Your money and your friends

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Creating boundaries in relationships with friends concerning money might be hard, particularly if the amounts of money are small. After all, it's easier to pay for a few coffees, take friends in a shared ride or buy tickets for an event. In turn, you can become a reliable friend, always having a payment app with you, a card ready or willingness to act right away. With time, this becomes normal.

It is worth remembering that no explanation is needed. It will only help to change behavior if you are willing to do so. Instead of paying everything at once, try splitting up as much as possible and paying for yourself. If a friend forgot to bring a wallet, ask that he or she pays back the debt immediately and only then pay for it. In case of buying tickets and arranging transportation, ask for payment before the confirmation of payment.

Do not feel guilty if it is needed to protect yourself from money risks. Asking for payments back or refusing to pay is not something you should consider as rude, asking for time until tomorrow is perfectly okay. There should not be any problems in keeping a healthy friendship and the boundaries you set for yourself.

People hesitate to act directly out of the fear to appear cheap. But constantly paying expenses of friends is also a very bad practice. As soon as the new rules have been set, it will not be a problem for your friends to get used to them.