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(Flick: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.united kingdom)

Borrowing money off your friend is ordinarily fine.

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Let'southward say the pair of you are going out for lunch and you lot realise you lot've left your purse at home. No bother, you can e'er pay them back later.

Aforementioned goes for if your friend asks to borrow £20 until next pay solar day. They're your friend, y'all know they'd do the same for you, and so it's totally fine.

But you lot know what's non okay? Relying on your friend financially then much that the friendship begins to circumduct around money equally opposed to anything else.

A big part of friendship is trust. When you're blinded past this trust, information technology makes information technology hard to see whether someone is using you or not.

For all you know, your friend really could be in a sticky situation and actually does need your help. Only in that location'due south also the chance they're taking advantage of you considering they feel that they can.

metro illustrations

(Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland)

It all starts when your friend start asks yous for money. You go ahead with it, as mentioned above, if it's a reasonable asking.

Possibly the first fourth dimension they pay y'all back – but then it happens again, and again, and over again. And, considering they paid y'all back the first time, you convince yourself it's okay because hey, it'll be dorsum in your depository financial institution account side by side calendar month, right?

But the event here is that lending out money has the potential to become a frequent occurrence. While it may take you a while to realise this, it'south doubtful that it took them longer than a couple of loans.

And considering of this, people start to push their luck. They look yous to aid them out if information technology ways they can avoid delving into their own wallet.

They know that you're happy to proceed them financially stable – and and then they assume that perhaps you're more well off than they are. They begin to tell themselves that well, if that's the case, you won't listen paying for everything.

Apace, occasional loans turn to java every solar day, coffees plow to lunches, lunches turn to expensive nights out and nights out turn to weekends away. Before you lot know it, y'all've spent more on your friend than you take yourself. And it'due south only not fair.

Information technology's not simply unfair on you, it'due south unfair on the friendship.

metro illustrations

(Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)

Soon after you realise how much you're being taken for granted, you'll begin looking dorsum on your friendship. You'll look back on all of the times you've been asked for money and realise that actually, your friendship is pretty much based around your wallet.

You'll realise you accept been footing nearly of your fourth dimension with this person, receiving little in return.

Yous'll showtime noticing every fourth dimension they enquire for money, hint at it, or mention their finances – and information technology'll brand y'all feel actually uncomfortable.

The worst thing is, unless you suddenly become incredibly headstrong, yous'll feel obliged to lend them coin. You've become so used to giving mitt-outs that now yous experience it's wrong to say no. Most as if you're letting your friend down. Almost as if you feel guilty for information technology.

Only they're the ones who should feel guilty.

It is not upward to yous to financially support someone. Put them upwards for a few weeks when they're in a bad manner, yes. Lend them a picayune bit of money once in a blue moon, sure. But condign their fiscal backbone? That's simply non your chore.

The sooner you realise this, the sooner you'll be able to tell whether your friendship is a real ane.

As soon every bit you outset maxim 'no' to paying every nib at the stop of every meet, your friend will start to realise that their games are over.

They'll know that you've seen right through them, and that the friendship is no longer going to be held together past your coin.

This way, yous'll be able to see how much your friendship was actually based on money and how much it was based on a genuine connection.

(Film: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)

If your friendship remains the aforementioned, you continue to see upwards and perchance they even start to offer to pay for things – then you know that mayhap they'd unconsciously expected you lot to pay for things simply because they'd become so used to information technology.

Which is still not okay, merely it's a fleck better than them having a motive to really use you lot for financial gain.

If you notice that your friendship slips abroad and y'all no longer hear from that person, y'all'll realise that you've saved yourself a lot of money in the long run.

But hey, every lesson is a lesson learned – and though it might be a hard one, an expensive one, even – at least it'll teach you lot to offering communication and not your wallet when a friend is in need.

Wellness Psychologist Dr Zoe Chouliara, who works with Click For Therapy, tells Metro.co.uk that oft money is more than than money, it'southward also about 'ability', showing who has the upper paw in the human relationship.

She said: 'Accepting money from friends on a repetitive basis creates certain power imbalances that are often incompatible with the nature of friendship, which requires both parties to be equal in the human relationship.

'On the function of the person who lends money, there tin exist frustration, stress that the loan might not be returned, conflicts within their own family for lending their friend, and arguments between the friends.

'On the function of the person who borrows there tin can be shame, guilt and a sense of loss of command.'

metro illustrations

(Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)

It isn't always well-nigh power, mind you. If the asking is a i-off, Zoe suggests having a serious retrieve almost the situation before handing over your cash.

'We demand to exercise our discretion to determine whether this help is benign and it doesn't violate the boundaries of a good friendship,' explained Zoe.

'We have to ask whether this is someone we have known for many many years or a new friend. Nosotros take to evaluate their request within the context and the dynamics of the friendship and what it ways to u.s.a., as well within the context of our friend's circumstances.'

She continued: 'Is our friend dealing with an unexpected life event that has thrown their finances out of keel at the moment? We have to remember that the best predictor of future behaviour is by behaviour.

'Has our friend borrowed coin in the past? Have they returned the loan in total and in skillful time? Relationships are not blackness and white and everything needs to be looks at within context.'

Then basically, relationships built on i or the other's money are rarely healthy, with power imbalances leaving you lot stressed and your friendship in tatters.

Information technology'due south so of import to exist able to admit when yous're existence taken for granted so that it can be nipped in the bud as soon as possible – and a proficient way of doing this is to go along runway of how much each of you lot are actually contributing financially to the friendship.

If it'southward always ane-sided, that'southward something that needs to be discussed.

(Movie: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)

Whatever you practise, always retrieve that a friendship should always be built on a foundation of trust – and that's easily taken advantage of if someone feels they tin can become away with information technology.

How to stop yourself from condign your friend'southward wallet

While it may exist easy for some to say 'no', for others you feel guilty, equally if yous're letting your friend down or leaving them worse off. Just the fact is, that's simply not for you to worry nigh – not all of the time, anyhow.

And then, there are a few things you can practise to ensure you're not being pressured into forking out for someone else:

  • When going out with your friend, message them first to ensure they have enough money for your meet-up, to avoid having to foot the nib unwillingly
  • Only accept enough money for yourself then that you're forced to tell your friend y'all're unable to pay for them. They'll soon exist put off asking again
  • If you're paying for something for your friend, such as a coffee for lunch, bring up them returning the favour some mean solar day – that mode they'll know it'southward not to be expected of you all of the time
  • Don't talk about your earnings with your friends. Sure, some friends experience close enough to do so but for others, it's an opportunity to have from the person who earns the most without feeling every bit guilty for it
  • Overall, if money is really beginning to touch your friendship, sit down and talk to your friend most information technology. Confront them. The worst that can happen is that you'll realise your friend isn't a truthful friend. And the best affair that can happen? Well, it could actually even forge a stronger friendship… without you footing the bill

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