“I left my wallet at home. I’ll pay you back later.” It’s a phrase you hear often (more often than you should hear from some friends). Everyone has that friend who always seems to have left their wallet at home and just needs you to pay for their pizza. But then it’s their beer, then it’s the tip, then it’s the electric bill. Sooner or later your friend will want you to cover the down payment on their soul!

Money is messy and it makes friendships and relationships even messier. Even if you think your friendship or relationship won’t be bogged down by money, think again. It may not be over, but it will definitely cause problems.

I deal with this problem by refusing to loan money to anyone. I either a) tell people I left my wallet at home as well b) tell them I have no cash on me c) tell them I have just enough in my checking to make rent this month or d) pretend I didn’t hear the question and start a conversation with the nearest person that isn’t asking for money.

There are plenty of reasons to not loan money out, but here are just a few…

• If you’re loaning money out to a friend, that usually means that you’re not going to get it back for a while. Every time you guys hang out, speak, or even wave to each other in passing on campus, you’re going to think to yourself “Where’s my 10 bucks, bitch!?” Not the sign of a healthy friendship.

• It only makes you poorer. Just think if you lent money out to a friend every time they asked. I’ve thought about it and I’d be hundreds of dollars less fortunate. For a college student getting paid $6.55 with rent and the rest of life to pay for, that’s a lot.

• You earned that money; keep it for yourself. If someone forgets their wallet, that’s tough.

• They’re probably lying. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that more than half the time people say they have no money, that just means they have no cash. But in this day and age, almost everyone and their mom has a credit or debit card. Banks hand them out like lollipops.

If these reasons don’t convince you, keep giving your money out. We’ll compare how many friends and how much money we lost in college and see who wins.