We’ve all had that one friend who never seems to pay us back. Instead of bugging your friend, go out to lunch and bring up the loan when the bill comes.
Photo by Bill
Money Under 30 offers this sneaky tip to get your money back:
My favourite trick is to invite the friend to dinner, strategically ordering just enough food to cover the debt, then casually mention when the bill comes that, by some crazy coincidence, your portion matches what he owes you for that thing.
If he hems and haws, make it a hard sell by revealing that you’ve forgotten your wallet. You can take this to the next level by actually forgetting your wallet, but he had better bring his unless you want to spend the evening washing dishes.
Of course, this tactic is risky and could jeopardize the friendship. I’d suggest using it as a last resort when most other options have failed. Don’t expect that friend to accept another meal invite from you either.
Funny Money: How To Collect Money From People Who Owe You [Money Under 30]
Comments
3 responses to “Invite A Friend Out To Lunch To Collect On A Loan”
Seems like a rather poorly thought out strategy.
You don’t actually get your money back and your “friend” also has the extra expense of their own meal.
Seems pretty dickish, personally I only lend money if I can afford to live without it and don’t expect it back.
If your friend doesn’t have enough money to pay you back, do they really have enough money to cover their meal as well as yours?
This advice doesn’t really go far enough. “If they’re reluctant to pay you back, trick them and guilt them. If they cry poor after that, offer to escort them to a cash machine, where they can show you their bank balance. If they really have no money in their account, hand them a weapon and point them at a convenience store.”
Other suggestions “Make one of your friends into a loan shark to use against the friend that owes you” … which is pretty funny, but in the real world seems extreme for a 20 buck debt.