Do you lend things?

[ioana]

I do not like lending my stuff and I haven't doen it for loooong time. This way I can avoid embarassing moments in case someone loses my stuff or damages them and I get mad :P

[jodi]

I will loan things that I won't need for a while. A friend is expecting her first child anyday now - she's had my maternity clothes for months now (they are so expensive!) because I knew I wouldn't be needing them anytime soon. I just gave her an entire box of baby clothes too, asking that she give them back when her baby outgrows them (we plan to have more kids). There is nothing irreplacable in the box, so if a few things get stained or lost, I won't care. I know most of the items will find their way back to me. I remember how expensive it was to buy maternity and baby clothes.
I would do this for other things, but no one really asks me for anything else! But I would definitely offer if I saw a need somewhere, as long as it was someone I was close to, or I didn't care too much about the item.

[Lemony]

I lend and give freely, but never money.

[kealina]

i'm happy to lend and help but i usually try to follow one of two rules... either 1) it's someone i trust/have a good relationship with/i can just ask for my item back... or 2) it's something that i don't mind losing...
there are very few people in the first category... DH and i do our best to fit into this category... everything we borrow comes back in the best shape we can manage....
one of my teachers in high school used to tell us to "return things the same if not better" and i still try to follow that...
the second category for me is most of my clothes... there are only a few sentimental/irreplaceable things i wouldn't lend out but i'm happy to share the rest... i'll lend out shoes, some jewelry, books, DVD's, videos, etc... most of these things i could do without for several months...
i would hesitate before lending out my purses since i only have a few and i use them all fairly often but would for a special occasion as long as i had them back within a week or two...

[Broken Arrow]

I give and I take, but I have a strict policy of neither lending nor borrowing.

[shelbylovesmelby]

We do lend movies or varous equipment (like a tiller or saws) to good friends & family.

We do not lend $ as I'm always leary of it ever being paid back & I can't afford for it not to be repaid KWIM?

[fairy74]

Never lend money, happy to lend books, clothes, etc.. I don't lend kitchen items (as I get very irritated if these are not returned). I think what other posters have said is correct if you can't lose it don't lend it.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Coincidentally, the biggest loss I've suffered in lending was of an extension ladder. I have not cleaned my gutters or checked the chimney in about six years because I've never replaced the ladder.

I think sometimes people forget who they borrowed things from. It might be a good idea to put your name on items before lending, if that can be done. Ex. "R. Davis. Please return."

[kealina]

Originally Posted by Joan.of.the.Arch

I think sometimes people forget who they borrowed things from. It might be a good idea to put your name on items before lending, if that can be done. Ex. "R. Davis. Please return."

my mom is constantly giving away food to everybody and has always had problems with people returning her tupperware... one of her solutions includes buying lots of extra tupperware/rubbermaid/etc containers at garage sales...

this quote reminded me of a talk we had about a month ago... she marks her containers on the bottom with her name and still has problems with containers never coming back... i told her she should write something new just below her name that would give people that extra goose... i told her to write "please return me" and she started laughing... still, i think it's not a bad idea if you are like my mom and chronically give away food in containers and then have no idea where all your containers are...

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Around here it is customary to return the food container with other food in it. So if I have supper at your house and you send me home with a container of your delicious curry, then in a week or so I will return the container, and it may have in it my famous peanutbutter fudge or homemade noodles.