#126 Lying About Why They Need to Borrow Money

While there are those who pride themselves in making unemployment work without having to take money from anyone other than the government, for the rest of the unemployed and broke people battling through this recession, there comes a time when they’re eventually going to have to ask someone they know for a loan. Whether it ranges from money to cover a drink to $20 for a dime bag to falling just short of being able to buy a getaway plane ticket, there is always a reason the unemployed need extra money that just can’t wait for the next unemployment check.

For obvious reasons, buying drugs and alcohol or going on vacations that potential lenders can’t even take time off for are not exactly great ways to explain why money is needed. If the unemployed were to be honest and explain that some money would really help them to ease the pain unemployment causes, they’d probably be told what the unemployed are too used to hearing: Get a job and quit leeching off the government! So if money ever needs to be borrowed to support an extravagant venture into “funemployment” (as all the cool kids are calling it these days), being honest is not the best approach to successfully borrow money.

Whether it’s family, friends, or acquaintances who might be sympathetic to an unemployed person’s situation without realizing the unemployed are jobless and loving it, lying to exaggerate their situation is the best way to get money rolling in. Some tried and true reasons for successfully convincing people to shell out some funds for the poor, unemployed folk suffering “in this economy” include:

• Not having cashed their latest unemployment check because they got too caught up in the job search. This excuse will at least get the jobless enough cash to cover a drink or a meal.
• Needing some extra cash to go to the printers to make 100 copies of their resumes, as well as buy enough postage to send them out. This excuse works very well with parents who would be brokenhearted to know they’re actually enabling their slacker child’s lifestyle.
• Needing to pay for several past due cell phone bills before it gets shut off because potential employers might call about a job. This excuse will not only get enough money to cover a cheap airline ticket but will also explain why the unemployed are not answering their calls to avoid paying outrageous roaming charges.

And if the unemployed are really good at lying, they’ll remind their friends and family that they never asked to borrow money, they just asked for money that they had no intention of ever paying back.

Tags: borrowing money, creative money making, in this economy, things to do when unemployed, travel deals