Things you lend out and never see again....

soda try writing ‘stolen from sodapop’ on the fly leaves of books.?

I appeared to own the only decent step ladder and one fellow borrowed it so frequently I decided to get rid of it elsewhere- I was never going to use it and he was not the only one and the last lot lent it to another neighbour so in the end I went and picked it up.

Books, vinyl records and cassette tapes in those days.

I lent my cat basket to neighbours and they lost part of the door and cobbled it together but it was not safe.

A friend kept borrowing my car- he is insured to run it but it must have run on water because until I mentioned it he never put a litre in the car or paid me a penny.

I am always very wary when my daughter asks to borrow anything as it never comes back.
I lent her my boxed set of Game of thrones (series 1 to 7) and her boyfriend 'lost' one of the discs. The whole series is now spoilt for me as there are several episodes on each disc.

My Karcher washer is currently residing in her kitchen, I've asked for it back several times with no joy. I am just waiting for her to say the boyfriend has lent it to someone else or broken it - I will be absolutely livid.

I sometimes hide books or DVDs when family are visiting because they like to browse through mine. A year or two ago DS borrowed a DVD still in cellophane wrapper that we were saving to watch on a rainy day. A month or two later I asked for it back but he had loaned it to his boss and didn't want to ask him for it back.
GC ask if they can take DVDs home and that doesn't bother me, they actually bring them back whem they are bored with them. They could teach the adults a thing or two.

When my DD was a teenager, she went for a picnic with her friend. They took our cool box. When she came back she said she had left the cool box at her friend's house. Over the next few months I kept asking her to get it back. Eventually she got it back. A few weeks later her friend's dad called at our house and asked for HIS cool box back. Do you know what? Rather than argue, I gave it to him. What and idiot I was.

I think the reason for some people not returning stuff is Cos they have BROKE it........Tut!

I have quite a lot of DVDs so they are the things I mostly lend out. I'm trying to write down who has it and the date otherwise I forget and end up wondering where it is. Three missing at the moment including 'Billy Budd' with a very young Terence Stamp. Didn't write down who borrowed those three though!

gillybob it was not bunting but yes a type of bun tin. a bunt tin, otherwise known as a ring cake tin. Great for making fancy cakes with a centre you can fill with fruit.

Not well known then so may have been worth 2 pints of beer when he sold it . . .

Maybelle, if it was one of these, you are severely out of pocket
The gold one on the right, was £49.00.
Out of stock in John Lewis

I once lent the most beautiful snowsuit my DH had brought from the US for our daughter to a friend and she washed it and shrank it. I was so sad.

Oh yes and DS used to be very good at asking to borrow money - I did once get some back

That made me chuckle lemongrove I'll definitely start doing that. ?

A friend admired a top I was wearing and asked to borrow it. She did return it but with a very noticeable cigarette burn.

A neighbour asked if she could borrow my brand new vax as her hoover was broken. She then used it to clear up after her builders and didn’t even bother to empty out all the rubble.

I did lend out a stunning silk dress to a neighbours daughter to wear to a wedding .I think it cost me in the region of £275 .She wore it and had loads of compliments so she asked me or rather she got her mother to ask me if she could keep it....she didn't offer to pay for it ..just to keep it.I was so taken aback I just said yes.My husband called me all sorts of fools as he liked me in the dress too.

Oh paddyann that sounds like something I would do. When I was planning my (very small) wedding in 1969, I was 19, very shy and easily impressed by other people. A woman at work asked me if I'd like to buy her wedding dress. It was horrible but I didn't like to say no. I bought it but didn't wear it.

All these things sound so familiar. Never a borrower or lender be, my mother warned me and never lend anything you aren't prepared to lose.

The ones which still sometimes gripe are:
My Dsister borrowing my miniskirt and bringing it back 6 inches shorter. She's shorter than me and had cut it!! Another time she "borrowed" my Beatles albums and returned them with the wrong record inside. Apology? Huh!
I have forgiven her.
Mind you I'm a bit guilty. I borrowed a friend's lawnmower recently when ours was being repaired and someone, not me ofcourse, drove over the flex. I bought her a new one.

One DS borrowed his brother's lovely rucksack to take on his travels. He brought it back filthy, damaged and personalised with ink and paint and burn holes.

A very special long evening dress - in the days when we wore such things. Well, I did get it back, but with a red wine stain all down the front. It was ruined.

Lots of books.

That's awful about the dress paddyann!!

But I am quite sure you looked lovely in your other dresses too and still do!

we belonged to a local exchange trading group - a popular idea for pooling resources back in the 1980s except that most of the offers were not what you needed.
I offered to loan my car.
Whoops!

I did it exactly twice. The first person was immensely grateful and returned it clean and full of petrol.

The next person returned it with spilled paint on the back seat. She was a teacher who had needed to clear her classroom at the end of term. I guess I wouldn't have been so annoyed had she admitted it but she lied and said it had been like that. Ex friend

Books. Several people have said this. A good idea is to put you name and telephone number in the front.

Some of these stories are truly shocking. Are people really that horrid? I don't think I have lent anything significant like a best frock or anything, at least I can't remember doing so!

drill, rechargeable screwdriver, hedgeclippers, strimmer x 2, lawnmower, lent to daughter/partner, items never came back or they were broken. Also lent daughter a beautiful crystal vase, it was one of a pair I bought myself when I got married, I had to go and get that back, she wasn't keeping hold of that.

I’m always recognising my stuff when staying with both my daughter in Laws. If I’m bothered or need it I say “ this is mine I’m taking it back” but most of the time I keep stum and let them keep it. My husband doesn’t feel the same about his tools. He expects them back in pristine condition and heaven help the borrower if he see what ever tool it is rusting out in the open. A tirade of”Ive had that for over 40 years you’ve had it for five minutes etc etc” I’m nicer than him

My Karcher washer is currently residing in her kitchen, I've asked for it back several times with no joy. I am just waiting for her to say the boyfriend has lent it to someone else or broken it - I will be absolutely livid.

Magpie if it were me I wouldn't keep asking, I would go round and collect it. And if she asks to borrow it again, just say sorry but you've lent it to a friend

Friend always photographs on his phone, the borrowed item being held by the person who borrowed it. He is in IT and lends out a lot of stuff. He reckons this way he has a record of who has what, with proof. Also that knowing there is a record means that people are more likely to return items.

paddyann

Really surprised you weakly agreed that your friend’s daughter could keep your lovely dress.
You seem very forthright on GN, would have expected you to give her very short shrift!