Don't lend your tools!

Whenever you buy yourself a nice new tool, keep the old one for lending-out ...

never a lender or borrower be .....

I know people who lend you broken s*it, claim it was good 'when they gave it to you' and then get the hump when you dont repair or replace it.

Wise advice from one in receipt of food parcels...

It's a fine line between helping a friend, and then losing the friend, rather than keeping the said friend by not lending anything in the first place.

?Neither a borrower nor a lender be; / For loan oft loses both itself and friend.?

It's not quite so unclear when "friend" is in trade and wants to use the tool you bought with your money to do a job that they've undercut you on.

As one "friend" once did - well tried - with my Dad.

Even if it's totally f***ed.

Bill

Clearly Jim's free food parcels have really got up your nose. Did one of your neighbours dob you in to the Council ? What with the Porsche parked outside your front door etc.

michael adams

...

Its not Mr Magoo is it? If so lucky he still has both hands. Brian

I learned this lesson when younger, nobody looks after your stuff like you do. Think about it, most of us make mistakes as we get used to the dos and don'ts of tools, so if the person needs a tool expect them not to be an expert and to probably break it. Chipped blades of a plane due to not looking for embedded nails was my first lesson in lending out a tool. Then came the broken drills, then the many broken hacksaw blades and the blunt warped tenon saw. Brian

I had a brother-in-law who borrowed a spade every year to dig his garden. He also used to drive a 50 mile round trip to borrow my mower ( Company car, company petrol) and borrowed a little overnight bag so often when I needed it I had to borrow it back. When I eventually refused he took the hump.

I do not believe in borrowing tools unless its a definite one off job.If I find I need it a second time I go out and buy it

I'd rather hire than borrow.

It makes selfishness a virtue. Not just tools; books are notorious as items not returned even by otherwise honest people who would return a monetary advance.

Unfortunately it's best just to hang onto things even if you know you won't need them for a long time.

If I think I won't want something ever I just give it to a charity shop. Job done.

Food parcels were fine before the supermarkets got deliveries ramped up for those who were isolating. And of course for those in poverty.

Which do you think Jim fits into?

I take it you are still getting them too, since you appear to be defending him?

Haha YES!

Recently I bought a pack of varying size drill bits.

My sister was laying some loft boards (fair play to her). I lent her a driver (she's still got it) and the pack of as yet unused bits suggesting a pilot hole before the screw.

I wonder if she's finished with them I mooted to the missus, apparently she's broken most of them!

It would be easier and cheaper just stepping in and doing the job sometimes wouldn't it?

From the tenor of your post it sounds as if you actually mean it.

Which is the icing on the cake, really.

I assumed this might be something is which particular to Scotland - that possibly all OAP's qualified regardless; which would be particularly ironic in your case; although obviously this is then undermined somewhat by the Porsche comment. Which was for the benefit of readers who missed the "birthright" allusion.

I'm not defending him at all; in fact he's the subject of a policy decision on my part; but I do enjoy seeing him winding people up.

And no I've never recieved any free parcels at all; unlike a lot of numpties I combine food shopping with a rucksack in the early morning with excercise; rather than jogging around a park in a tracksuit and then moaning about not being able to find a parking space in the afternoon.

As it is I can't even get the Bastards of Barclaycard to extend my credit limit by £250. That's right two hundred and fifty pounds, to pay off a couple of extra bills over the phone.

And you can spare me the lecture. As did Samuel Pepys, I actually take pleasure in paying off bills in person.

michael adams

...

I wanted to put some holes for mains cable through a nine-inch brick wall many years ago. One of my colleagues came over and drilled them for me.

I understood where he was coming from!

Andy

For those of us who remember back to March, the food parcels were primarily for those with special medical susceptibility who were asked to shield, i.e. not go out at all even for food. Jim is one of those people. I have no idea about anyone else. Those who could get commercial deliveries (which was very hard at the time) could cancel the parcels.