There is a phrase that I vaguely remember from my childhood days which goes something like 'Don't sit at the table of a greedy/stingy person' - this is an ideology that I live by.
Last September I went to the freshers ball at my university, and only had my cash card at hand. Consequently I ended up borrowing less than £10 from one of my, then housemates, to buy drinks and light snacks etc.
All in all, the freshers ball was a decent night. We went back to our uni halls, and went to sleep - as you do. I was then woken up at around 9am by my housemate, who I had borrowed money from, demanding that £10 back. Now I can understand if it has been a few days since he has lent me the money, but, no, I hadn't even had a chance to go to the bank and take out the money to repay him. Did he honestly think that I would try to avoid paying back a measeley £10?? Ofcourse, I went to my lectures and made sure I returned with the money, as was the intended plan.
However, when I am back home in London I find that my friends and I easily lend each other £10, for example, one person might pay for the cinema ticket for another friend for no apparent reason. Or another friend my buy a drink for another, for no apparent reason. It seems really easy to lend someone money, and it isn't a crime if we do not pay this money back - because on another occasion we will probably end up paying for something for he friend (who lent us money) and that essentially wipes out the 'debt'.
Anyway, I owe someone £123, and her mum phoned my house asking when I will be available to deliver her daughter the money. I said thursday a 10am. There were two main reasons why I didn't want to and still don't want to pay back the money:
1. I don't think the 'friend' who I will name Starvy, deserves the money.
a. She left me to sleep at a bus station in North America, instead of coming to pick me up from the station like a good friend would.
b. After conversing with (ex)-drug dealers at the bus station, freezing my butt off sleeping on the metal chairs, and trying to stay awake to protect my laptop and passport while tired from travelling from London-North America for more than 24 hours, jet-laggd et al, I decided to take a taxi from the bus shelter to my friends address.
c. My bank cards were declined, and I didn't have enough money to phone her, since I spent my last amount of money paying for internet access to communicate with her, while in New Jersey. So, I took a taxi, and she ended up having to pay for it.
2. I just don't have the money. I'm a student. My overdraft has been used up. My student credit card limit has been reached. Cheques have been bounced. I already paid over £500 for my ticket to North America plus £200 for spending money, and I cannot afford to pay the bitch back.
I lend money to people and never expect, let alone ask them to pay me back.
The moral of the story is don't borrow money from anyone, especially friends, because the likelihood is that you will end up no longer being friends.
