Why borrowing makes sense

Ownership is overrated… With reuse and low waste high on the green agenda, there’s a lot to be said for borrowing, says Iona Bower

When I was growing up, my best friend Katherine lived two doors down. We shared many adventures but we also shared possessions. From a There Might Be Giants album ( hers), to a copy of

Flowers in the Attic (mine) to a Rimmel Heather Shimmer lipstick (neither of us was sure), we loved to borrow. We had, essentially, one single, shared floordrobe. Despite being more willowy than I, she gamely allowed me to borrow and stretch most of her Topshop wares and in return she had permanent access to my more accommodating wardrobe. Luckily for her, the mid-90s brought grunge and shapeless clothing was de rigueur.

We grew up and, 20-plus years on, continue to borrow. I still have a rather nice coat of hers in my wardrobe, our children’s clothes are handed between us. And, unspokenly, I know that if I ever needed to borrow a top, or money, or

something more important, she would give it to me, and I her. Topshop peasant skirts and Rimmel lipstick cemented our friendship but the act of borrowing represented a lifetime of trust.

Borrowing is good both for friendship and the soul; but it’s often had a bad press. We have, ringing in our collective cultural ears, the words of Polonius: ‘neither a borrower nor a lender be’. Wanting to borrow implies one cannot afford. But if you appreciate borrowing’s deeper beauty… and also have a streak of shamelessness about you, yours is the earth and everything that’s in it.

If you’re less shameless than me, worry not, for borrowing is getting a rebranding. You just need to get out there and ask.

OCCASION SPECIALS

Expecting 30 for Christmas dinner? Lovely! Are you secretly a Russian oligarch with a banqueting hall that lies unused 50 weeks of the year? Thought not… If you don’t want to buy (and then have to store)

30 dining chairs and three trestle tables, head to your local borrow shop.

Borroclub ( borroclub.co.uk) began in Birmingham five years ago and now operates nationwide. You can sign up as a lender or borrower (or both), browse the wares and pay a daily fee for the items you want. There are categories for everything from parties and pets to catering and car equipment. It’s an online Aladdin’s cave you can lose yourself in for hours and emerge, having decided to give skiing a go (well the kit’s only £2.50 a day), or to treat your family to a cycle-powered smoothie maker ( yes, really) for the weekend. In fact, there’s a whole category for ‘Christmas’. While you’re picking up your trestle table (£10) you might also borrow a couple of air beds (63p a day). For £67 a day you could even borrow a projector and show your guests all your holiday photos after lunch! That should ensure they don’t all descend on you for Christmas again. And best of all, you’re quids in at an expensive time of year. “I’ve been really surprised at the savings,” says founder Matt Dredger. “One family told us they borrowed a roof box and a cool box for their holiday, and what they saved on buying those two items new paid for the whole holiday!”

If you lose or damage an item, the owner retains the deposit they set, but Matt says they’ve never yet had this happen. “People just seem to treat others’ things with more respect than their own.”

A GREENER WAY TO OWN

Extra cash in your pocket is always welcome, but borrowing also brings the glow of a job ecologically carried out. Furniture giant Ikea recently announced it is renting out office furniture with a view to also renting kitchens and home furniture, in a bid to be more environmentally friendly.

Sounds innovative, but it’s something smaller folk all over the country have been getting on with quietly for years. Chris Hellawell is founder of Edinburgh Tool Library (edinburghtoollibrary.org.uk), the first and biggest of many across the UK. They started renting out the tools from an old police phone box (add your own Tardis joke here). But these days they’ve got grants, storage space and two workshops. Edinburgh may have got in there first but there are more than 10 now across Scotland and more all over the UK ( localtools.org can help you find your nearest). Borrowing is big.

“Power tools are popular,” says Chris. “We’ve had one cordless drill that’s basically been on loan for two years. The average cordless drill gets 13 minutes of use in its lifetime and has an environmental impact of 28g of carbon. So far, 87 people have borrowed this one and 86 cordless drills haven’t had to be manufactured.” A win-win for our purses and the planet. »

SHORT- TERM GAIN

But there’s a much more frivolous and fun side to the new borrowing, too. Harth is a high-end library of things where you can borrow designer items for a party or just for fun, allowing anyone to experience the buzz of temporarily owning a piano, a designer armchair or piece of art ( harth.space). The idea of being able to inhabit another world for a short time is enchanting. I’ve always thought of myself as someone who might have a harp sitting about their living room.

Joking aside, things like musical instruments and other ‘hobby’ items are a great borrow, allowing you to try out a new pastime with no commitment. It’s a particularly good idea for children’s hobbies, where you may want to ‘upsize’ the equipment as time goes on. Yorkshire Bike Library ( bikelibraries.yorkshire.com) allows you to borrow a child’s bike for a year or more and exchange it as they grow.

LEND OF A FRIEND

Borrowing need not stop at the inanimate. Thinking of getting a dog? First, try borrowmydoggy.com. Once you know a pooch will suit your lifestyle, you can get your own. Nothing worse than being stuck in a houseshare with a dachshund – or worse, a great dane – that’s not working out.

If a borrowed doggy doesn’t quite cut it in the conversation stakes, you could hop over to France and hire a granny. The grandmères are available through an app, called Lou Papé, and come to your house to home-cook you a meal and have a chat. In Finland, there’s a Rent a Finn campaign where tourists can win a Finn to show them around their countryside and spread a little famous Scandi happiness. Even on British soil, borrowing culture is full of opportunities for friendship, from Libraries of Things to Little Free Libraries*. Back at the Edinburgh Tool Library, Chris says one of the best things to come out of the enterprise is the relationships built. “We’re social engineering, getting people mixing whose paths ordinarily wouldn’t cross.” The very act of borrowing, in fact, makes us feel good.

Back home, I’m meeting an old friend… Clinical psychologist, Dr Katherine Preedy, tells me that borrowing could be good for the wellbeing of the lender as well as the borrower. “Research has shown that after asking for small favours, people were rated as more likeable. That’s probably because it increases the self-perception of the person giving the favour as someone who is trustworthy and generous. Helping others can increase our sense of connectivity and community, which, in turn, increases our sense of wellbeing.” I’m very glad to hear this. I’ve still got Dr Preedy’s coat in my wardrobe upstairs, and one of the buttons has come off.