Hey you know what they say - you can choose your friends, but you can't choose your relatives.

My husband's cousin phoned from S Africa last week, and aked if he could borrow $600. He hasnt worked in a couple of months, and he already owes us $1000! (It's not like he is going to be out on the street either - he still lives with his Mum and Dad) We discussed it and I told my hubby that, quite frankly, I would rather donate the money to our local shelter. At least it would be put to good use and I KNOW his cousin will never pay us back. (But if the cousin had been asking for money for his PETS I would have forked over gladly!)