How to Make Financial Amends with No Money

As a poor person you might be perplexed as to how you can ever repay some of your personal loans when it's all you can do to make ends meet.

Well, if you're creative and the person you owe the money to is receptive and doesn't necessarily need the money but is open to you paying funds back in various ways, there are many methods you can choose from.

For example, I know a well-to-do woman who had a friend pet and house sit for her for two weeks but while the lady was out of town the friend broke her cooktop then didn't tell her. The friend tried to make a clean getaway but the woman came back early and was outraged when she discovered the damage and even more so when she confronted her friend after discovering she hadn't planned on telling her about the incident. The woman, knowing that her friend could not afford the $600 it would cost to replace the item, offered to let her pal clean her house a few times to pay the bill. This is an example of how you can make a financial amend when you don't have the money.

Surprisingly enough, the friend didn't apologize or take the woman up on her offer which the woman could not fathom.

Others ways you can repay a friend or acquaintance who will allow it is to babysit, do their accounting if you have the skills, give them rides if they are without transportation or their car's in the shop, do research for them on the Web, run errands for them, organize their home, walk their dog, pet sit, redo their resume if they're job hunting, regift them with a nice gift, wash their car, take the vehicle in to get it serviced if needed, help out at their office or home, tutor their kids, groom their pet, do yardwork, house-sit, help them write school papers,help with moving, proofread, type documents, do their Christmas shopping, help them addressing invites or cards, offer to assist them with an elderly parent, put signs up, and help them with volunteer work they may be busy with.

Other ideas include cleaning their bathroom, cleaning out and/or defrosting their fridge, making meals, doing their laundry, cleaning out their garage, cutting out articles, putting pictures in photo albums, sorting through mail, dusting, mopping, sweeping, taking pets to the vet, sitting with elderly relatives, taking phone calls, delivering items, helping with inventory, putting price tags on items for upcoming yard sales, assisting at garage sales, helping plan parties, helping host events, writing letters, mailing packages, waitressing if they own a restaurant, helping out at their store if they're the owner, filing court documents, doing investigations if they're a private investigator, helping out at their flea market booth if they run one, doing marketing for their business, distributing flyers, and helping with computer support if you're technologically savvy.

You can brainstorm and come up with more, too, depending on their needs. The list is endless. Write all your ideas down so you can refer to them when needed.

The most important thing is that you make the offer and continue making the offer at least once a week if permissible. They may not need you on a particular day but sooner or later down the road. All kinds of things happen in people's lives such as births, illnesses, and deaths and you can be available to assist. Make sure they know that there is no expiration on your offer and check in with them often to make sure their needs have not changed. If your friend works at the library and gets approval from her boss, you can volunteer there. FYI, if you owe library fines most libraries will let you pay the bill by volunteering there to take care of the bill if you don't have the money. I did this. You can knock out most fines in a couple of days which I was allowed to do by signing people up for the Internet as they came up to the desk. I sat there and read a book until the next patron came up and it was a very easy way to repay the tab.

For instance, my sister, who owns her own company often asks others for help with research and some of her volunteer work, especially since she has been a little sick lately. In the past she has also allowed some people to help her out at her busy office answering phones, filing, greeting clients, running business errands; etc.

Some more creative ways you can help include writing articles for your friend's business, promoting it and giving tours of the company if authorized. If you have a friend who works for a volunteer organization you can help with their fundraisers if allowable. You can also speak at benefits if applicable. If your friend is a counselor you might assist with any support groups if qualified. If you are licensed or certified as a plumber, electrician, or any other service person with applicable skills you could repay your loan by doing any home repairs needed.

If your friend is deceased and you are left owing them money and you do not have the financial means to repay them you can offer to do some or all of the above tasks for the family as needed if that is acceptable to them. Again, you want to make sure that you continue to make the offers if this is okay with them and not just make a few attempts.

Then they will know you are serious.