Bargain hunter’s bragging tries her friend’s patience

Dear Abby: I have a friend I’ll call Rose who likes to brag about how cheap she is. Rose likes to draw attention to herself every time she wears something new by asking how I like it. Then she will tell me where she got it and how much it cost. I couldn’t be less interested, and I’m tired of hearing about her tacky, cheap clothes.

I like her as a friend, but I am about ready to tell her to shut up! How can I get across that I don’t want to hear about her clothes? Dear Tired: Try this: Say, “Rose, honey, you know how much I like you, but I wish you would stop talking about your wardrobe with me. You are interesting on so many other levels, and I’m just not into fashion.”

Dear Abby: Our friend’s adult daughter has been dating a guy my friend does not approve of. The daughter moved in with him and told my husband and me. We agreed to say nothing because we didn’t want to get in the middle.

The daughter recently told her mother (our friend) that she and the guy are living together and that we knew. Now her mom is no longer talking to us or to her daughter. Is there a way we could have handled it differently? Is there any way I can repair the situation? Dear Missing: You should have told the daughter to level with her mom. And as to how to repair the breach — all you can do is continue apologizing and hope that eventually your friend’s fury will dissipate.