I love loaning books and board games to friends. I have a big collection of both, so chances are I can go without any particular title for a while without missing it. It’s always a fun feeling to find something I think somebody will like and be able to send it home with them to try out. The problem, of course, is keeping track of who’s got what.
You Borrowed It is a simple little app (for iOS or Android) that keeps a list of things people have borrowed from you.
The interface is pretty simple and bare-bones, but it’s functional. You type in an item description and optionally take a photo of the item. There’s also a “cash” button in case you’re lending money. Then you select a contact from your address book. (I guess it might be nice to be able to type in a name, but maybe the assumption is that if you’re loaning something to somebody you’ll have them in your contacts list.)
Then you pick a due date: there are default buttons for today, tomorrow, this week, next week, next month, or you can pick a date. I do think it’s funny that you can put “today” as a due date, and I would love to have an option of leaving the due date blank, since quite often I don’t have a particular date in mind. (It’s mandatory to select a date.) You can decide whether to add the due date to your calendar.
Finally, you add it to your YBI list. Tap the “Borrowed Items” button to see a list of items you’ve got loaned out, in order of due date. If somebody returns something, just tap the item and hit the “Return Item” button. You can also add a note if you want: “Bob really loved Tigerman.” (He should; it’s an excellent book.)
On the Borrowed Items page, you can also switch to “Archive” to see things that you’ve loaned out in the past that have already been returned. It’s nice that it keeps this record, in case you discover that your copy of King of New York is missing a die.
You Borrowed It isn’t fancy, but it gets the job done. I’ve been using it for a few months and it’s much easier than the little notebook I’d been using—not least because I kept misplacing the notebook, or would have to go look for it if I wanted to find out what I had loaned out. With the app, as long as I have my phone with me, I can look things up, and add new items. It’s only a buck, so well worth it if your friends frequently borrow things from you.
Disclosure: GeekDad received this app for review.
