NEVER LEND MONEY UNLESS YOU ARE PREPARED TO WRITE IT OFF.

The full title should actually be: Never lend money - to a friend or
your children or siblings or even parents - unless you are prepared to
write off either the money or the relationship. There is a lovely
story told, I think, about Oscar Wilde (correct me if I've got the
wrong person) who borrowed a book from a friend and forgot to return
it. His friend turned up and demanded the book back by which time
young Oscar had lost it. His friend asked Oscar if he wasn't
jeopardizing the friendship by not returning the book. Oscar Wilde
merely replied, "Yes. But aren't you also doing the same thing by
demanding it back?" If you lend money - or a book or anything else -
don't do it unless you are prepared for it to be lost, forgotten, not
returned, broken, ignored, whatever. If you are precious about it,
then don't lend it in the first place. If it means a lot to you, keep
it safe. If you do lend anything, including money, then don't expect
to get it back if you value the friendship - or relationship. If you
do get it back then that is a bonus. If you don't, well you were
prepared for that in the first place. Lots of parents make the mistake
of lending money to their children and then getting all hurt and
disappointed when they don't get repaid. But they have spend the
child's entire life giving them money and then as soon as they get a
bit grown up and go away to university or whatever, the parents
suddenly start saying it's a loan and demanding repayment. Of course
isn't going to repay it. They haven't been trained to. It is
unrealistic to expect them to do so. If they do, count your blessing
and be grateful for the bonus. Same with friends. Don't lend them
anything if the non-return is going to matter to you. It is your
choice after all. You don't have to lend anything to anyone. If you
choose to do so, be prepared to write if off or don't do it. Obviously
if the money means more to you than the friendship, then of course
demand it to be repaid - and add interest as well. And the same goes
for siblings or parents (goodness don't ever lend money to them,
they'll never pay it back). So who should you lend money to? Strangers
of course. And they won't pay it back either.