My best friend lives with me, he moved into my basement last year and my dad goes easy on him as far as rent is concerned. Good for him, and good for me, as I'm never really bored having him around all the time. Good. A few months ago he had his car taken away because it wasn't registered. He's been having money problems that I blame on his laziness and he has thus been unable to pay the impound fee for his car. When we used to share driving duties to go places I now have to do it all. Gas isn't cheap. Neither is wear and tear. Most of the time we go places that I probably would have gone anyway, so I never charge him, even though by all rights he is getting free transport from my hard earned dollars. And not to mention hes gotta be 250 lbs and I'm sure this hurts the fuel efficiency of my car. Sometimes I take him places that I would never normally go, and I usually don't charge him, chalking it off to a personal favor. But this has all really started to wear on me. I'm too nice, too yielding, too insistent that he offers to pay rather than I demand it. That all ends here, right now. I formally declare to myself and everyone else that he will pay for gas and even extra for any time inconveniences that his transport needs may bring me. Fuck him, he needs to get his goddamn act together. I don't even care that if I start charging him he will probably not be able to pay the next months rent. That's not my business. People, don't cater to the lazy.
i'm a free loader of sorts, just talk to him about it, he probably doesn't realize it upsets you so much
Start playing that record when he's around - ya know the one "hit the road jack, and dont ya come back no more no more" He'll soon get the message - but just for good measure you could always make it so that you put subtle signs around like - a bill that you have to pay ! etc. - also pretend to be having conversations with people on the phone about how broke you are but make your voice go quiet when you see him -
shit I forgot to register my car it is so overdue I got the notice that if I get pulled over they'll impound it. I have the money, have for 6 months it just keeps slipping my fucking mind and I can't find the bill so now I gotta go to the dmv.
Play my song for him...he got that ambition baby look in his eyes one day he's moppin the floor next day it's the fries...hahaaaaaa I love that song. That should get the point across.
Plead apathy tinged with a hatred of seeing hard earned cash frittered away - the cops may sympathise !
): no I'm just gonna go to the dmv on Monday and pay it. I was just planning on getting a new car in June so I wasn't gonna get new regestration but instead I just paid my current one off with the money and forgot to regester it. I have full insurance and everything. It's in the shop right now and I'm driving a loaner from the dealer so hopefully my stickers will come before I get it back.
for driving - my friends and i dont' freeload off each other....we got a pretty good deal....if i'm driving, you get the booze; if you're driving, i'll get the booze.
Write it down in a note, it's harder to back off or be too nice (which I often am) if it's written down.
Needing a helping hand for a little while is one thing, but you do have to put your foot down after a while. I had a friend of mine who was going through some really bad stuff, btwn his father passing away and losing his job and trying to recover from an addiction, so for 6 months he stayed at my place. Even though he was expected to pay rent (he did manage to find a temp job) he never did, always was bumming a ride and eating my groceries. After a while, though, my hubby and I did have to sit down with him and have a good talk about getting his shit together and contributing financially, and unfortunately it got to the point where he still didn't pay up so we had to kick him out. I suppose some good came out of it though; despite the fact that he was royally pissed at us for kicking him out, a year or so later he showed up at my place with an envelope full of cash to pay back what he owed us. He said that the first couple of months of really being on his own got his ass in gear and he was now much more stable and considerably less lazy than before.
