Why don't people give your things back when they borrow them?

It's very irritating. The same people always ask me to borrow a pencil or pen, but they never give it back. When I started to ask to get it back, they started to go over and stand by the door, or go to their friends to talk, so that I don't have the opportunity to ask them for it. Sometimes they said that they had lost the pencil, but a few days later, they brought it back to class to use it, right in front of me. It's the same with paper and other supplies- I'm not a walking, talking, free store, for pity's sake.

I like stationery, so I sometimes buy nice mechanical pencils for myself (not that often, but I have about 3 or 4 right now). I've lost many of them because I lent them to others. Pencils are one of the few things that I buy slightly expensive versions of (sub $10, but still a decent amount for a pencil), and I hate that people steal them. I'm just going to keep some cheap pencils with me in case someone wants to borrow them, so I'm not paying for their irresponsibility. Does this bother you if someone does it? Do you give things back if you borrow them from someone else?

Yes, I know some people can't afford supplies. I'd give supplies to someone if they actually could not afford to buy them. However, the people who mooched supplies off of me were well off, and could afford dozens of new clothes, iPhones, iPods, etc. But not a $2 pack of pencils.

After a lifetime of dealing with what you have dealt with, my conclusion is that, 95 percent of the time people do not keep things they borrow because they are thieves, but rather because they are childishly self-centered, and it does not even register that they have something that belongs to someone else. I do not understand this, because I do not like to borrow anything from anyone, and if I were to discover that I kept something I borrowed longer than planned, I would be sick with guilt.

There's a simple answer to the problem of borrowers not returning things: do not loan anything out. Be blunt about it if you must, but let people know that what is yours is yours, and what is theirs is theirs, and never the twain shall meet.

Your mooching friends see you using fine-quality pencils and pens, and try to score some for free. I think your idea of keeping a few cheap pencils and pens handy is a good one. "I'm using this one myself, but here's another one if you really need it," you could say. Even better if the eraser is used up and the pencil is down to a well-chewed stub, or the pen is without a cap…

It is taking a step back

That used to happen to me in high school. I always kept some really cheap pens including broken pens and I would loan those out. Once people caught on they stopped asking. When a pen or pencil is a favorite just say, "this is my favorite pen. I don't lend it out."

They are cheap leeches I hate people like that