Best CF Stories

[CupcakesAndCastles]

Lockdown sucks, what’s the best CF stories you’ve read?

[KarmaStar]

Just remembered a new neighbour had moved out of a house with a huge vegetable patch at the end of the garden plus fruits and beautiful flowers.he moved in around December time and as the season's went on he would return to his old home,go through the side gate and help himself to what was in season as " he had planted them " after twelve months the new owners got fed up and put a lock on the gate.he took,dug up,picked,so much each time he used to offer what he couldn't use to his new neughbours😀

[Notquitenorthern]

These have really entertained me over the last couple of days! Mines nowhere near as bad but Dsis has a CFer habit of being generous but with other people's time and money. I dont think shes deliberately taking advantage, shes just always been immature for her age and a bit thoughtless. Shes also charming and charismatic so her behaviour gets overlooked/enabled. Anyway favourite examples...

Dsis comes to visit me at uni, she obliterates my student budget raiding the fridge and dropping half eaten packets of crisps in bin but I'm happy to see her. Plan a fun day of activities but she insists we go to this out of town mall. Spend the day feeling poor and trailing after her whilst she goes on an absolute spree. When she leaves the day later she smiles sweetly and presses a fiver and some change into my hand "From mum". When I call to thank mum for the fiver it turns out Dsis had actually been given a sealed envelope containing £80 from parents to top me up till the end of term.

Some years on, we're both working, Dsis living at home but earning reasonable NHS wage. Me living 5+ hours away on crap charity wage. Dads bday, we arrange to have a nice weekend, I'll drive down and cook nice meal one night and parents will treat us to meal out the next night. So I spend 70 odd on petrol, spend ages picking out gifts and making a really nice dinner, generally try to spoil dad. Dsis gets him nothing. Head out to restaurant next night, and Dsis announces "Me and NotquiteNorthern will pay! As a birthday present!" I dont want to be the tight git that points out I've already spent a lot on presents so I cough up, particularly annoying as I'm the only one not drinking and Dsis ordered steak!

Living in a touristy area popular for outdoor sports. Dsis says she will be passing my way to see a friend, could she visit? Only a couple of days notice and Im going to be working but I say would be lovely to see her and shes welcome to the futon for a night if needed. "Great, we'll be there for dinner". Hang on who's 'we'? She turns up at MIDNIGHT with new bf and random friend I have never met, all set for a sporty weekend away together. She proceeds to fanny about setting up extra bed and asking for more towels etc. Next morning I find her in the kitchen packing up the dinner we'd made the night before and raiding the kitchen like its bloody Tesco. "Your spare room is too small, we didnt sleep well at all so we will have to go to a hostel. Self catered so we're just getting a few bits". DH wisely distracts her with breakfast before shepherding them out the door with a (much reduced) care package.

[veeeeh]

A so called friend had lost her brother to cancer. She was the only sibling, both parents in nursing homes due to dementia. She asked me if I could loan her 500 quid to help with the funeral. Being the type of person I am I gave it to her saying whenever you can pay it back will be fine. OK she said, just give me a few weeks.

Nothing for a year. Then both her parents died within 3 months of each other leaving a sizeable estate which of course went to her as an only child then. Nothing came back to me. Well, as they say I did it with empathy at the time, but no good deed goes unpunished! That was years ago and now and again I get MAD at her attitude.

She is no longer a friend. Lesson learned.

[RootyT00t]

@veeeeh

A so called friend had lost her brother to cancer. She was the only sibling, both parents in nursing homes due to dementia. She asked me if I could loan her 500 quid to help with the funeral. Being the type of person I am I gave it to her saying whenever you can pay it back will be fine. OK she said, just give me a few weeks.

Nothing for a year. Then both her parents died within 3 months of each other leaving a sizeable estate which of course went to her as an only child then. Nothing came back to me. Well, as they say I did it with empathy at the time, but no good deed goes unpunished! That was years ago and now and again I get MAD at her attitude.

She is no longer a friend. Lesson learned.

I don't think you can all someone who lost her entire close family in a year a CF.

[veeeeh]

RootyT00t

She had a good year or so to make an effort to repay.

My point was, that after inheriting a lot of money and I mean a lot, she never made any effort to reach out and repay me. Maybe she forgot though, it happens I suppose. This woman never visited her mum or dad either except for their birthdays and around Christmas. But she could have had her own reasons for that, I don't know.

Anyway I looked on it as a gift, because if it is repaid it's a bonus. So that's that really.

[RootyT00t]

@veeeeh

RootyT00t

She had a good year or so to make an effort to repay.

My point was, that after inheriting a lot of money and I mean a lot, she never made any effort to reach out and repay me. Maybe she forgot though, it happens I suppose. This woman never visited her mum or dad either except for their birthdays and around Christmas. But she could have had her own reasons for that, I don't know.

Anyway I looked on it as a gift, because if it is repaid it's a bonus. So that's that really.

Bloody hell. You were close enough to lend her money and that she got a sizeable estate but you are telling the internet that she didn't bother with them.

I don't think you come across very well either!

[Cheeseandlobster]

@RootyT00t Just because she was bereaved it doesnt give her carte Blanche to waltz off with £500 of someone elses money. Sometimes I wonder what planet some people are on. Are you the cf friend by any chance?

[RootyT00t]

[quote Cheeseandlobster]@RootyT00t Just because she was bereaved it doesnt give her carte Blanche to waltz off with £500 of someone elses money. Sometimes I wonder what planet some people are on. Are you the cf friend by any chance?[/quote]
Yeh you caught me

No of course I'm not. And I don't think I actually said it was fine for her to waltz off with the money

[veeeeh]

[quote Cheeseandlobster]@RootyT00t Just because she was bereaved it doesnt give her carte Blanche to waltz off with £500 of someone elses money. Sometimes I wonder what planet some people are on. Are you the cf friend by any chance?[/quote]
Some people are takers, others are givers.

The givers often suffer the consequences. I have written it off, but seriously amazed that NO effort was made to pay me back. It is not as if she could not afford it following the massive inheritance she got from her parents.

No good deed goes unpunished lol.

Anyway, let's move on to more CFs lol.

[Polyethyl]

I hadn't seen a uni friend for years. She flew back to the UK to visit family for a lengthy trip. So I invited her to holiday with me for a week in Wales. It was to be me and my toddler and her and her toddler. When she arrived out of the car got a teenager I had never heard of before. It turned out her father had just adopted the 15 yo and had sent her over with my friend, to see Europe.
An excruciating scene followed where I tried as politely as I could to take my friend to one side to ask, who is she, why is she here, why didn't you tell me in advance, why did you think it would be OK to assume I'd be happy to spend my week's holiday with a stranger....whilst also trying to make the best of the situation and give as kind a welcome as I could to my poor unexpected guest who was stuck in a foreign country, at the whim of her new adopted sister.
It wrecked my friendship with my uni friend.
But the 15yo turned out to be good company, never having seen castles before she was impressed by Wales.

[Clicketyclick21]

I saw a quote somewhere that givers need to know & strengthen their boundaries because takers don't have any. This is very true and something I've tried to adopt over the past few months.

I've got a cf friend so I've diverted her number to go straight to voicemail I'll listen to or read her messages when I'm ready instead.

I don't lend her anything anymore as she's returned items damaged & not mentioned anything

I don't invite her to any event or over for dinner etc. She wanted her son to open my birthday presents.

She's a spoilt entitled madam and she's now firmly an acquaintance.

[Camphillgirl]

Four friends booked a holiday let abroad each having own bedroom, I hired and drove a car. We all chipped into a kitty. Fifth CF decided at the last minute she wanted to come and would use single bed in one allocated bedroom and pay half of that bedroom rate. Organiser felt this wasn’t fair and bought blow up mattress and slept in hall so CF could have own room and pay one fifth of whole cost.

Turns out CF came day later and left a day earlier to take advantage of cheaper flight, then expected us to lose a days holiday to take her and fetch her from the airport to suit her choice. Finally demanded money back from kitty as she hadn’t stayed as long as we did. She’s burned her boats.

[CharityDingle]

I saw a quote somewhere that givers need to know & strengthen their boundaries because takers don't have any.

That's a very good point. On another forum, I read a thread about stingy people, and I think a lot of them get away with their stingy ways because the people around them don't stop them.

When eventually they do, the stinge moves on, still sponging off everyone and expecting it to continue.

[ThumbWitchesAbroad]

I saw a quote somewhere that givers need to know & strengthen their boundaries because takers don't have any.

This is SUCH great advice!
And so true.

I lost a fair whack of money to an ex bf who was, in hindsight, quite abusive too - I did regain some of it but not all of it. He just fucking went on and on and on and ON and ON until I would give in - he didn't take no for an answer, so I can understand why some people do agree to lend money/stuff even though their initial inclination would be not to. It's really fucking tiring when people just keep at you all the time, especially when you care about them!

To be fair, I've never had anyone else do that to me since.

[Camphillgirl]

When asked to give a reference for CFs I usually write

The person who gets CF to work hard for their company will be really lucky

Make what you will of that

[Noshowlomo]

Brilliant @Camphillgirl 😂

[wishfull888]

A "best friend" setting me up with her husbands best friend on a blind date & preparing me for how blown away I'd be by this perfect guy. He was bisexual ( leaning more towards gay ) she knew & didn't tell me. CF.

[Sethy38]

@wishfull888

A "best friend" setting me up with her husbands best friend on a blind date & preparing me for how blown away I'd be by this perfect guy. He was bisexual ( leaning more towards gay ) she knew & didn't tell me. CF.

But he knew you were female and wanted to meet you, so perhaps he said as such to her surely?

[Jimdandy]

I’m a Solicitor (Commercial Property) when friends/acquaintances/family move I mention our firm’s res con team and leave it at that.

My best friends mum was moving, said use our firm, she didn’t for some bizarre reason, fair enough you don’t have too, but then when it went wrong/she didn’t understand wanted to me explain things to her!

I’m wise to CF’s now so just said to contact her own solicitor because I’ve not seen all the papers and I can’t advise someone who isn’t a client of the firm!

[pinkyredrose]

A "best friend" setting me up with her husbands best friend on a blind date & preparing me for how blown away I'd be by this perfect guy. He was bisexual ( leaning more towards gay ) she knew & didn't tell me. CF

How was that cheeky? Not sure i understand the problem?

[MyMonsteraisDeliciosa]

@wishfull888

A "best friend" setting me up with her husbands best friend on a blind date & preparing me for how blown away I'd be by this perfect guy. He was bisexual ( leaning more towards gay ) she knew & didn't tell me. CF.

Unless she charged you a matchmaking fee this isn't CF at all

[Gillings]

CF in my case is my MIL. I gave her benefit of the doubt for many years but have now concluded that she is a CF. Will share one story (there are many!)

FIL decided to leave MIL due to some long-standing personal issues two years ago. MIL did not cope well and apparently had mental health issues to the point where her brother started emailing DH to support MIL as she was suicidal. DH was forced to play the role of a therapist listening to both his mother and father's side of the story which I thought was unfair. Anyway, MIL did not want to live alone in her house (FIL refused to live there) and DH thought it would help her if she moved in with us until she was better - perhaps spending time with her grandchild would also help. Our place wasn't big enough to accommodate her- we were renting at that point in a big city and had just had our first child so a lot was going on. We couldn't afford to rent a bigger place in the city. For her sake we decided to move to a commuter town about 50 minutes away from the city (DH and I both worked in the city so would need to commute everyday) and rented a house so that she could stay with us.
Anyway, she started living with us in this new place which was very different from the city life we were used to and where we didn't have any friends.
Once with us she would say things to suggest that she had moved in to help us look after our baby (baby was going to nursery FT) And that we had moved out of the city because we couldn't afford to live there with the baby! I was in a bad place mentally then, having had a baby that year and moving out of a city I loved so much, away from friends etc. so her lack of gratitude really effed me up. Anyway, because both DH and I were commuting to the city everyday, we'd have to wake up really early to catch our trains and I had to rush back from work in time for my baby's bath and sleep. She picked my baby from nursery every evening and after a few weeks started suggesting that we would need to look into a longer term solution for the nursery run as she may not be able to pick our baby all the time (we had already booked a place in a nearby nursery so she knew this arrangement was temporary). After a few months, she found someone online on the other side of the country and got on really well with him. Exactly 2.5 months later she announced she wanted to move back to her house (which was closer to where this bloke lived) and off she went to be near her new man friend. Two years later we are still here. Still no thank you or acknowledgement of the massive sacrifice we made by leaving everything and moving places for her.

[winterchills]

I love these type of threads!

[Clicketyclick21]

This thread truly is a gift that keeps giving even after almost a year since the op started it. There's no shortage of cfs in the world even during a pandemic! Remember people, good fences make good neighbours!

[Smileandtheworldsmileswithyou]

Can we make a new thread to keep this going once it’s full?