Situation with friend over ticket/money

Censorsh!t

So a week ago I went off to a festival in Belgium with my friends. I wasnt supposed to be going in the first place because I couldnt afford going.
My friend had bought an extra ticket and couldnt get rid of it so he asked me quite a few times, to the extent where he eventually offered me the ticket for free. I refused again as I didnt want to just take it, but he insisted as there would be nobody else taking it, and seen as my dad had come a few years ago with us and lent said friend money and helped out.
So in the end I took it and he said it was all good and was happy I took it. I was then in charge of booking a hotel for two nights. So I did this for everyone, then got a text from him asking me to pay for his hotel. I said I'd pay half because I couldnt really afford to pay for both mine and his.
Then for the whole week we were there he would get pissy if i didnt buy his train tickets/ bus tickets etc and was moody with me (and everyone else) in general for the whole week.
I get completely that it was nice of him to offer me the ticket for free, but when he offered it for free, it should have been just that. And now he is pissed off at me for not paying for things for him over there (even though I did buy him a drink now and again/payed half his hotel). He is now bitching about me to both his and my friends.
I'm not sure if I should bring the issue up with him. I'm pretty frustrated at it. I want to confront him, but then I dont want to seem unthankful about him giving me a ticket.

Miss Fluff

You should definitely bring it up with him. As long as you were clear that you were not well off and that he was clear it was a gift, then he is bang out of order, especially when you paid towards his hotel and bought drinks etc.

Xterminator

did you ever hear the saying 'no such thing as a free lunch'?

that comes to mind.

if i was you id see my friend on his own, and tell him, "listen i appriciated the ticket, but i was skint, i couldnt pay for your stuff".

I'd keep it friendly in tone, but just tell him straight. Explain that you would have not been able to go as money was tight, sorry, and you will by himn a drink next time your out together.

Then dont take any more crap from him after that.

X

You know what, most people are like that. That's why I no longer ever take anything for free, because I can't stand feeling indebted. Some friends asked me to join them in a villa abroad for free this week (they'd paid in full and had a spare room) but I declined and told them I couldn't afford it. They kept begging but I just said no. They are lovely girls but no doubt they'd expect me to at least buy drinks or a meal, and I just don't have the money. I think some people just don't have a concept of 'no money'. They look at it as, they just saved you paying for something, when in reality you never would have bought the thing in the first place if it wasn't offered. They think the money you saved on the ticket can be used to buy hotel rooms and drinks, somehow not realising that the money for the ticket was never there in the first place. I'd nearly be sure this is how your friend is thinking. In the future, either just decline, or make it clear, spell it out, that you're broke and you won't be buying things for them.

Censorsh!t

Thanks for the replies.

I probably should have known in the first place, as he has a thing for chancing his arm to get things out of people.
I'll bring it up when I next see him and explain to him. And if he doesn't get my side of the story then it's not my problem, he'll learn to not give things away for 'free' next time, and i'll have learnt not to accept things for free.

freakmagnet

I totally agree.. i remember a friend and her new BF putting me up in Oz... i didn't know him too well, and because i was staying with them - i felt i had to get everything - from drinks to meals etc etc... i mean, it actually did cost me MUCH more than if i had of just booked into a hostel - which i would of preferred.. but she insisted.. and one doesn't want to appear rude...

Anyway though, i would totally take the bull by the horns - literally state exactly what you said above. I wouldn't mind about the telling of friends - they'll forget, it'll blow over. But he.. well he won't forget, so i'd tackle it with him without being too confrontational.

D-Generate

There is no such thing as a free lunch and also from the great Shakespeare, "Neither a borrower nor a lender be; For loan oft loses both itself and friend".