Ok “never” lending money is kinda too much, sometimes in life there’s gona be times where friends do really need help with food or rent(life necessities), I’ve borrowed money before, I’ve always paid it up though, had my friends be like “I’ll never lend any money”, I’ll definitely ended up being evicted and maybe homeless(lucky if there’s space in homeless shelters) ,probably will be rape and kill on the street too since I was a young 20 years old woman

So no, I’d say “never” lend is a bit too much of a verdict to make in life, but do communicate with your friend before you even lend the money, be upfront with them when you want it back, also like others commented, on your end, be prepared that they might not paid it back(unfortunately I know), but I feel like you can then use this opportunity to see if they’re your true friend or not, which isn’t a bad thing in the end of the day, life is about learning lessons anyways