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Since I moved from NY 20 years ago, rentals have soared in price. When my daughter graduates from college, she's hoping to find employment in the city. But the question remains: where can she afford to live? Sunnyside and Astoria, once affordable areas, are now too expensive for a young person starting out, even with a roommate.

I welcome your suggestions -- even, other than Craigslist, how to find a roommate. She wants to be walkable to the subway, and again, safety is a priority.

I appreciate your feedback.

Since my upgrade isn't available till spring, I wanted to get an interim phone. It would be ridiculously expensive purchasing it outright from Verizon at this time. They recommended Craigslist -- which makes me uncomfortable.

--If I was to buy an IPhone or Galaxy from a stranger, and met at a Verizon store -- would the store be able to determine if I'm getting a phone in good working order?

--Is there a website that you'd recommend for a reputable company selling used phones?

Thanks for your input!

When my Verizon upgrade becomes available, I'd like to move into the 21st century and get rid of my old fashioned cell. I'm primarily interested in looking things up on the internet when I'm out -- and the usual phone stuff: talking, texting. I don't care about movies, I don't think I'd listen to music (though, maybe I would!) ....

I'm a technological dummy. The Verizon rep recommended the IPhone. He said it's easier to navigate ... and that's important to me. I like the 5" size of the Galaxy, plus I read that it holds a battery charge longer.

I appreciate your recommendations!

A friend accepted a position in N. Miami Beach. She is looking for a 2 br rental in a safe neighborhood that's cosmopolitan, affordable -- $1,300 or less -- and isn't a far commute to her new job. Any suggestions on the areas she should concentrate on?

Thanks very much.

We are thinking about taking a trip to Israel next December. (My daughter has been there on Birth Right. My husband and I have never been.) We're looking for suggestions in planning a fun, but cost-effective trip.

-- Some of my friends have said it's imperative to take a guided tour. Others say that by renting a car, we can do it easily on our own. What do you think, and is there any printed guide you'd recommend in planning a trip?

-- How many days would you say it takes to see everything one should see... and what should be on our 'must-see' list?

-- We don't have much flexibility with timing our trip. I understand December could be cold and rainy. Do you think that's a miserable time to visit?

Any other suggestions and advice is very welcome. Thank you!

For my daughter's 21st birthday, we'd like to do something memorable, that she couldn't legally do at 20. We were thinking a trip to the wine country might fit the bill. Looking for advice!

-- She can probably only get away during winter break from college. Is it miserable in northern California in December? If spring break works, is March much better?

-- Should we try to go to both Napa and Sonoma? Is there a difference in the two areas? Is one more interesting?

-- How many days should we allow in each area? Any recommendations of things to see, besides the wineries.?

--We're going to spend a couple of days in San Francisco as well. What area should we stay in?

We'll rent a car and drive around. While we expect the trip to be a bit pricey, we don't want to break the bank. Any suggestions you have would be great!

Thank you.

My daughter, who's in college, called this morning to tell me she was diagnosed with mono. She said she felt crummy yesterday -- headache, swollen glands, achy -- but she doesn't feel all that bad today.

She told her doctor that we're planning to go on a cruise for a week and he said she could still go. (This really surprised me.) She has a cabin to herself and can rest whenever she wants ... but -- if you've had mono before -- do you think she should go? (She said she wants to, as it would be relaxing.) Can you feel sort of okay one minute, and then horrible the next?

We'll be at sea for a couple of days with stop-overs in Nassau and Key West. Should we pack summer clothing? From your experience, is it warm enough to swim on the boat? Will we need sweaters or even jackets?

I don't want to bring a bunch of stuff -- just the right stuff! I really appreciate your suggestions.

I don't want to spend a ridiculous amount of money, nor do I want to go anywhere potentially dangerous -- I heard there's a fair amount of crime in Nassau -- but I'd like to have a fun day with my 20 year old daughter.

-- I read that the $29 Atlantis beach pass is a rip-off since it doesn't allow access to the pools. Do you think it's worth buying?

-- Is there any other beach club?

-- Is it safe to go to a public beach? Which would you recommend?

-- Are any of the tours they sell on the ship worth purchasing?

-- Anything else that would be fun, besides shopping?

I really appreciate your recommendations and suggestions!

We want to go on a 4-5 night cruise with my 20 year old daughter, when she comes home from school in December. (We'd be leaving from Florida.) We could either do this Christmas week, or the week before.

Over Christmas, I notice that the rates are pretty high. Not so much the week before. I want my daughter to have a really good time and hopefully meet up with people her age onboard. Does anyone have experience traveling the week before Christmas? Would my daughter be bored silly ... or should we go over Christmas?

Also -- where do 20 year olds hang out? She's too old for the teen club....

We're looking for someone with experience in locating and eradicating cat smells from a home. We expect that baseboards maybe even sheetrock will have to be replaced. (My husband has a rental home in Smyrna that the current tenant has trashed.)

I looked up contractors in Kudzu and Angie's List and left messages over the weekend, but none have called back! I"m not looking for lists -- I can find that myself -- I actually want recommendations of people who do this sort of work.

Thank you!

There's much said about medical tourism, and I'm curious to know what your experiences -- good and bad -- may be.

Prices are so much lower than in this country, that dealing with competent (and often U.S. trained) doctors sounds compelling.....

We were thinking of buying a new 4 cylinder Tacoma -- but we don't want to spend a lot of money. Apparently the model we want (without extended cab, just seating three people in front) isn't on every lot. Do you think we'll save money on a 2012 when the 2013 models come in -- and is that sometime over the summer?

I appreciate your input.

I've been pretty successful in finding authentic designer purses at Goodwill ... but I bought one today that I'm not sure about. (At $4.95 I'm not that concerned -- just curious.)

It's Tignanello -- has gold disks with name hanging from zippers -- kind of like a little leather backpack purse. From what I understand, though it's an Italian company, production is in China. What throws me off is the label; it's upside down! The leather feels very nice and the purse appears to be well made.

Could it be real ... or do I have a knockoff?

We're toying with getting a small to mid sized pick up truck. My husband will primarily use it to drive to work. Probably the biggest job we'll have is to attach a trailer to bring furniture to and from college.

My question is, if we want to spend less than $20,000 does it make sense to buy a Toyota Tacoma that's older with more miles (i.e. 58,000 miles -2006) or a Ford Ranger that's newer ( 18,000 miles - 2010). The two pick-ups are priced the same.

Also -- we see a lot of Tacomas with close to 100,000 miles selling for a good bit of money. Is there high risk in buying such a vehicle? We don't want to have to sink much money into the truck.

Thanks so much for your advice.

My husband and I want to buy a truck -- a used one is good -- that we can use for rather lightweight projects: hauling pinestraw, weekend antiquing, attaching a hitch to schlep my daughter's stuff to and from college....

Any recommendations for a vehicle that's reliable, maintains value, decent mileage, and that's easy enough to operate? (I'm not a super comfortable driver. My husband will be primary driver, though I'd use it on occasion.)

I appreciate your suggestions. Oh -- and if we can ideally keep it below 20K, that would be great.

Forty years ago, a friend spent the summer working on a kibbutz. She brought me back the coolest shirt -- sort of grungy, hippie looking, with patches from fabulous fabric.

My daughter left for Israel today. When asked what I want as a souvenir, I immediately thought of my old favorite shirt. I looked on line hoping to find something similar to show her -- but I came up empty. If I recall, my friend bought the shirt from a stall at an Arab market.

Does anybody know if they still sell stuff like this ... or am I just out of date!

I recall reading somewhere that once you've got an Arab stamp in your passport, you will not be allowed entree to Israel. I'm hoping this isn't true......

My husband had business in Saudi and Oman last year. We would like to tour around Israel and visit family and friends. Will there be a problem because of my husband's prior travels?

I appreciate your response.

I would adore a real Chanel, but even the resales are super expensive. I was thinking -- till I win the lottery! -- of purchasing a replica, but I'm worried it wouldn't pass muster, and look fake. (My husband bought me some *Coach* purses in Korea, that look horrible.)

Has anybody who's familar with Chanel quality, purchased bags from any of these sites? I'd appreciate input about quality, experience with an overseas company, etc..

Many thanks.