Can you move closer to the new job, reducing commute time and expenses?

Not necessarily, and not if you engage them in good conversation. And you don’t have to buy anything, just ask them “You say this is a high-quality fabric/construction — how do you tell?

There are, but you need some knowledge of fabric, design and sewing/manufacturing techniques to be able to assess them. Get into conversations with salespeople in high-end stores. Or in a local boutique that features and promotes designers in the area. Many of those salespeople and shop owners have studied fashion (at least fashion merchandising), clothing design and/or textiles. They’ll share knowledge while, yes, trying to sell you designer goods. But “designer” doesn’t have to mean “label.”

Dry cleaning

Good hotels have fantastic beds and pillows that make you say, “I want to live like this.”

You need to get out of Target and Amazon and spend about twice what you’re trying to budget for this. Forty bucks is going to get you crap.

Cool, thanks!

The only BIFL brand of vacuums I know of is Miele. And not the low-end ones.

The cheap Calphalon won’t last a lifetime. Several huh-quality brands have cheaper versions. And the pre-boxed sets are usually not best for most cooks’ needs. Buy open stock. High-end Calphalon or All-Clad for me.

Mohair. I’m sitting on my almost-20-year-old sofa right now. The stuff is fantastic. Cats don’t claw it, fur comes off pretty easily. Vomit wipes off/vacuums up easily. Human activities like eating and drinking do more damage than pets.

My mother bought 12 place settings of a beautiful Rosenthal pattern that I still use today. Noritake is good too, I believe — my sister bought that.