DEAR DEIDRE: MY friend is taking advantage of me, and I don’t know how to stop it.
We met through mutual mates two years ago and grew really close, very quickly. She is 31 and I am 33.
She was made redundant at the start of the pandemic.
She has asked to borrow money a few times. At first, it was just £50 to help her through the month.
But now I get regular texts asking me to transfer her £5 for a cab, £20 for a manicure, and £50 for a night out.
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Last month, she asked if I could pay for her new mobile phone contract.
She makes the same promise each time: “I’ll pay you back as soon as I get a job.”
The issue is, she doesn’t seem to be looking – when I ask what roles she has applied for, she changes the conversation.
DEIDRE SAYS: The more things that you agree to pay for, the more she will ask for.
You need to sit your friend down and explain you can’t keep footing the bill.
Make a schedule for how she is going to repay you – this may not be possible until she has a job, but at least it shows you are serious about getting your money back.
My support pack Standing Up For Yourself will help.
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