Appreciation post: the retiree at the library taught me to keep a paper list of who I lend things to

Abby Kim · 2026-10-09T02:45:05.014279+00:00

I have been lending stuff to neighbors on my street in Akron for six years and I never once wrote down who took what. My next door guy borrowed my ladder in March, my other neighbor got my hedge trimmer in June, and by fall I had no idea where either one went. I finally sat down with a retired lady named Ruth at the library on Tuesday and she pulled out a little spiral notebook where she logs every single thing she lends, with the date and the person's name. She has been doing this for eleven years and she says she has never lost a single tool. I started one that same day and it turns out three people still have my stuff and two of them forgot completely. It cost me 99 cents for the notebook and it already saved me from buying a second ladder I did not need. If you lend things around your block, start the list today before you forget who has what. Does anyone here keep a log like this, or do you just trust your memory?

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Appreciation post: the retiree at the library taught me to keep a paper list of who I lend things to | Community Advice - The Community Guide