“Our Friendship Was Only Worth 25 Dollars”: 35 People Who Cut Ties With Their Friends

According to Reddit user u/fusillihair, what made them create their discussion about friendships going awry on the r/AskReddit online community were real-life examples.

"I was inspired to ask the question after seeing a relative's long-term 'friendship' break down. It made me curious about other people's experiences," the OP shared with us that they sought common ground with others, online.

What someone looks for in a great friend can vary a bit from person to person. We were curious what redditor u/fusillihair prioritizes in their own friendships.

"The things I value the most in a friendship is honesty," they highlighted the importance of openness and transparency.

"Friends should be able to trust what their friends are saying—without trust, there can be no friendship," the redditor explained just how fundamentally essential trust is between real friends.

"Friends being honest shows they value their relationship with you," they pointed out that this sort of mutual respect shows a proper investment in the relationship.

Meanwhile, Bored Panda wanted to get redditor u/fusillihair's take on some of the signs that someone may not have one's best interests at heart and that it might be time to rethink the 'friendship.'

"The biggest red flag I’ve noticed in friendships is when someone constantly takes advantage of you," the OP shared with us.

"It’s because they’re not scared of losing you and you become a means to an end."

Real friendships, at their very core, are about mutual respect, trust, and empathy. One-sided relationships based on exploitation and manipulation won’t last and can’t really be considered ‘friendships’ in the first place. But the reality is that sometimes folks simply can’t tell whether what they’ve got is the real deal or just a facade until it’s too late.

Fake friends who are in the relationship purely for their benefit will always take more than they give and won’t give a damn about your boundaries. They don’t understand the importance of reciprocity and will milk you for favors and money and emotional support. But when you ask them for the same things, they’ll always find a convenient excuse about how they’re incredibly sorry but they simply can’t help you. And how they’ll totally make it up to you next time… only to come up with another excuse then.

Not only that but fake friends are also often incorrigible gossips. A rule of thumb is that if someone’s spilling the tea about all of their social connections to you, they’re very likely to be blabbing all about you to their other buddies. Of course, gossip is a natural part of being a human being. But there are limits.

If someone asks you to keep a secret but you end up telling someone else, you’re effectively damaging your friendship. Everyone slips up from time to time, but it’s the bigger picture that matters here. Someone who isn’t able to keep private things private probably doesn’t deserve your trust in the future and likely doesn’t respect you enough. And you can’t have a genuine friendship without a firm foundation of trust and respect.

The same goes for promises. We all probably have at least one person somewhere in our social circle who constantly overpromises and underdelivers. Someone who’s constantly offering to help or to meet up, only to cancel the plans at the last possible minute, isn’t someone who can be trusted. Good friends offer us stability and stay true to their word. Poor friends only care about their own pleasure and don’t give a damn about others’ time and feelings.

Finally, an absolutely wonderful way to know for a fact whether someone values your friendship is to see how they behave when life serves a bunch of ups and downs to you at high speed. A great friend will weather any storm by your side, shoulder to shoulder, and will celebrate your successes.

So-called fair-weather friends, on the other hand, will only want to be a part of your life when everything’s sunshine and rainbows. The moment things get tough, they’ll be nowhere to be found… only to pop back up again when you sort your problems out yourself. 

It’s also worth noting here that folks who are jealous of you and try to put you down when you achieve some sort of success may not be worth spending much time around. And if you feel utterly drained, irritated, and upset after meeting up with someone, it may be worthwhile focusing on some of your other—healthier—relationships.