Dear Answer Angel Ellen: I am a June college graduate feeling enormously grateful to have a post-college job. I have a little (very little) money from my part-time jobs to start apartment life (with several roommates) and am looking for shopping tips to furnish our first place.

Me and my roommates are looking for just about everything needed to start living in our apartment.

--Alexis D.

Dear Alexis: Thrift shops! Goodwill, Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity ReStores and the like are especially helpful when you’re starting from scratch.

Bottom line: Don’t pay full price at Target, Walmart, Meijer or the other big-box retailers until after you take your shopping list to local resale stores. You’ll be surprised at the well-priced silverware, glasses, coffee cups (so many!), pots and pans, dishware, serving and cooking utensils, knives, coffeemakers and more.

And that’s just the kitchen.

You’ll also find basic tools like hammers and screwdrivers. There are shelves crammed with sheets and towels, bedspreads, table runners, place mats, bath mats, doormats and plenty of framed art where the frames themselves are a huge bargain.

Do not pay full price for a bed frame! Some Habitats sell new mattresses and I’ve seen almost-new chairs, sofas, side tables and coffee tables there too.

Convinced yet? Don’t forget Facebook Marketplace and neighborhood online sites.

For another reason to shop at thrifts see what readers Jim and Nancy have to say below…

Dear Answer Angel Ellen: What is it with senior ladies dying their hair purple? At my local gym it seems at least a third have some shade of lavender or deep purple hair. I don’t know if they are trying to look hip but it just reminds me of my kids’ “My Little Ponies.”

--Joan B.

Dear Joan: Purple hair is not confined to “senior ladies.” There are plenty of women of all ages who have turned their hair purple as well as green, blue, pink, bright red or screaming yellow using temporary, semi-permanent or permanent products.

Maybe what you’re seeing at your gym is a bunch of fun-loving members of a book club who en masse decided to color their hair an offbeat shade. Or, more likely, they are women of a certain age whose hair has now turned gray or white. Those natural shades sometimes have a yellowish cast.

The solution to that problem is what is generically called purple shampoo (available at drug stores), which I’ve written about here before. It eliminates the yellow but it’s also easy to overdo it and acquire an unintended purple/lavender cast.

I use purple shampoo successfully to tone down the brassy sun-bleached color of the highly artificial blond streaks in my own brown hair. So far, no purple hair for me.

Angelic Readers

Jim D. has a suggestion for reader Phillip N. who was looking for a clock radio that doesn’t require an instruction manual to set the time, the alarm or to choose a radio station: “He can go to Goodwill or any thrift store. There are always several clock radios there and most are older and easier to set. Mine is probably from the ’80s and it’s simple. Plus the price is right.” Nancy B. did the same thing and paid $5 for hers: “I’d suggest a clock radio from the 1980s or 1990s. General Electrics from then are pretty good and are self-explanatory to set.” Carter B. eliminates the clock altogether: “I plug my iPhone into a charger and prop it up on its side and a clock face appears. You can connect to a nearby inexpensive Bluetooth speaker for quality music. Great for travel.”

From Lois G.: “When you suggested an array of products to help reader Hannah T. who was looking for a solution to her skimpy blond eyebrows why did you neglect to mention the best eyebrow pencil made? It is Estée Lauder’s The Brow Multi-Tasker (esteelauder.com, ulta.com, macys.com, nordstrom.com, $31). When I thought Estée Lauder had discontinued this product, I purchased one of those drugstore brands. It was about half the cost, but it was worthless. I tossed it when I discovered that Estée Lauder had not discontinued their fabulous product. Some of the problems experienced with eyebrow pencils are more with the user not knowing how to use it properly. This is one of the best reasons to go to the cosmetic counter and talk to an expert.”

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