Friends that over borrow their welcome

[johnr]

I am one to help a guy out when they need it, however. When someone uses your stuff over and over, how do you draw the line.
I go to use something I own, and sure as crap its borrowed out.
Is their a polite way to let someone know its time to get his own.

Its like Homer Simpson with Ned Flanders stuff.

 

[WormWiggler]

Jeez, I thought the bottle opener was a gift, jackhole













;:;rofl

 

[johnr]

Jeez, I thought the bottle opener was a gift, jackhole









Well it wasn't and I would like it back.



;:;rofl

Well it wasn't and I would like it back

 

[Brian Renville]

I don't really think there is a polite way. You, me, and most of us on here would probably think whatever you do is polite and reasonable however someone who is constantly borrowing someones else's stuff just isn't going to think and feel that it was. I would say the best thing (if possible) is to make them go through you before they borrow it and just say hurry up I need that for something I have going on. Make sure they can't just come over and borrow it themselves, if possible.

 

[WormWiggler]

I think I actually left it in your boat :;:huh

 

[Captain Ahab]

Tell them what they want to borrow broke a few days ago.

 

[svnmag]

Throw something at their penis?...

 

[NDwalleyes]

I am one to help a guy out when they need it, however. When someone uses your stuff over and over, how do you draw the line.
I go to use something I own, and sure as crap its borrowed out.
Is their a polite way to let someone know its time to get his own.

Its like Homer Simpson with Ned Flanders stuff.

Had a similar situation and ended up telling my frequent borrowers that I'm no longer loaning out my tools. I gave them several reasons:
1. It cost me $250 to get a tool repaired
2. It's difficult to keep track of who has what tools.
3. I'm tired of needing to use my tools and the ones I need are in someone else garage.
4. Loaned out tools and never saw them again, not that they were stolen, can't remember who has them and they never returned them.

You just have to change your policy for everyone. Everything is expensive these days...just the way it goes.

 

[raider]

text: "hey bud, i need to borrow my drill... in the middle of something... please have it here in 5 minutes..."

don't reply to anything he sends back, meet him in the driveway to get it, and just say "thanks", turn around and go inside the house...

 

[johnr]

I once was at the lake and needed a vice grip to fix a leaky gas valve on the propane tank, and of course could not find mine in the camper. Rooting around in the pickup yielded no vice grip either. Walk over to my buddies camper let him know I need to borrow a vice grip, he politely hands me one, that just happens to be mine with my name marked on the inside grip...haha
He says whoops guess I forgot to return that..;:;banghead

 

[DirtyMike]

I can't stand having to borrow things from people. When we finally bought a house, my wife was worried I'd run out and buy a bunch of tools that weren't needed. I quickly told her that when a tool is needed, we will purchase it. I'm slowly building a good inventory.

If I do have to borrow anything, it's returned before I get the mess cleaned up.

 

[Brian Renville]

Don't feel too bad I still have a generator missing from the great snowstorm of April 30, 2011.

 

[TVolkZV]

last year i let a friend of mine borrow my auger as he was getting into ice fishing which apparently translated to "feel free to just come by and grab it when you want" after i got all the way to devils and out on the ice and the house lowered and found no auger up in the closet i have not loaned anything out sense. should have checked before i drove off also.

 

[johnr]

Did you make him drive it out to you, makes me mad just reading about it.

 

[Tommyboy]

Whenever I borrow something, I make sure to bring it back in better condition than I received it if possible. And in a timely fashion.
For example; borrow a buddies auger? Bring it back clean and full of fuel. Borrow a buddies string trimmer? Bring it back clean, full of line, and full of fuel. Borrow some cordless tools? Make sure to charge the batteries before returning. I even borrowed a buddies lawn mower and I brought it back with the oil changed, new spark plug, new air filter, cleaned and full of fuel.
By doing this I always know I can borrow things from that person in the future.

 

[WormWiggler]

I will not borrow anything from anyone. Some sort of phobia of being beholden to someone I guess :;:huh. I have two driver bits that I borrowed from my cousin in the 80s, I never returned them, dread ever seeing him again. Insert beer here.

I have the theory that if I borrow your thing-a-ma-jig, I will more than likely damage it, thus you will get a new one and I will have a damaged one to piss me off whenever I need / use it. So buy new and keep forever.

He who dies with the most tools wins. I have a tool fetish.

 

[Lou63]

years ago I borrowed a tractor and sickle mower, I replaced all the broken sickle sections and the rotted out wooden pitman, then had a flat tire.
neighbor said he would pay for the tire since I did all the work on the mower.
The cause of the flat was a lug on the rim broke off and punctured the tube so it was a welding job then tire repair.
the next year he asked if I wanted to use a mower again as he had another sickle mower that need the sickle sections replaced and another rotten pitman lol

 

[PrairieGhost]

I have bad luck loaning things out. Loaned a two wheel trailer and came back with bent axle. Loaned it out again and it came back with both tail lights completely broken off. Loaned out a camera lens and the guy dropped it on the sidewalk while he was thanking me. No one offered to fix anything.
I don't barrow anything from anyone in the hopes they will not ask me. With that said I loaned out a post hole digger, a skill saw, some concrete tools etc all last week. They are back.
If they ask to borrow a gun or bow they will get an earful. No way will I let a gun out of sight. If I did I would sell it when they returned it.

 

[MuskyManiac]

Whenever I borrow something, I make sure to bring it back in better condition than I received it if possible. And in a timely fashion.
For example; borrow a buddies auger? Bring it back clean and full of fuel. Borrow a buddies string trimmer? Bring it back clean, full of line, and full of fuel. Borrow some cordless tools? Make sure to charge the batteries before returning. I even borrowed a buddies lawn mower and I brought it back with the oil changed, new spark plug, new air filter, cleaned and full of fuel.
By doing this I always know I can borrow things from that person in the future.

You sure did, Tommyboy, and that push mower hasn't been run since. Was that 2 years ago? I bet that gas is bad again. :;:cheers

 

[Mort]

Don't have much the problems some of you guys are having, usually I only borrow out to people I know 'very' well or have been friends with for years. Sometimes you gotta stop being the 'nice' guy in the neighborhood and just kindly say someone else ruined it for the rest of you and I don't borrow out anything anymore. Or you just say, you break it, you buy it and say it like you mean it, not joking around.
And if you got something loaned out...keep pestering them to get it back, most people don't like to be reminded and they bring back the day you mention it.