Are you a bad borrower? What I mean is, do you borrow things and then keep them over a month, several months, or even years?

I cannot stand to have other people’s things in my space, so if I borrow something, I am very quick to return it. I never keep library books for the two weeks allowed or the movie rental the five days allowed. If I did, it would drive me insane. It’s just me knowing that I have someone else’s clutter that drives me crazy.

If I borrow a book or a movie from a friend, I return it within two weeks. I honestly believe it would be very bad manners to keep things longer than one month. I wonder what an etiquette book would say.

I am not a selfish person. If you have established yourself as a good borrower, I will let you borrow to your hearts content. If, on the other hand, you have proven to be a bad borrower and I have had to ask for things back or had to retrieve the items myself, banishment from borrowing will be eternal.

That’s another thing: if you have come to my house asking to borrow something, then I believe you should return it to me. I should not have to go out of my way to come and retrieve it from you.

In my opinion, there should be an etiquette timetable for certain items. For example:

*books or movies – return in two weeks

*clothing – return within one week

*money – within two weeks or the first day paid (unless agreed upon otherwise)

*tools or household appliances – within one week

Think of it this way: if you need to keep something longer than two weeks, that’s a good indication you should purchase it yourself, not borrow.