Hi, Helaine: A few weeks ago, I attended a neighbor's house party. She invited me and a bunch of other gals over for coffee, mimosas, brunch and to view a clothing line a friend of hers is selling. After I said yes, I went online and saw the clothing line was a company where the seller earns money for every outfit she sells and every new salesperson she recruits. I decided to go anyway.

The clothes didn't wow me, and they cost too much. I didn't buy anything. My family is on a budget, and I didn't want to use my fun money this way. Almost everyone else bought one or two pieces of clothing.

The next time I saw my neighbor, she told me her friend is financially struggling, and it was expected I would buy at least one item when I said I would attend. She didn't tell me that when she issued the invite, but I nodded, not wanting to get into an argument with someone I see almost every day.

Her friend then followed up, texting me, asking if I would like to view the clothes again. I replied I couldn't afford to now. A week later, she texted me again. I ignored it. Now my neighbor is glaring at me when I see her. What do I do? -- Unhappy Shopper

Dear Unhappy Shopper: First of all, you were not invited to a "house party." You were invited to and attended a multilevel marketing sales event that took place in a home where brunch was served. It was up to you to decide whether to buy the items for sale, and how many items you wanted to buy if you did choose to do so. Under no condition are you obliged to purchase anything.

Your neighbor is in the wrong many times over. First, if she invited people over and expected them to make a purchase, she should have said so up front. Second, when you didn't buy anything, she shouldn't have tried to guilt-trip you into buying. Third, she shouldn't have told her friend to get in touch with you. Fourth, she should understand that there are people -- and it sounds like you are one -- who are uncomfortable with the multilevel marketing model.

And you know what? You are right to be uncomfortable! Studies show most people will make little money, if not lose money entirely, when they sign up for these things. That likely accounts for the desperation and the constant texting.

The next time you see your neighbor, say a cheery hello. If this topic comes up again, suggest she hold a traditional fundraiser for her friend and say you'll be happy to contribute to it. My guess is that will be the end of it.

As for the texter, I'm afraid you'll need to be firm. Thank her for the showing, but say you won't be making a purchase. Then you can ignore -- or block -- any future texts.

(To ask Helaine a question, email her at askhelaine@gmail.com.)

(EDITORS: For editorial questions, please contact Sue Roush at sroush@amuniversal.com)

Dear Helaine: I'm in my early 30s. Three years ago, I had two job offers. One was close to home and near my friends and family, paying $50,000. The other was on the other side of the country, paying $72,000, in an area with a higher median income.

I was fresh out of grad school, frustrated with living with my parents and thought it would be nice to make some good money and explore a new life. So I took the higher offer and moved. Three years later ... I am miserable. Yes, the work is moderately interesting and offers great experience and skill-building, but I have no friends here, my co-workers are uniformly awful people, and I just overall hate living here.

The job situation is not much different than it was three years ago. The jobs I am a match for don't pay more than $60,000 back where I am from, and that's a generous estimate. The cost of living is higher, so even if I could make it work, my margin for savings, investing and traveling, which I've done a lot of the past three years, would get a lot tighter.

How much of a pay cut is it worth taking at this time in my life? What do I need to consider to help me make this decision? I don't want to go any longer being financially secure but personally miserable, but I might be putting myself in the reverse situation if I move back. -- Hopefully Homeward Bound

Dear Hopefully Homeward Bound: I feel your pain. It's very hard to feel like a fish out of water, year after year. At a certain point, it's your life; you can't go backward in time, and staying in a job you don't particularly like in a city you are not happy in isn't worth it. You took a leap into the unknown. It worked financially but not emotionally.

Cities and regions have their ways and modes of communication, and sometimes it's not a match. I'm not going to give you a lecture about joining Meetup to make new friends with your interests, or suggest you look for a new employer in this town. I assume you've already thought of that.

So what should you do next? You could work on budgeting. Come up with the amount of money you would need to live on in your hometown, and use that as your guide. At the same time, you could slowly and methodically explore other cities and see what your options are in them. There are not, after all, only two places to live in the United States. It's a big country! You could very well find another city that offers you a decent living, work you enjoy and a congenial lifestyle. Happy hunting!

(To ask Helaine a question, email her at askhelaine@gmail.com.)

(EDITORS: For editorial questions, please contact Sue Roush at sroush@amuniversal.com)

Dear Helaine: I'm in my late 20s with a good but short credit history. For the past three years, I've been aggressively paying down my student loan, and I expect to have it fully paid off by early next year. I also have one credit card through my credit union, which I use sparingly and pay off every month. I've only had this credit card for a year.

Since my student loan will no longer be on my credit report, I'd like to make sure I still have a strong credit score, and I am thinking a second credit card (preferably with airline miles) would be a good option. I know that closing my student loan could impact my credit a bit, and then opening the new account could do the same. What do you think? -- Future Score

Dear Future Score: Letters like yours are one of the things that make me want to scream -- and show the limits of the credit scoring system as it exists now. In any rational world, paying off your student loan would count as a positive. But in the crazy, mixed-up world of credit scores, it could be a negative, at least in the short run. That's because your average length of time of open credit will go down, says Anthony Davenport, the author of "Your Score: An Insider's Secrets to Understanding, Controlling and Protecting Your Credit Score."

What would I suggest? Since you have a relatively short and light credit history, a second card could help you out a bit over the long haul -- provided, that is, it's used in a way similar to what you are doing now.

The issue involves credit utilization. That's judged on a card-by-card basis. How does that work exactly? As Davenport puts it, pretend for a moment that you have a credit card with a limit of $5,000 and one with a limit of $10,000. If you put $1,000 on each card, your score is hurt more because of the $5,000 limit card.

One last note: Obviously, running up bills you can't pay is a negative, but it sounds like your habits are good, and you won't be doing that. And congrats on (almost) getting that student loan out of your life!

(To ask Helaine a question, email her at askhelaine@gmail.com.)

(EDITORS: For editorial questions, please contact Sue Roush at sroush@amuniversal.com)