I only lend to my friends in my small quilt group. We know we can come to each others home anytime and get it back anytime. LOL I stay away from cheapo quilters who come to a workshop and expect to borrow what they need. I just say No, it's mine for my use. Moochers have thick skin and just go on to the next person to mooch off of and leave me alone.

My mother loaned books and she had a card with their name on it and also made sure her name was in the book. She still lost a lot of books.

I've been practicing with a dremel tool for etching. I have a certain number etched onto different tools of my DH and mine. Not SSN#. You can use certain dates only backwards. DH had to chase down a skill saw that belonged to his father. He had description and serial number but I was practicing on it with an old dremel and etched a different number in a different spot. It ended up in a pawn shop. We got it back after 9 months. Never again did we loan anything out after that. It either never came back or if it came back, it needed to be repaired. We met the police at the pawn shop. Told DH to look for his mother's birthdate on it. There it was! Also had her initial in the middle and at the end of the date. Have used this method for other item's I always record it.

I have just gotten to where I tell people I'm not sure how soon I'll need it so, it won't be going any where. Some people believe notions are like ink pens. Everyone walks off with them. You don't see them again.

If you want to keep it don't let anyone borrow it. That is the lesson that I've learned.

When I belonged to a larger group I kept a list of what I had loaned and to whom. They couldn't say "it wasn't me" when I asked for it back. Must admit it was as much for me as them. I have a mind like a sieve at times.

my youngest was SOOO bad about returning things we would keep a shoe and when he returned what he borrowed he would get it back

I use address labels in books. I was recently clearing out a family home and discovered in some of MIL's books were signed inside and dated, like Happy Birthday Sue Love Aunt Josephine 1937.

DH has lost more tools than most people own in a lifetime.

The straw the broke the camels back about lending was he lent his employer a plumbing snake it was returned. When Hubs needed it, he discovered it was returned broken!

I have a LOT Of books. When I loan one to someone I always write their name down with the date they borrowed it IN FROM OF THEM so they know I will remember (if they don't) who has borrowed a book. I don't think any of my friends would not purposely NOT return something they've borrowed.....but it is hard to keep track sometimes.

First I would not loan any quilting stuff. Anything else if I really wanted it back I would not loan it out. That has happened to me many times. Guess I am just an old selfish gut. lol