a drivers license. But she always has pot or beer or brandy! ( I think that's why it bothers me when she asks)

Money has been tight with me not working and we have 5 kids. She is here atleast 2-3 times a week. Can I get some cigs... a roll of toilet paper, a glass of milk ( then will see how much I have then ask for more if I have over a 1/2 gallon left) garbage bags, this, that or more of it for food items. $2, $4, $10.... a ride here or there ( the closest town over is 20 mins). Sometimes it feels like we are running our home and hers.

It get old! I may ask for something small once a month. The last time I asked her for anything was on New Years eve. She called and asked if we could watch her two kids(12 & 7) for the night since we weren't going out. I told her I didn't care. Then she asked if they could come over right now. I was just getting ready to make pancakes and eggs for dinner but didn't have enough for her kids ( her boy can EAT!). She said she could bring some over for 2 cigs. I told her I didn't have enough to spare but she could bring her kids over in an hour after we are done eating instead. Well she brought the kids and some pancake mix, eggs, syrup and some oj ( just to make sure we had enough) over 5 mins later lol. She dropped the kids off at 5 and at 10am she called and said the kids can go to her house she will be home in a couple hours... so after we had already fed them breakfast.. sent them home... then she calls at 1 and asks if we could feed the kids lunch she is going to be longer.... and didn't offer a dime. Thankfully this only happens about 2x a year... new years and her birthday!

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K.P.

answers from New York on

Yes, but we live in a tight-knit neighborhood. We all have eachothers garage codes and let ourselves in if we need something- after calling or texting. I have no issue lending out our weed whacker, snow blower, card table or anything else simply because the favor is always returned in some way.

We have more "stuff" because my husband is an engineer, so we are "prepared for anything at all times", but when something happens (good or bad) the neighbors are the first ones there with dinner, offers to run to the grocery store or babysit- expecting us to take them up on the offer.

As long as the "favors" go both ways, it's fine with me! I have to say I was thrilled when my girlfriend dropped off a box of "maternity work clothes" a few months back... of course she borrows cocktail dresses from me when she needs them!

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