1st bank of hammer.

I've always taken care of my own. I've never borrowed money from anyone. If I didn't have the cash I did without or figured out a way.

It feels pretty good not to be in debt to people. too many strings attached, too many hard feelings when people don't share your ethic on paying back loans.

But of course, I'm a softy and so is the wife. So when her under employed brother blew out the transmission in his truck, I felt obligated to help so he wouldn't lose his job and become homeless. He was so thankful for the money at first and he paid me fifty bucks a couple of times but I haven't seen any cash in about a year. It pisses me off. Not really about the money, but the fact that he only comes around in an emergency, then once the heats off we don't really exist anymore. The kids are always wondering where Uncle is when he only lives and works a few blocks away.

I guess people are raised that way. I helped out my nephew when he was 16 by putting his first car on my insurance policy. This saved him over a hundred bucks a month. All he had to do was come pay me once in a while. He had a good job and was buying lots of junk and toys for himself but never seemed to have the cash for his insurance premiums.

He was about $300 behind in payments, so for his birthday I gave him a card with a note that said: "Happy birthday We forgive the ten months of past due insurance payments, by the way we cancelled your insurance policy"

He turned red but didn't say anything. It was a good present for him because it kept me from kicking his ass.

My wife recently bought a used minivan for her nephew and his wife because they had two babies, no credit and no willpower to save up for a car. I was totally against the idea. I knew the payment history of her family. Luckily my niece in law knows how to repay her debts and I got my last payment yesterday. That's a load off my mind.

I thought for sure it was going to get ugly. My wife is really mean and outspoken about people who do not repay their debts and most people don't dare piss her off. I think letting her handle that loan really helped the situation. She's like Vito the loan shark. Mess with her and you lose an arm...or two.


My best friend Gary is always getting fired, laid off, or quits his job, runs his credit cards into the ground and doesn't go look for a job until they repossess his car, and threaten to tow away his house. Then he goes and gets a shitty minimum wage job to get back on his feet. He has done this four times in the last ten years.

I've loaned him money a few times and have managed to get collateral or chase him down when the income tax return comes around. This guy sets himself up for disaster to the point where I don't feel that my helping him actually does anything but put a band aid on the situation. I ignored his calls for a couple weeks because I know he's after more money. Instead of getting a job he has been sitting on his ass watching TV all month. Now he's in a pickle...again... but I'm all out of charity right now. My normally good nature and sunny disposition has taken too many hits recently and I just don't feel like having to chase down any more debtors.

I'm seriously considering shutting down the loan department of the 1st bank of hammer.

My kids are learning early that work provides money and borrowing should only be for a mortgage or car loan. I'll try to be there to help them but I don't want to raise dependent financial cripples either.

I've already said no to my wife's youngest brother, he's ripped me off many times, and he took great offense at being asked to pay back a $800 bill he ran up on a cell phone I loaned him. He had the audacity to call recently asking to borrow vacation money. I said fuck no.

My wife's parents called a month ago and wanted us to loan them $2000 so they could take a family cruise to Alaska. This is after they just blew through a $50,000 inheritance that they were supposed to share with their kids. We didn't even answer them. It's fucking ridiculous.

I am usually a generous person and I have no problem helping out in a real emergency, but once people get to drink out of the golden trough it's hard to get them to stop.

It's getting to the point where I don't answer my phone anymore for fear of being asked for another loan.

I can't help but feel bad for these folks but at the same time it seems I'm not doing them any favors by lending them money.

I guess it always boils down to people forcing me to become an asshole. Fucking vampires, I'm done with them.

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Old Bill Shakespere had it right...Neither a borrower nor a lender be; For loan oft loses both itself and friend, And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.