Nothing ruins friendships quite like money, which is why many people operated by the rule that you never mix the two things.

Or at least, you never loan a friend money you can’t afford to lose.

This poster is the debtor, and he thinks he’s got a good reason for going back on his word.

Check it out and see whether or not you agree!

AITA for refusing to pay my friend $60 that I owe him?

I, 30M, and my close friend ‘Jake’, 29M, have been close for years.

Over the years, I’ve lent Jake money so many times.

I’m talking $50 here for gas, $100 there during a trip, even once $300 when he needed to buy an ‘emergency’ PS5.

I’m trying so hard to imagine what emergency situation necessitates a PS5.

I never really kept track because I trusted him.

He paid me back some of it over time, but he still owes me a decent chunk, which I’ve never bugged him about.

He would occasionally ‘gift’ me skins in the games we play in an attempt to balance the books.

It sounds like this person’s life is extreme game-based.

A few weeks ago, Jake covered my $60 when I left my wallet at home during a group dinner.

I told him I’d get him back, but life got busy, and I totally forgot.

A few days ago, he texted me, “can you send me that $60 from dinner?”

I apologized for forgetting and said I’d send it that night to which he replied, “I shouldn’t have to chase you for this, man.”

Does a single text count as chasing?

That rubbed me the wrong way.

I didn’t say anything in the moment, but it really started to bug me.

I thought about all the times I’ve lent him money and how I never pressured him to pay me back.

I’ve never once sent him a passive-aggressive text or made him feel bad about it.

And then the response:

So, I didn’t send him the money right away and instead told him, “Look I get that I owe you $60, and I’ll pay you back but let’s not pretend this is some one-sided thing. You still owe me hundreds, and I’ve never hounded you about it.”

Jake didn’t take that well.

He said it’s not the same thing because I never asked for my money back, so it’s on me if I didn’t care enough to get it.

So now he’s [angry] at me thinking I did not pay him back intentionally and saying I’m deflecting to avoid paying him back, and that I’m being a stupid friend.

So…chasing is needed, then?

I feel like I’m in a weird spot here.

Yeah I owe him $60, and of course I’ll pay it back.

But on the other hand, his reaction feels so hypocritical given everything I’ve done for him financially over the years.

AITA?

The financial experts of Reddit chimed in.

You can bet the point about chasing came up a LOT:

One thing is for sure, you guys should stop having these exchanges:

Everyone seems to know someone like this:

I mean, the audacity!

Don’t be a Jake.

And if you can help it, don’t let money get into friendships.

If you thought that was an interesting story, check this one out about a man who created a points system for his inheritance, and a family friend ends up getting almost all of it.