Things you lend out and never see again....

Years ago, I lent my neighbour my spare keys so he could use my washing machine whilst I was at work, his had broken and it would take a few days to fix. He returned the keys, but, unknown to me, he had made a copy of them and continued to use my machine and tumble dryer for months. I came home unexpectedly one day, found him sitting relaxing with a brandy (my bottle), listening to my CD on my player, waiting for his drying to tumble dry!!!!
Although I was furious and shocked, threw him out, took my new keys off him, but, I felt so sorry for him as he didn’t have much, and financially he was struggling. He confessed everything and was so sorry for what he did too.

After a lifetime of 'lends' that turned out to be gifts, when small DGS requested the loan of a book we enjoy at my house, to read with his parents, we had a discussion about borrowing. The need to keep track of something you have borrowed, and look after it. The need to return it.

That was a couple of years ago, now. Occasionally I have to remind him, but he is usually very careful to return things promptly. As he says very solemnly when he hands them back to me, if he doesn't return them, he might not be able to ask to borrow things in future.

So he gets lots of loans from Grandma.

Ericabro

I suppose you say as another poster said “I’m sorry, no, I don’t want to lend it”. If you lose their friendship, tough. Why don’t they just buy their own as you have done?
I think people would soon stop asking if you politely refuse to comply.

Give ? yes, sell ?yes , lend ? NO.

I lent my partner to my friend to help out with a few DIY jobs. Wanted him out of my hair for a while and was thinking how to give him the old heave ho.... She still has him

I think it’s hilarious as he’s absolutely hopeless at DIY and her house is probably bodged and patched up now...

She’s welcome to keep him. I don’t want him back hahaha...

I’m happier and my house has never looked better.

Cheers love, you did me a huge favour

Calendar girl I tend to think Stuff is just stuff and I was good friends with the mother and often handed things over to her ,an evening dress for a cruise for example so she would have expected me to say yes.Usually I offered which was different and sometimes the things came back My mother used to say if there was something you needed and I had it just ask as I'd give you the shirt off my back .It was and still is very true

This was the same family who asked me to make a wedding cake ..4 tier rich fruit cake and told me they had chucked what was left after the wedding in the bin!! Now that did nreak my heart ,any sheltered housing in the area would have happily taken it for tea times

Oh Paddyann I would struggle to remain friends with them. They sound to be proper users.

Mine was a telephone!!! We had one downstairs and one upstairs. My neighbour came in every morning to use my phone to phone someone. I got fed up of it so unplugged the phone upstairs and gave it to her to take home until she'd replaced hers. Never saw it again ?

Neighbour borrowed a power drill and returned it saying it was broken and had been when he he got it...nope, I'd seen him using it!

Without asking, my (now-ex) husband lent my pride-and-joy knitting machine (that I'd only been able to afford because of a tax rebate) to one of the mums at son's football. And he hardly ever went to son's football! Anyway, she never mentioned it to me, and I never saw it again.

I was nine and was given a lovely silver bracelet as a gift when I was a bridesmaid to my eldest sis. I treasured it, it was the nicest thing I had ever owed. A few years later when I was about 17 this girl pretended to be my friend and wheedled her way into my life, (my Mum never liked her) she saw the bracelet on my dressing table and asked if she could borrow it to go to a party. Of course dopey me 'lent' it to her, when I asked for it back she said she had lost it. I still think about it.

When I was a teenager my married sister borrowed my red winter coat. At that time she lived opposite the single men's accommodation of the local police station. (She was always getting wolf whistles off these men when she walked down the street or got into her car.) The weather turned cold and I went to her house and asked for my coat back. she said 'Oh all those blokes think that it is my coat now so you will have to walk down the back lane to catch the bus! Stupidly I did but like I said I was only young.

Books (complete with name & phone number), some expensive posh clothing & accessories to a SiL who was going on a very expensive overseas tour, I didn't have a lot but had saved up for them to wear at hubby's annual dinner dance - she 'lost' or damaged beyond use, the lot. Was very offhand about it and I didn't even get an offer of recompense! We've had suitcases returned damaged too. I've also had another SiL borrow items, been asked to deliver them (hours drive away), then been regalled with all their perceived shortcomings, haven't I got one that's a bit more this or that (no, I'm not a shop!) - then there's the pained expression and "I suppose it'll have to do". I've lost patience now and 'dont have' requested items any more. On the plus side I lent my DD some wraps etc for her hols and received items back plus a lovely bottle of wine as a thank you. (Although I don't lend her any earrings I'm not happy to say cheerio to and it is a standing joke between us)

Gabrielle And Please Remember to read your thread over on pedants corner!!!!

Oops Pedants' Corner.

I lent my guitar teacher my guitar book. Also lent him my prized book "Voyage of the Beagle" by Charles Darwin, which I had not even finished. When I asked for the books to be returned he swore blind he had never had them. His wife looked and claimed I must be mistaken as she couldn't find them. He was shortly after diagnosed with Alzheimers.

My late mama used to take books from me and give them to all and sundry sayings that a) I had read them and b) X, Y or Z hadn’t! Never saw any of them again despite having sticker in very obvious place with name, address and phone no.. Soon learned NEVER to lend anything to DM and siblings who had same cavalier attitude to possessions, on pretext that I was “just about “to use/read/need item in question.

I went to my DD's flat and in her bookcase were loads of my books. I did find it very funny especially when she said that I would be leaving them to her when I was dead lol

I've stopped counting or keeping note of things loaned to our children, GC or their spouses. Once loaned it becomes theirs as right it seems

I once lent my father-in-law my pressure washer for him to clean his patio. His neighbour was so impressed that he lent it to him. The neighbour managed to break it (he was very heavy-handed) and gave it back to my father-in-law saying it was no good!

abshame I dont have a problem if its my kids that keep them ,it clears some of my shelf space .
Calendar girl I haven't been friends with them for a few years now,nothing to do with lending them things though .They turned out to be very nasty pieces of work

I had a book, a biography of Colette that is out of print. I loaned it to a friend whom I promptly lost touch with. 30 years later said friend contacted me through Facebook and returned my much loved book!

I used to belong to a book club many years ago. One friend in particular would always ask to borrow the books once I finished reading them, often asking if I had nearly finished whatever book I was then reading. I started to get fed up with this as a couple of the books hadn't been returned, when I asked for them back she had the cheek to say what's the rush....you've already read them. When I suggested she join the book club too so that she could buy different books for me to share from her it went down like a lead balloon. I never lent any books out after that and still don't.
Quite a few years previous to that when my eldest was just a baby I made friends with another mum at the local baby clinic during the weekly weigh ins. She lived at the other end of the road to me, and we used to regularly have coffee with each other at each others flats. The kitchen food cupboards had glass sliding doors so you could see what was inside. After most of her visits to mine just before leaving she would say, oh I've just remembered can you lend me (whatever had caught her eye) I've ran out and will give it back next time I go shopping. Never did but somehow it didn't bother me as I did"nt begrudge a bit of food.

i never lend now. except to maybe a neighbour .then i write down what it is and when. but i dont usually lend ,as neighbour borrowed my heat gun and return it .it doesnt work she said after 3 months use. well it was working when i gave it to you..well its not now and thrust it back at me. since then i lend nothing.!! pardon me for saying why do you need a calculater in maths. surely you do it in your head or write it down on paper...must be getting old .lol

moggie I always intended getting a 'lending' book to keep track of everything I loaned (and often did not get back). It's easy to forget what you loaned to who!

I saw a funny message recently -
If your parents have something you need in their house, then it's fair game - that just about sums up my family!