All things TOEFL iBT

#173 It is sometimes said that borrowing money from a friend can harm or damage the friendship. Do you agree? Why or why not? Use reasons and specific examples to explain your answer. 

Comments on: "Independent Writing Task – Borrowing from a friend" (4)

  1. People when cannot afford something or just need some financial help are use to ask money for someone instead of taking from a bank. It’s even worse when this “someone” is a friend. Friendship is a kind of relationship that consists in giving and receiving, but money would make part of that?

    The person who see himself obligated to lend money to a friend most of times think about how he could ask the money back. Is not simple to charge it at all. Some prefer to do so and request the money back using a remembering strategy, what means kindly remember about the return. For those who don’t want to charge thinking about the friendship sometimes never see their money back.

    On the other hand, the person who borrow the money need to be commited with returning the money. For exmple, if someone borrows money and have the responsibility to give it back as soon as possible, this one doesn’t represent a threat for the friendship. If he or she use to forget things and probably will forget to return the money would be better avoid any kind of loans from friends.

    Even if you trust your friend, the best thing to do is stay away from this kind of compromise. Don’t be afraid to say “no”. Money should never stay between friends and both parts need to understand that. Friendship is all about sharing good moments, therefore don’t allow financial matters of being part of it or, instead, bad moments will represent yours friends’ memories album.

  2. Thais Cunha said:

    Borrow money is always a sensitive situation even if it is being done directly from a financial institution. When it involves friendship, in my opinion, it becomes worse. One of the reasons is the sensation that it causes for the one that will land money. It usually seems that the person that is asking for money is not organized enough with the own finances, or is trying to climb above its own heads.
    Another reason I consider as being relevant is the fact that without a formal agreement there is a high risk of not receiving the money back with restrict chances of a formal legal injunction. For example, once a friend of mine asked me for an amount twice bigger than his monthly salary to support him paying some old expenses. For sure I would never like to leave a friend in a bad situation, but I was not confident that he would be able to pay me back, at least in a short period of time.
    In cases like the one I`ve mentioned above the relationship can easily be affected when you start not receiving your money back. Better maintain your friends and borrow money from a bank.

  3. Borrow or lend money is a very delicate situation that needs to be well thought out before any decision is made. If you are borrowing money from someone, you need to rethink about this situation with care. And if you are lending money, you need to rethink until more, because you can never see your money back again.

    In my opinion, is not a good idea to borrow money from a friend, for example. If you really need money you need to think in another ways to get it, maybe doing some extra works, or maybe selling some goods. If this is not possible, you can consider in ask for money on a bank or, in the maximum, ask your parents, sisters, brothers, if you can count with them. And if you are lending money is even worst. First of all, the money can never return to you. Secondly, is a very bad situation starts to charge a friend every time you can. Of course that this is going to shake the friendship.

    Just because of that, I have never borrowed money from a friend, so I never had problems. But, the closest situation to this, that happened to me, was lending money for my boyfriend. I lent a big amount of money for him and he was supposed to pay me the money in ten parts, every day 5 of the followed months. And what happened was that the days 5 passed and I never saw the money, and I needed to start charging my own boyfriend. This was a very bad situation. I tried to explain him that I wanted the things working as we combined, but it didn’t helped much. After he paid all the money back to me I told him that I will never more lend money to him again and things got better. And I decided to me that I will never do this again for anybody!

    Concluding, borrow or lend money is a very bad situation that is better to be avoided if you can. You can shake your relationships with friends, boyfriends or girlfriends, family, but not with a bank. So, the best option is try to get the money with a bank, or even better, get the money working or selling things that you are not using anymore. There are options for you to avoid situations like that.

  4. Vanessa Rodrigues said:

    Yes, I really believe that money is always a big problem. In fact, not always, because when you have it, it is a solution. However, when you do not have, mixing this situation with any relationship can be a disaster.
    Asking someone to lend you money, in my opinion, is a little bit embarrassing. I just can imagine a friend paying for me a lunch, a ticket of a show, or something that can put we together. I would never ask friend money for paying bills, for example. However, even in these situations “acceptable”, refuse the inviting should be better… Usually, your friend will not charge you, but if you for any reason forget to pay the assistance, your friend can suppose you are going out with she or him just because the sponsorship. Thus, you lose your friend.
    Other situation is when you ask your mother or your father to lend you some money… If your parents have a comfortable economic situation, small amounts will be forgotten… When the money is for something much bigger, like buy your own apartment or car, they can lend money to you without the bank taxes. They really love you and they will be your parents forever, so, even if you have problems to pay them pack (if you need a longer term to it, for example), they problem will understand.
    In this way, I think you should organize your life to your budget and if something goes wrong, you can think about screaming “mum”!

Leave a comment