Love More. Live Better. A Southern Couple's Guide to Successful Living

Today, I wanted to talk about a way to save money and get things done at the same time.  We all know that the holidays are fast approaching, and that means family visits, decorations, presents, donations, gelt etc., and that means a lot of money to be spent.  So, what do you do when you realize you need something, and don’t have the cash on hand?  Borrow it!  Just be sure to be responsible when you do it.

First, let me just say that there is NOTHING wrong with borrowing something if you need to.   I think somewhere along the way borrowing things fell out of favor, either because people weren’t responsible when they borrowed from friends or family, or because it became un-cool to borrow something, and so people just went and bought what they needed, even if they only needed it once etc.  This, in my opinion, is silly.  It makes much more financial sense for friends and family to share the things they have that other members of the friends or family might need, in exchange for the same courtesy. 

So, how do you borrow from friends and family without breaking the relationship?  Easy, follow these simple rules:

• Don’t think that borrowing from a friend or family member is something you can do once a week.  People tend to get irritated if you’re at their house borrowing things all the time.  And, if you’re borrowing the same thing every week…face it, you DO NEED to buy it…it is obviously a necessity for you.
• Return what you borrow in the EXACT SAME or BETTER condition that it was in when you took it home.  Nobody wants their stuff back broken.  If you borrow something, and cannot return it in the same condition because you’ve damaged it, then you must replace it.  I don’t care how much it costs, and I don’t care if you’re strapped for cash.  You broke it, you bought it.  If you don’t replace it, you could hurt the relationship between you and the borrowee. 
• If the item you’re borrowing has a consumable (example, a pressure washer, which requires gasoline), you must replace it.  Do not return an item that uses, for example, gasoline, without a full tank.  It’s very thoughtless to do so.
• Know that some things are ridiculous items to borrow.  A pressure washer, a punch bowl and a cup of sugar are all things that make sense to borrow when you need them.  Even a car is ok to borrow, if the friend or family member really trusts you, and you treat the car with extreme care.  A microwave and a T.V. are not items that make sense to borrow.  Do not show up and ask to take some one’s microwave.  If you did that to me, I’d laugh at you!

Basically, use your common sense.  Remember the saying, do unto others as you would have them do unto you?  Well, it applies when borrowing from friends and family.  Borrow when you need something, but be thoughtful while it’s in your care.