Generous woman loans friend Sarah $2,000 during emergency, she avoids paying her back and spends money on a luxury trip to Bali instead: "If she could afford that, why no payment?"

Author image for Ely Bulnes
Ely Bulnes • Writer and Editor
Jul 23, 2025 1:00 PM EDT

They say that you shouldn't ever loan anything that you're not okay with parting with forever. Even if you really, really trust the person that you are loaning money or valuable possessions to, once it is out of your hands, anything could happen. If you loan your coworker one of your own dresses to wear to a wedding, they might accidentally spill coffee on it. If you let your cousin borrow your favorite book, she might drop it in a puddle and damage the pages. If you lend a close friend $2,000, she might take a trip to Bali and block you on all forms of social media to avoid paying you back – as was the case in our story today! 

Indeed, today's protagonist learned the wrong way that you shouldn't loan money that you need back. At the very least, you should get any loans and expectations of pay back written down on paper to make due process easier at a small claims court if things go sideways. 

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  • 01

    AITA for demanding my friend pay back the money I loaned her for her trip because she's now posting about a luxury vacation?

    "If she could afford that, why no payment?"
    via nd3000 from Getty Images

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02
    So, last year my friend Sarah needed $2,000 for an emergency, and I lent it to her 'cause I wanted to help. She said she'd pay me back in 6 months.
    via u/Crimson_Bloom41
  • 03
    Well, it's been over a year, and I still haven't seen a dime. Every time I asked, she said she was tight on money and would pay me when she
    via u/Crimson_Bloom41
  • 04
    WL 6281448 L12 THE U TWEN MB 35270047 A 30
    via Kaboompics.com from Pexels

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 05
    could. Then, outta nowhere, she posts about this crazy luxury Bali trip ― fancy resorts, private villas, the - whole deal. I was kinda shocked, like,
    via u/Crimson_Bloom41
  • 06
    if she could afford that, why no payment? I messaged her, kept it chill, just said, "Hey, I see you're enjoying Bali! Can we talk about the
    via u/Crimson_Bloom41
  • 07
    $2,000 you owe me? Feels like I'm being taken for granted." She flipped, called me petty and jealous, said I
    via u/Crimson_Bloom41
  • 08
    had no right to say anything, then blocked me. So, AITA for asking for my money back when she's clearly spending on lux stuff?
    via u/Crimson_Bloom41
  • 09
    Cheezburger Image 10532062464
    via Alena Ozerova

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 10
    Grouchy_Librarian343 NTA. Tell her if she doesn't pay you back in the next two weeks you're
    via u/Grouchy_Librarian343
  • 11
    taking her to small claims court. And don't ever loan money again without a signed agreement.
    via u/Grouchy_Librarian343
  • 12
    000 Small claims
    via tzahiV from Getty Images Signature

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 13
    Crimson_Bloom41 OP Yeah, I'm thinking about sending her a firm message like that. Lesson learned about having something signed next time. Thanks for the tip!
    via u/Crimson_Bloom41
  • 14
    Grouchy Librarian343 Welcome. I've been there with family. I don't even call them loans. I just say you're one time get
    via u/Grouchy_Librarian343
  • 15
    money out of me event is this and don't ask me again. I think it just made things easier. I didn't expect them to pay me back but I'm also not a payday loan.
    via u/Grouchy_Librarian343
  • 16
    Expensive Yam_2222 Take her to small claims court but I would name and shame. If she's done it to you for $2K she's done it to other people for both more and less money.
    via u/Expensive_Yam_2222

  • This likely isn't the first time that she has scammed a “friend” out of money, and it won't be the last!

  • 17
    Ellumine I've definitely seen someone's wages get garnished for a similar situation when they took too long to pay what the court ordered.
    via u/Ellumine
  • 18
    NTA. feather-step It's not even about the luxury vacation. It's about the loan being well past due. She said she'd repay you
    via u/feather-step
  • 19
    after six months. Over twelve months later she hasn't repaid you. People don't get to default just because they don't feel like paying it back.
    via u/feather-step
  • 20
    hope you have the agreement in writing. Consider whether it would be worth taking her to court over it.
    via u/feather-step
  • 21
    Don't lend her any additional money, ever. She's proven that she's untrustworthy.
    via u/feather-step

  • Neither friends nor family are exempt from taking advantage of your kindness!

  • 22
    Crimson_Bloom41 OP it's the time and broken promise that hurts the most. No written agreement sadly, so court's
    via u/Crimson_Bloom41
  • 23
    probably not an option. Lesson learned though, no more loans to her or anyone else. Appreciate the support!
    via u/Crimson_Bloom41
  • 24
    michaelon If you have texts where she pushes the payment back to the future, multiple times, its clear it wasn't a gift. I know people who
    via u/michaelon
  • 25
    did the same thing and the a used replies like "you didn't need it at that time" and "you know for what I was using it" to make it look like it was a gift.
    via u/michaelon

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friendship relationship advice best friends summer BFFs Female Empowerment adulting court money problems friends relationships adulthood money vacation
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