Tracking Lent and Borrowed Items

Lent items have a way of disappearing into the ether. Ginkgo makes it easy to track what you’ve lent, to whom, and when.

Setting up a “Lent out” project

1. Create a project called “Lent out” (or similar)
2. When you lend something, add the item to the project
3. Update the item’s location to the borrower’s name: “At Sarah’s”
4. Add a note with the date and any details

When the item comes back

1. Update the item’s location to its home location
2. Remove it from the “Lent out” project

The item’s history will show that it was at Sarah’s between those dates, which can be useful if there’s ever a question about condition.

Tracking borrowed items

You can use the same approach in reverse: add borrowed items to a “Borrowed” project with a note of who they belong to and when you need to return them. This works well for tools, books, and anything else that passes between households.

Adding notes

Use the notes field to record:

• Who has the item
• Date lent
• Expected return date
• Any condition notes

Tags

Consider using a “On loan” tag in addition to the project — this makes it easy to filter your main inventory for items that are currently away from home.