Never lend these 8 things to anyone, or you will attract poverty and curses.

Here are the 8 things that folklore and superstition suggest you should never lend to anyone.

1. Your Wallet or Purse

Lending your wallet is seen as handing over your financial stability. It is believed that your wallet attracts and holds money; if someone else carries it, they are disrupting its “flow” and taking your wealth with them.

The Belief: You will struggle to hold onto money afterward.
Alternative: If someone needs money, take the cash out and hand it to them. Never hand over the wallet itself.

2. Salt

Salt is one of the most powerful protective and purifying agents in superstition. It represents preservation and prosperity. To give away your salt is to give away your ability to “preserve” your wealth.

The Belief: It invites arguments and poverty into the home because you have given away your protection.
The Rule: If someone asks to borrow salt (common in old neighborhoods), don’t hand it to them. Let them take it themselves, or better yet, give it as a gift without expecting it back.

3. Bread (or Your Last Food)

Bread is a universal symbol of sustenance and life. Lending or giving away your last loaf or last piece of food is considered incredibly unlucky.

The Belief: It signifies that you are willingly making yourself destitute, which invites hunger and poverty to your door.
Note: This is often differentiated from charity. If you have plenty, sharing is blessed. If it is your last of something, keeping it is seen as protecting your future.

4. Knives or Sharp Objects

Lending a knife is believed to “sever” the friendship or relationship. Because knives are used for cutting and are associated with conflict, handing one over is seen as inviting arguments.

The Belief: It cuts the bond of friendship and can cause the lender to be “cut off” from their own luck.
The Solution: If someone needs a knife, place it on a table and let them pick it up. Never hand it directly to them.

5. A Broom

Brooms are highly symbolic in superstition. They are used to “sweep away” negativity and dirt, both physical and spiritual. Lending your broom means you are lending the tool that cleanses your home.

The Belief: You are sweeping the luck out of your house and inviting the borrower’s negative energy (dirt) into your life.
Tradition: In some cultures, if you move to a new house, you must buy a new broom; never bring an old one, as it carries the old energy.

6. Money (Especially if you are angry)

While lending money is common, this superstition focuses on the energy behind the loan. Lending money, especially if you feel reluctant, annoyed, or like you won’t get it back, is said to cement a cycle of poverty.

The Belief: The negative emotion attached to the money creates a block in your own financial flow. You are essentially paying to bring bad luck into your own life.
The Mindset: If you do lend money, it is advised to do so freely and without expectation, or simply consider it a gift to avoid the spiritual debt.

7. Candles or Candle Holders

Candles represent the element of fire, which is linked to passion, drive, and spiritual light. Lending a candle that has been lit in your home means giving away a piece of your inner fire and motivation.

The Belief: It can extinguish your own opportunities and leave you feeling drained or unmotivated.

8. Your Shoes

Shoes carry the imprint of your journey and your path in life. They absorb the energy of the ground you walk on. Lending your shoes allows someone else to walk in your path, potentially leading them to take the opportunities meant for you.

The Belief: It can cause you to “lose your way” financially or personally, while they gain the footing you had built for yourself.

A Modern Perspective

In today’s world, we understand that a friend borrowing a wallet or a knife won’t literally curse you. However, these superstitions persist for two good reasons:

Hygiene & Wear: Some items (shoes, brooms) are personal and wear out.
Boundaries: These “rules” give people a cultural excuse to set boundaries without being rude. Saying, “I’m sorry, it’s bad luck to lend my salt,” is often easier than saying, “I don’t want to give you my things.”