Lending stuff to mates
Discussion
This is a gripe of mine, the number of times I’ve lent stuff to friends only to never get them back as they’ve forgotten they have it, or they keep it far too long, or return it damaged.
Personally I never borrow from people cus if I damage it then I feel obligated to replace it with a brand new one, so I may as well just buy the thing myself.
I’ve stopped lending stuff now, apart from a very close circle of friends but even then I have to decide if they are the type to look after and use the item properly. I live by the motto my grandfather taught me as a kid - ‘Never a lender or a borrower be’. He always said, if there’s something you need, save up and buy it, then look after it, have pride in your possessions and never lend them out. Problem is, I have too keep quiet about any stuff I have, so folk don’t ask to borrow.
Have I become miserable in my mid life status?
Personally I never borrow from people cus if I damage it then I feel obligated to replace it with a brand new one, so I may as well just buy the thing myself.
I’ve stopped lending stuff now, apart from a very close circle of friends but even then I have to decide if they are the type to look after and use the item properly. I live by the motto my grandfather taught me as a kid - ‘Never a lender or a borrower be’. He always said, if there’s something you need, save up and buy it, then look after it, have pride in your possessions and never lend them out. Problem is, I have too keep quiet about any stuff I have, so folk don’t ask to borrow.
Have I become miserable in my mid life status?
I’d say that I’d only lend things to people that I’m comfortable with. As in they’d be told straight if they were taking liberties!
I lent a 9” grinder, diamond disc and transformer to my brother a coupe of years back. I’m not fussed about having it back as I’ll have to store it. I’ll just borrow it back off him if I need it again.
I lent a 9” grinder, diamond disc and transformer to my brother a coupe of years back. I’m not fussed about having it back as I’ll have to store it. I’ll just borrow it back off him if I need it again.
If you see tools as a cost, then buying them is a pain.
If you see tools as an investment, then buying them makes good sense.
I don’t lend anything to anyone who doesn’t think like this. If they want it badly enough, they can always hire one.
I don’t lend anything to anyone that’s pneumatic, hydraulic, electric or has an engine on it.
Like the OP, I’m careful about what I tell people I have
There are also liability issues around today, so why take the risk?
If you see tools as an investment, then buying them makes good sense.
I don’t lend anything to anyone who doesn’t think like this. If they want it badly enough, they can always hire one.
I don’t lend anything to anyone that’s pneumatic, hydraulic, electric or has an engine on it.
Like the OP, I’m careful about what I tell people I have
There are also liability issues around today, so why take the risk?
Remember lending a mop and bucket to our neighbour and they had it for 3 weeks! We have a pretty tidy carpet cleaner which we used to lend out that would always come back f
ked somehow and we'd have to change it under warranty. Funnily enough it's been fine for nearly 4 years now its not left the house.
Also lent a work colleague £500 to help him go back home to Fiji for his sisters funeral. This was September 2019 and haven't received a penny back as there's always some excuse. I now work 2 hours away but he's still there. They're meant to be Christians but never again.
ked somehow and we'd have to change it under warranty. Funnily enough it's been fine for nearly 4 years now its not left the house. Also lent a work colleague £500 to help him go back home to Fiji for his sisters funeral. This was September 2019 and haven't received a penny back as there's always some excuse. I now work 2 hours away but he's still there. They're meant to be Christians but never again.
Muzzer79 said:
I had a note through my letterbox from a neighbour up the road, whom I had never even set eyes on, let alone spoken to - asking to borrow my pressure washer to clean her car.
As if!
That takes the biscuit. If you'd said yes she'd have probably asked you to clean the car for her! As if!
I won't comment about the lending people money ... I was quite a prolific poster about those previous exploits/lessons learned
For tools I dont lend and I dont borrow - ill buy
A neighbour of ours lent another neighbour their 'good' wheelbarrow when they moved in ... theyve been asking for it back regularly ... this is approaching 2.5yrs ago now(!)
For tools I dont lend and I dont borrow - ill buy
A neighbour of ours lent another neighbour their 'good' wheelbarrow when they moved in ... theyve been asking for it back regularly ... this is approaching 2.5yrs ago now(!)
The five stages of borrowing tools -Youtube humour
Borrowing a tool > Don't own one themselves >Likely they have never used one > Likely to damage or abuse it > Don't lend.
Are they someone who would willingly pay for a new one if they were to damage it in any way? > No > Don't lend.
If it is a shortish job, and it is someone whom it is worth keeping on good terms with e.g. close neighbour/friend, the best bet is to do the part of the job that needs the tool for them.
Borrowing a tool > Don't own one themselves >Likely they have never used one > Likely to damage or abuse it > Don't lend.
Are they someone who would willingly pay for a new one if they were to damage it in any way? > No > Don't lend.
If it is a shortish job, and it is someone whom it is worth keeping on good terms with e.g. close neighbour/friend, the best bet is to do the part of the job that needs the tool for them.
Just lent the brother my HTC Vive as our house is just too small and it's mainly a dust gatherer rather than some fun-gaming-gimmick so i thought his bigger house would make better use of it.
My main worry was him breaking it, but seeing how sick it can make him feel sometimes, theres more chance of it breaking him that the reverse.
ETA: xcesx has it right, trustworthy friends "Borrowing" Things is the best form of self-storage going.
My main worry was him breaking it, but seeing how sick it can make him feel sometimes, theres more chance of it breaking him that the reverse.
ETA: xcesx has it right, trustworthy friends "Borrowing" Things is the best form of self-storage going.
Edited by MrBrightSi on Friday 30th April 13:16
I do lend stuff to people, mostly tools as I've gone overboard, on this basis:
They know how to use it
They'll look after it
If they break it they'll buy me a new one no questions asked (rough cost mentioned)
It won't leave me in the lurch if I need it
It's not brand new and unused
The most important criteria though is do they have anything I might want to lend off them, or a capability I don't (like a welder and ability to weld).
I have a tab on my to do list spreadsheet where everything gets noted though, but they don't know that. Useful if you're like me and will forget everything (including what little welding job I had in mind to call in), and funny when a year later you say "can I have my M8 tap back" out of the blue.
I've also given old tools to people so they're effectively in my pocket
They know how to use it
They'll look after it
If they break it they'll buy me a new one no questions asked (rough cost mentioned)
It won't leave me in the lurch if I need it
It's not brand new and unused
The most important criteria though is do they have anything I might want to lend off them, or a capability I don't (like a welder and ability to weld).
I have a tab on my to do list spreadsheet where everything gets noted though, but they don't know that. Useful if you're like me and will forget everything (including what little welding job I had in mind to call in), and funny when a year later you say "can I have my M8 tap back" out of the blue.
I've also given old tools to people so they're effectively in my pocket
Muzzer79 said:
I had a note through my letterbox from a neighbour up the road, whom I had never even set eyes on, let alone spoken to - asking to borrow my pressure washer to clean her car.
As if!
Read between the lines man, at least do a recon mission.As if!
Very few people I will lend to or borrow from. Very few. They know that if I’m not happy about something I won’t hesitate to tell them and they are the same, we are all close mates and all have a wide and varied selection of machinery and tools so it works well. Same if we do any payable work for each other, don’t bother with exchanging money as we all have useful skills so we just help each other out. You have to be fairly relaxed about it though as it would be easy to resent the little things if you let it. Outside of that circle I don’t lend or borrow after some proper fall outs when I’ve had the cheek to request my money/stuff back after the agreed date!
I had a bloke turn up asking to borrow my brian james car trailer,
didnt know him from Adam, he said John in the village said you had one, turned him away,
an hour later John turns up asking for the trailer,
sent him away with a flea in his ear.
he still hasnt returned the strimmer he took while I was out, having told my wife it was agreed,
a "mate" borrowed my plasma cutter and left it out overnight in the rain, its never been right since.
didnt know him from Adam, he said John in the village said you had one, turned him away,
an hour later John turns up asking for the trailer,
sent him away with a flea in his ear.
he still hasnt returned the strimmer he took while I was out, having told my wife it was agreed,
a "mate" borrowed my plasma cutter and left it out overnight in the rain, its never been right since.
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