Neighbors that borrow stuff.

[Fred Wright]

Good for you, knowing how and when to say "No". Remember the old saying ~ No one can take advantage of you without your permission.

People who constantly borrow from and use others, there's a reason why they don't have anything. It's because they don't care about anything - or anyone. It's worse than stupidity... it's plain arrogance.

You're lucky they're just neighbors. When I was married, her relatives and friends had streets named after them ~ One Way. They all expected me to help them and do for them when they wanted something. When I needed help, they were nowhere to be found. It happened every time. I had to fix their stuff and mine too.

They were all the time borrowing my engine crane. When they wanted it they'd come and get it. When they were done with it I had to come and get it. No matter how many times I asked 'em to cover it with a tarp or put it in the garage, they'd leave it set out in the weather anyhow.

They were taking advantage and I was letting 'em. I finally drew the line and said no more of this nonsense. They made me out the bad guy but at least they left me alone after that.

 

[Davej_07]

My neighbor used to own a skidsteer. I would occasionally(1-2 times a summer) ask to rent it for an hour or two so I could move some dirt, rock, etc. Id offer to pay him the going rate for rental, but he'd usually just tell me "25 bucks and your gas usage.". I had a good thing going there.
They bought an insert for their fireplace last winter and of course they had NO idea where they were going to get firewood from. His wife caught me in the yard one day and asked if they could take firewood as they needed it. Of course I told her no, but I would try and find someone who could sell them seasoned wood. She got pissy with me, saying that for as often as her husband let me use his machine that I should just let them take my firewood. Lady, it doesn't work that way in my world.
Good fences make good neighbors......

 

[ttyR2]

It took years, but my take is I don't do things for people if I'm going to resent the job or them afterwards. I'm a server engineer by trade, and folks seem to think I loooooove working on computer problems 24/7 and think nothing of asking me to clean up their malware problems on their personal computers. I loathe doing that sort of work....so for a while I said $50/hour and if they really were that desperate, I'd take the job. After about a year, I stopped doing that as well.

On the other hand, I love machining and if a friend has an interesting machining/fabrication project to do, I tend to be more accommodating. But even at that....it's my time and happiness. Why would I put myself in the position to resent someone? It's far easier to just say no. Family doesn't get special treatment there either because they can be the worst offenders by far.

 

[Zale]

When you climb for a living its funny how many of my friends had just "one" limb they needed to get cut. I learned to say no a long time ago. Dad gets free work but no one else.

 

[Locoweed]

I used to do a lot of free computer work for friends. When I said that I would still do the work, but they would have to bring it to me, the requests went to virtually zero.

 

[jasult]

several of my neighbors for over 20 years now watch me truck in my split wood I store at work place. They all asked about firewood many times and i gave them same answer. If you donate a days work splitting I will bring home a load of seasoned wood. No one has helped and no one has received any wood

 

[rarefish383]

When people ask to borrow stuff I say "Nope, can't borrow my tools. You can borrow me, and I'll bring my tolls".

 

[flotek]

just say no. My good friendly neighbor wore out his welcome when after years of my doing his repairs on truck for free and fixing things on his house he offered me a box ticket for major league base ball game for 250.00 after some other friend of his backed out and he needed a fill in

Ouch !That's a shot below the belt

 

[460magman]

i will help out with my tools but i do not let people use my stuff

 

[cantoo]

Don't let me get too long winded.
I own 3 fridge moving carts, a nephew asked to borrow one last weekend, they are all gone and I have no idea who has them.
I own 20 different trailers, currently 3 of them are out on "loan".
I've owned a power snake for 8 years, I've only used it once and I had to go get it from a buddy who just kept it at his place cause he had to come to my place to get it too often.
I used to own a cube van for our lawn business, at least once a month I had to empty it out so some loser could borrow it to move, I would leave it full of fuel and it always came back empty or as close to empty as they could get it. "Fuel is a write off for you anyway".
I have 3 Husky chainsaws for loaners, 2 are now broken and my 260 is sitting by the shop door waiting for some buddy of my son's who has a tree he needs cut up right away. It's been sitting there for 2 weeks now.
I've drywalled, mudded, painted, wired, shingled, renovated and spent hours and hours on neighbours houses and shops.
And on and on.
Last 2 times I moved I did it by myself. Renovated my own house by myself. Built tons of equipment by myself. People wonder why I never go anywhere or do anything, it's because some azzhole will want to me to do something for them.
And I refuse to borrow anything off anybody. And I never hire anybody to do anything either, If I can't do it then I google it until I can figure it out. Then I buy or build the tools I need to do the work.
My wife is like me, we like to help people especially family but usually they sit on their azzes while we do the work. Every wedding, every whatever we get honourable mention because we always end up doing more than our share.
My neighbours all love me and I hate them and ever year I hate them more and more. I've learned to park my truck behind my shop. I leave early in the morning. I use my call display. I avoid going anywhere where I might see my neighbours.
I have a huge house (used to be a retirement home) and I converted part of it into a shop. All that means is every family celebration is at my house, we spend days and weeks getting stuff ready. I dread going on Facebook because another relative has planned Christmas, thanks giving or whatever and the location is yup, my house. I'm usually the last one to know.
Now you know why I spend so much time in the bush.

 

[unclemoustache]

I'm very blessed to have such good neighbors. In fact, in the houses around me, I've had 7 neighbors die in the past several years. New ones are almost as nice as the old ones.

Got a good buddy I rent some shop space to at a big discout (I could probably get double). But he's helped me time and again with all kinds of stuff - doing work for free, fixing appliances, etc. Hardly ever charges me. I have to force him to take money. We've gotten jobs for each other, and hired each other a lot. He's a blast to work with, and we seem to be in a competition to see who can help the other out more.

Man, I love my great neighbors!

 

[cantoo]

Hey unc, wanna share any onfo on how the neighbours died? I could use some neighbours like that.

 

[MechanicMatt]

As a mechanic who still works you can't imagine how many favors I get sucked into doing. I'm not bragging but Ive got a mechanical mind can fix most thisngs that I can take apart, and own most tools made. My freakin mother in-law who I ALWAYS fix all her crap was pissed that on thanksgiving day I didn't cut my yearly "thanksgiving morning hunt" short to go fix her furnace. Damn that pissed me off like no other............I've done more for that lady then anybody else and she had the nerve to by angry with me, typing this and thinimg about it, its my own fault....think about it for the last 12 years she has Matt the repair man at her finger tips, I mean who is he to say NO to her?!?!?

 

[unclemoustache]

Hey unc, wanna share any onfo on how the neighbours died? I could use some neighbours like that.

Let's see
Mr. Hagist was about 184 years old, and a heavy smoker. He was a crusty old curmudgeon who I loved to spend time with. He'd sit outside in a lawnchair on nice days, and if I had time I'd go over and chat with him for a bit.

Mr Klingel was the same age as Mr. Hagist, and had the same birthdate as myself - Aug 17. He was in very good health, but he managed to fall and break his hip, and that eventually took him out.
Mrs. Klingel was always in poor health, and she also fell and broke her hip, but she went much quicker a few months ago.

Mr. Harter had some kind of disease - Lou Gerhig's or something like that. Fell asleep in his armchair and died peacefully. He was in his 50's.

Mr. Cat-Lady's-Husband lived in a cat-poop-filled house for many years. I don't know how he lasted as long as he did living among all that filth.

Mr. New-guy-on-the-block bought the house next door and died of a heart attack before he could move in. Kids allowed the bank to repo it, and it's been sitting vacant with the lights on for the last 3 years. I'd love to buy it.

Mrs. Postel was an old spinster who had a nasty bout with cancer. They had to remove some of her jaw, and she did all right for several years until she had a relapse and it took her pretty quick.

Mr. Big-Guy died of cancer. Never talked with him much.

Mrs. Jenner was taken out by cancer - she was in her upper 70s. Her husband now lives in Mr. Hagist's house.

There's more information than you wanted to know.



The helpful information is below. Names have been changed to protect the guilty.

Mr. Brainless-deadbeat died from a self-inflicted firebomb when a piece of stolen firewood suddenly and mysteriously exploded in his single-wide.

Mr. Mooch-a-smoke was a victim of a random drive-by shooting. Apparently the local mob (which consists of a couple rednecks who drink too much) accidentally loaned Mr. Mooch-a-smoke a little too much money, and then had the crazy idea that he would pay it back.

Mr. Keepitall died when one of the many tools he borrowed suddenly went berserk and tore him to pieces. He was found in his garage underneath his neighbor's front-tine tiller. No fingerprints were found - it's as if they were all somehow wiped away.

Mr. Mailman-wannabe was found in the ditch near a mailbox. Apparently he had been stealing mail from people's boxes for many months (his room in his parents house was full of mail) and he apparently died of asphyxiation. Looked like an arm was wrapped around his neck for a period of time.

Mr. Notmyrelative committed suicide by jumping off a high bridge after he borrowed his brother-in-law's chainsaw and tried to dig out a stump with it.

 

[cantoo]

Yup, that's the stuff I need to happen to them.

 

[shootingarts]

Took me a long time to learn to say no to favors I didn't want to do. Not put the people off awhile, make excuses, even give reasons. Simply say no. When asked why not I either answer I don't loan that or I don't want to do whatever they want done. The more favors you do for the moochers the more they expect. You would think it would be the other way around, that these people would be the ones owing you favors. Not the way it works in their mind. You have done all of this, you should be willing to do more, and more, and more, and ever more!

I have had a lot of good friends and neighbors in my life. I don't have many local friends anymore after a move but I have great neighbors. One reason is that I have time for them after putting the moochers out of my life. Friends in need, they were only friends when they were in need and thought they would get what they needed or wanted from me!

Getting rid of the users makes life much more pleasant and leaves much more time for the important things even if the most important thing at the moment is kicking back and watching the clouds go by.

Hu

 

[Deleted member 83629]

i don't have neighbors lucky me

 

[No Regerts]

My wife volunteers me to work on her friends' houses. This one lady had about 25 cats in the house nobody mentioned. I hate cats and let them all out while I replaced all her cabinet hinges. I was pounding a Mountain Dew outside and a Chicken Hawk swooped in and snagged one of the kittens. And six of the other smelly cats ran off. My bad. I didn't know.

 

[square1]

Any of you can borrow my lawn mower any time you want, just don't take it out of my yard

 

[olyman]

I'm very blessed to have such good neighbors. In fact, in the houses around me, I've had 7 neighbors die in the past several years. New ones are almost as nice as the old ones.

Got a good buddy I rent some shop space to at a big discout (I could probably get double). But he's helped me time and again with all kinds of stuff - doing work for free, fixing appliances, etc. Hardly ever charges me. I have to force him to take money. We've gotten jobs for each other, and hired each other a lot. He's a blast to work with, and we seem to be in a competition to see who can help the other out more.

Man, I love my great neighbors!

good buddys like that,, are one in a million,, very rare...and very appreiciated.