A member contacted me with this story about how much they were able to save through LendList, and how this borrowing arrangement was beneficial for both the borrower and the lender.

Dave was going snowboarding more and more regularly but didn’t own a board. Renting was getting expensive. He found a good deal on snowboard boots because it’s hard to borrow or rent well fitting clean boots. He looked at buying a board, and would have had to spend about $550 for a board and bindings of the right size and performance level.

He then took a look at LendList. He found a friend of a friend with a board long and wide enough for his 6′2″, 200 lbs. frame.

So now he borrows his snowboard whenever he goes to ride. He gets the board waxed each time, and gets the edges tuned when needed, which is still far cheaper than renting, and leaves the lender with a board that’s always in top condition.

The two acquaintances aren’t the same ability so there is no issue with borrowing the board and not inviting the person to ride, since they wouldn’t ride together anyway. Some time it might happen that they want to both go riding on the same day, but Dave has found two others with similar sized boards he can borrow if that occurs.

LendList.org means big savings for the borrower, and in this case the lender too!

We here at LendList.org make a big deal about why lending is good, but equally as important is borrowing. Obviously, to lend an item requires someone to borrow it but it goes beyond this.

When it comes to the environment, the borrower is the person who is actively reducing consumption. The lenders are facilitators. They have the benefit of owning the item and using it with zero hassle. The borrower is the one making the decision not to buy an item. Not to own it, but to go out of their way to borrow it from someone.

By borrowing from someone you are giving them a tremendous dose of encouragement. You are saying that it was worth it for them to post that item, that their possessions are of wider value, and you are allowing them to contribute to a reduction in consumption.
We need lenders and borrowers. There is no shame in being a borrower, even if (especially if) you have very few items to lend out, or have posted items but haven’t lent many, if any, out.

So let’s actively borrow what we want and need. If you still feel guilty, do something good with the money you save