lent money to a friend...

[lumination]

learnt by my mistake, she is a very good friend (what i thought anyway) waaaaaaay back in October i lent her £250 to help pay for her rent, she said she would pay it back by december and she got fired from her job so i saif feb would be fine.
Feb passed and march passed etc she paid back £110 but still waiting on the rest and when ever i ask after a pay day she always says she doesnt have enough or she is 'stressed out'. Yet she goes out to the pub and drinks the night away with mates!!

How can i sort this out quickly. im afraid of asking her outright and saying 'well you obviously do have my money cause you go out all the time' but im worried she will start an arugument and never pay me back as a result.
help!

[jomifl]

It's a cheap way to find out who your friends are.

[Old_Geezer]

I lend a 'friend' a £20 note once as he was short, and he promised to pay me back next time he saw me. Never saw him again. Probably the best £20 I've ever 'invested'.

Whilst not siding with the borrower is it not possible that she goes out on very little money with friends who are sympathetic ?

Seems to me that if you are sure she could repay it then ask for it. Remind her it's been ¾ of a year when the agreement was for 2 months extended to 4, and it's not being fair on you. Ask her is she is aware of how easy it is to pay excessive rates to loan sharks these days. Or failing that there's always respectable companies like Wonga and their ilk.

[woofgang]

"when i get the money back"
sorry but i wouldn't hold your breath.

[TWR]

If this person was going to repay you, she would have continued paying after you received the £100, I've a feeling you have to count your losses here Lum, If she has restarted work she should be paying you, I would ask her again. She could not have been a very good friend for her to do this to you.

[starone]

Well who was it said "Neither a borrower , nor a lender be" think it was Shakespeare. Anyway over the years I have lost a great deal of money because I have never had the gumption to say NO. You would think I would learn my lesson and indeed in some cases I did. There was the twenty pounds to a nephew who was an alcoholic. He never visited again so maybe it was worth twenty pounds to get rid of him. Then there have been various amounts ranging from a couple of hundred to a thousand, all of which I have written off and thought of as water under the bridge and no good worrying about it. I think the main thing is to try to say NO as if they know you have it they will ask for it. Perhaps also pleading poverty might be a help.

[Brinjal]

I never lend money. On a rare occasion I have given money but I don't lend. The Argo in getting It back isn't worth it.

[lumination]

some good advise her guys, thanks very much! ill get up some courage and ask her outright on the next payday and see what happens...