DR. WALLACE: I have a good girlfriend who comes from a much wealthier family than mine. She likes us to go shopping together, and she always finds a lot of things to buy. Typically, she'll buy four items for every one that I buy. Anything that catches her eye or she thinks might be useful to her, she'll usually buy!

But my budget is much tighter, so I'm much more discerning when it comes to selecting items, particularly clothing, that I know I'll wear and enjoy. I also tend to look for deals, good prices and specials so that I can stretch my money much further.

I was at her house last weekend and noticed that several of the items she bought on a shopping trip with me many months ago were hanging at the end of her closet, and I realized that I had never seen her wear any of them to school. I asked her about them, and she told me that some of them didn't fit her correctly, or she wasn't sure about them after she got home.

I mentioned to her that she may want to return them for store credit and get something else, but she simply acted like it wasn't a big deal. There was one item in particular that she bought that I really liked, and it just so happens that we are both about the same size. I would love to offer to buy it from her, but I could only afford maybe half of what she paid for it. Would it be in poor taste for me to let her know that I'm interested in one of the items she isn't even using and may never use? — She Has More Than She Needs, via email

SHE HAS MORE THAN SHE NEEDS: Maybe a good first step would be to ask her if you could try on the garment, and maybe even borrow it from her or "rent it" for a week at a very reasonable fee. She might not ask for anything monetarily from you but instead allow you to borrow the garment to see how you like it.

If this happens, then at that point you could wash it, return it to her in a clean condition and thank her profusely for allowing you to borrow it. Then if she indicates that she's not likely to wear it, then you might be able to tell her what budget you may be able to come up with to take that garment off her hands if she's interested. I feel this would be a tactful way to bring up the topic if you are bold enough and comfortable enough to do so.

WHAT SHOULD I DO ABOUT HIS MYSTERIOUS COMMENTS?

DR. WALLACE: I'm a college student, and I have a good part-time job at a local restaurant. I make very decent money for the hours I put in there, and it's definitely worth my time.

The only thing that's strange is that the manager I report to often makes very cryptic remarks to me regarding the work in general and the job I'm doing. Don't get me wrong, he's not saying anything inappropriate or untoward about me specifically, but he definitely likes to make these mysterious comments to me that are hard to interpret.

What should I do about this? I know I'm a good worker; I hustle, I'm enthusiastic and all my coworkers and especially our customers get along great with me. — Don't Understand His Mysterious Comments, via email

DON'T UNDERSTAND HIS MYSTERIOUS COMMENTS: My advice is to simply smile when you hear these comments and immediately resume working hard the way you've been working thus far. Who knows or cares what he's saying or thinking as long as he's not unduly encroaching on your private space or private life?

Some managers feel they derive power via the use of mysterious comments that can keep people who work under their supervision off balance. It's possible this may be one of his motivations, but of course there could be other reasons why he does this as well.

If there was any problem with your work performance, you would've heard about it by now for sure. So put your mind at ease, continue to be a good coworker and use your skills to their maximum effect during the time you're working at this job, and things should continue along fine for you. Ignore his mystery in a polite manner, and don't give it a second thought.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at rwallace@thegreatestgift.com. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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