Lending money to friends or family, or buying something for them when they promise to pay you back or whatever other circumstance causes another person to be in your debt - what do you do when you don’t get repaid in what you consider to be a reasonable amount of time? And what is a reasonable amount of time?
For my part - when it’s family, I wouldn’t have a problem with asking for repayment after a couple of weeks. That’s assuming it’s something inconsequential, not a loan for an emergency - those fall into another category entirely. Bearing in mind that an emergency involves a severed limb as opposed to needing new strappy sandals and a matching bag…
As for friends, I rarely carry cash, so I’m rarely able to lend. But if we were out to lunch and one asked me to cover his/her share on my plastic, I’d be by their desk on the next payday if the debt was still outstanding. We sold something to a coworker that was fairly expensive, and he gave us a check for part of it, then seemed to forget about the rest, but one email jostled his memory, and we had our cash that day. (something to do with money in different banks - I don’t recall. I just know we got it all in the end.) Or the case of one former coworker who was notoriously CHEAP - I’d have never let him off the hook. Petty? Too bad - he was a jerk.
Some amounts, I’d probably be inclined to forget about, depending upon the person. $10 isn’t going to send me into bankruptcy, but if the borrower is getting fancy coffees every morning instead of paying me back, I’m likely to become insistent. I’m also not likely to lend that person anything ever again.
And I think for me, what’s most irritating is not the money, but the loss of trust. I may be delusional, but I like to think that most folks I deal with are honest and not inclined to use me. When that myth is shattered, it bothers me more than the money. No, really! And I do my doggonest (is too a word) to repay what I owe with all due haste. And I have no problem at all with a friend jostling my memory if I forget, because sometimes I truly do. I don’t want someone pissed off at me because I forgot to toss $5 into the community pizza kitty - just remind me.
So, what are your personal limits when it comes to filthy lucre and your associates?