I developed my own personal mooch-test for my friends. I felt I needed this 'system' when one day I opened my eyes and realized every single friend I had was a mooch... without exception. I had doubts about my judge of character (and still do)... and I knew at some level I was as much to blame for allowing the behavior to continue. So, I would have felt too guilty to just kick all of them out of my life immediately. Therefore, I decided to test them. I would give each friend a chance to repay me for all they had borrowed. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't simply about money; it was the whole concept of give-and-take these people had somehow conveniently been forgotten. I could do ten favors everyday for them... but the test... the test would be if I could get just one favor out them when I needed it. So, I turned the tables... started asking for a ride everywhere, asked to borrow clothing or other personal items, bummed cigarettes, requested small loans, hinted I needed help moving, begged for them to do my schoolwork, made comments such as "let's have the party at your place, this time," forgot my purse at a bar, gas station, restaurant, etc... all things I had NEVER done before (or since). Everyone had plenty of opportunity to return years worth of favors. Amazingly, everyone scored exactly the same on my little mooch test: ZERO. I could then systematically remove each bum from my life, without any regrets... and have a bigger bankroll to show for it.
I think I was confused; thought that having a huge group of friends made me cool or something. Truth is I could be worlds happier with only one or two real friends. I think I have always been guilty of giving too much. I just had to realize I should strive to have friends with the same quality.
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