This reader posted in our Ask Savvy community group, seeking advice on how to thank someone professionally.

A director at my organization has recommended me for a promotion and is organizing a significant pay rise for me. I have been working very hard, but it's still unexpected and very flattering. This sort of thing just doesn't happen (well, at least not to me)! He's leaving the company at the end of the month, and I want to tell him how appreciative I am that he recognized my potential. I only found out about his recommendations through my manager in my recent performance review though, and the director hasn't brought it up with me. If anyone has any suggestions on the proper way to say thank you in this sort of situation, I'd be very grateful. We work in an open-plan office, and no one other than my manager knows about the promotion yet, so I'm finding it hard to figure out how I can bring this up with the director without everyone hearing that I'm going to be promoted. 

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This reader posted in our Ask Savvy group for advice on how to stop being a workplace "borrower."

I just realized that I am a "workplace borrower". I borrow pens, forks, coffee creamer, etc. with EVERY intention of replenishing, but always forget because I am an unorganized sales rep. I feel terrible as I count out all the things I have been "borrowing" and know my co-workers must hate me. How do I dig myself out of this hole?

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This anonymous poster in our Savvy Confessions group wants to know if there's anyone out there who has advice for a young couple buried in debt.

I graduated in 2010 and my boyfriend and I really want to get married, but I'm so buried in debt from putting myself through school that it feels like we'll never be able to afford a decent place, let alone a wedding and a family. Anyone out there in a similar situation or have some advice?

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This reader posted in our Ask Savvy group for advice on getting a job in another city.

I've been applying for a couple months now and have clearly stated in my cover letter that I plan to relocate. I'm trying to be responsible financially and not move to the new city until I have a job lined up. As soon as I get an offer, I'm prepared to put in my two weeks notice and move right away. But how can I best convey this to hiring managers?

I've clearly stated in my cover letter that I am planning to relocate. I've already been rejected once due to the company only wanting to consider local applicants at the time.

I'm wondering if there is anything else I can do to make my résumé or cover letter stand out, or if many employers see a nonlocal address and put the application in an automatic "no" pile.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

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This post was submitted (anonymously, as always) to our Savvy Confessions group. Got any advice? Leave it in the comments.

Hi, fellow Savvy Confessors. I've got an issue I've been struggling with that I could seriously use some help on. I am in a job where I am paid to be "available." I am paid salary (based on an hourly rate at 40 hours a week) regardless of how little or how much I work. Some weeks I work four hours, and some weeks I work 40. Sometimes I have whole weeks off at a time — but only with extremely last-minute notice. Usually, I don't know my schedule until late the night before or early in the morning the day of.

There have been only three times since I started this job almost two years ago that I have gone over 40 hours, but I was compensated for overtime. I am on the books and paid weekly via direct deposit, but receive absolutely no benefits — health, dental, 401(k), etc. After 20 months, I am still on the same salary as when I started. For the most part, it's an amazing job — the actual work is really rewarding, my boss is really nice and friendly, and (as you can see with my fluctuating schedule) I have plenty of downtime to myself. All in all — a really awesome job!!

So what's the problem? Read on.

Have you ever dealt with a co-worker's hygiene issue? Offer your advice and thoughts to this reader who posted in our Ask Savvy group.

Ok, so a co-worker of mine VERY casually mentioned to me that she has bed bugs. She spoke as if she got "rid" of them but what was still itchy because of paranoia ("They're gone but I'm still itchy . . . I think it's just in my head" is more or less what she was saying). I KNOW that just vacuuming won't get rid of those things. I told her "you need to throw things away and find the source." I was so stunned that I couldn't remember if I also told her to call pest control. Just that when I told her to throw things away she replied with "it's so expensive to get rid of things" and she was looking at cheap alternatives online. She was also focused on the fact she thinks it's her sister's fault for being messy (I know being messy doesn't help but it's not necessarily the cause of the issue either). 

When I repeated the part of getting rid of things she said "oh, maybe it's the carpet . . . I don't like that carpet anyway." I panicked and a few minutes later I spoke with the VP's assistant (we are a small business  with eight people in my department and 25-50 people or so total. We also deal with about 14,000 customer needs a month too.)

Read on for more.

This reader posted in our anonymous Savvy Confessions group, saying that she's frustrated with her pay.

I know it's a rule that talking about how much you make at work is forbidden. I have been at my job for five years and I recently found out that someone who does significantly less work, has only been with the company for two years, works at a lower position, and does not have a degree makes the same as I do. It's very frustrating because I still live at home and am saving as I cannot afford the cost of living on my own with the amount I make. Not only does she make as much as me, but she also doesn't use our health insurance (she gets it from the state as a single mom) or invest in her 401(k), so she probably takes home twice as much as me! I would never not pay for my insurance or not invest in my retirement just so I can have more money in my pocket. With my review coming up, I just pray that my boss compensates me fairly for all the hard work I do.

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This reader posted in our anonymous Savvy Confessions group, asking if how she should behave with her friends since she makes a lot more money than they do. Do you have any advice for her?

I make more money than my friends. Like a lot more. Many of them are barely scraping by while I'm living comfortably. I feel really bad about it and I try to cover up my lifestyle by not talking about the trips I'm taking and never inviting them over to see my apartment. I don't want to flaunt what I have in front of them. Many are working nonprofit jobs and are still students while I have been out in the workforce for a while and am pretty successful. How do you think I should act? It's quite stressful but I do it so that my friends won't feel uncomfortable but maybe I'm overthinking this. What do you think? I need a second opinion!

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This reader posted in our anonymous Savvy Confessions group, asking if she should continue charitable contributions now that she's unemployed. Do you have any advice for her?

I've been a sponsor of a child through a charitable organization for the past few years. However, I recently became unemployed and I am trying to find ways to save and cut costs. I've been debating about whether I should stop sponsoring the child, but of course, I would feel bad discontinuing my donations. Should I be thinking of my own finances first?

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This reader posted in our anonymous Savvy Confessions group, asking how to deal with a boss who doesn't appreciate her. Do you have any advice for her?

I recently started working for this company and I don't have much experience in the field so I had to learn a lot on the job. I've been working here for three months, and they put a lot of pressure on the employees to get things done quickly and well.

Most of the mistakes that I make are due to the fact that I'm still trying to get the hang of things. But otherwise, I'm one of the fastest workers. However, my boss just sees the mistakes. I go to work early, but he just notices that I'm one of the first people that go home (it's actually the hour that everyone is supposed to leave at). I live far from my work, so I don't want to go home too late. And most of the time, I do go back late. This leaves me with no time to clean my place and work out. I'm getting frustrated because I don't have time to myself. I love what I'm doing and I had studied for this, but it is shock, because when I was at college, I had part-time jobs and I found time for everything and now . . .

My contract is for a limited time, and I'm afraid that they won't renew it. I need to turn the things around and I don't know how.

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This reader posted in our anonymous Savvy Confessions group, asking if she should confess to a mistake she made at work. Do you have any advice for her?

I've recently started working at a new job, and a few days ago I realized I made a mistake on a project I've already submitted. The drafts were seen by my boss and by the client, and neither of them picked up the mistake, which is actually a bit odd. I know that once this project is released someone is bound to pick up on the mistake and the client will be really angry. I'm losing sleep over this, the mistake can't be rectified (it's been printed about 30,000 times) but I don't know if there's any point to coming clean because there's nothing anyone can do now. Should I wait until the mistake is noticed and then apologize profusely? I'm scared I'm going to lose my job over this and I hate thinking that because I really love my new job. I haven't told anyone about this, not even my partner, because unfortunately it's not the first time I've overlooked an important detail and I feel so embarrassed. I'm having a lot of problems in my personal life right now and my great new job has been the best part of my life for the last few weeks. I really don't want to mess that up too . . . if anyone has any advice I would really welcome it.

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This reader posted in our anonymous Savvy Confessions group, asking how she might live it up on a small income without going into debt. Do you have any advice for her?

I finally found an apartment that I can afford and I'm moving out of my parents' house in about a month. I'm usually pretty good with money, if you look past the occasional dress buying, and have never been in the red. I'm scared that once I move out I will have to cut down on an already-minimal social life to avoid debt. I would like to be able to visit out-of-town friends once in a while and go on small trips and vacations, but how do I do it on a small income (I'm a college student) without ending up in debt?

Pose your own anonymous questions or off-load your work confessions by posting in the Savvy Confessions group, and I'll find the right expert to help you out.

Have you ever dealt with an unpleasant co-worker? If so, offer up your advice to a reader who is thinking of leaving her job because of her colleague. And if you have any questions of your own, ask them in the Ask Savvy group!

I work as the sole designer for a small company dealing with breast cancer patients. I love helping people and I love what I do! I have been with this company for three years, longer than anyone else on the current team. Six months ago, we brought in a few new employees in the production department. One of these employees has been consistently going out of her way to make inconsiderate remarks about any design concept and artwork I've worked on, referring to my work as "clip art," among other negative terms. Most of the time she just makes these comments in passing, when I am midproject or consulting someone else. She butts in and rips my work apart and makes fun of it in the process.

Read on for more.

This reader posted in our anonymous Savvy Confessions group, asking if she should give her friend a reality check. Do you have any advice for her?

I'm not sure if I should bite my tongue in this situation but I'm a little worried about my friend. She's talking about buying the latest smartphones and she recently went on a trip to Vegas. Oh, yeah. She's also unemployed. I know that her parents don't give her any money, so she's probably just living off her savings or digging herself deeper into credit card debt. I'm wondering if I need to stage a money "intervention." Do I give her advice or should I just leave her to her spendthrift ways?

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This reader posted in our anonymous Savvy Confessions group, asking if she should crash at her friend's for free. Do you have any advice for her?

I recently moved to a new city to job search. My friend offered her place for me to stay rent-free while I job search. I've been here for a month now and I've offered to pay for half the rent, but she insists that I don't. She's been so gracious to let me stay, and I do my best to try to cover costs where I can (groceries, buying her dinner, etc.) However, I still feel bad for not paying rent. While I really want to pay her part of the rent, it also really helps me cut costs not having to pay it since I'm still unemployed. Should I force her to take the rent or just tell her thank you for offering me her place to stay and pay it forward to her in the future?

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This reader posted in our anonymous Savvy Confessions group, asking if she should drop a cheap friend. Do you have any advice for her?

I just made a new friend and I get along really well with her. Everything about her seems to be great, except she has this one flaw . . . I'm beginning to realize that she's quite stingy. She'll try to get away with not paying or she'll say she'll give them money later . . . and she doesn't! Is this a reason to break off a friendship? It's starting to get on my nerves.

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Have you ever been asked to be part of a bridal party that you can't afford? If so, offer up your advice to a reader who's stuck in the same predicament. And if you have any questions of your own, ask them in the Ask Savvy group!

I have been asked to participate in my friend's wedding as a bridesmaid. Unfortunately, I cannot afford the extravagant wedding and celebrations leading up to the wedding. At the moment, a conservative estimate for what I'll have to pay is $1,500. I'm worried my friend will kick me out of her wedding or, worse, stop being my friend altogether. I need advice on how to politely explain to her that all of this is way out of my price range. I feel like a bad friend for not being able to "do it all," but I can't afford to go into debt.

Ask anything budget-, etiquette-, or planning-related — well, almost anything — by posting your questions in the Ask Savvy group, and I'll find the right expert to help you out.

This reader posted in our anonymous Savvy Confessions group, asking how her job will be affected if she takes maternity leave. Do you have any advice for her?

I work in a very small office which includes myself, a nurse, an office assistant, and our program director. Before the holidays, the program director took on an additional position within the company, but at another clinic, which now has him out of our office about 50 percent of the time. At that time, there was one other person in the office with the same job as me, but she was fired a few weeks ago, so now, I fly solo a majority of the time until we can find someone to replace her. Two days before my six month review, I found out I am pregnant! My husband and I are SO EXCITED, and had planned on starting a family this year. Initially, when I interviewed for the position, I mentioned that my husband and I were hoping to begin a family soon as well. Now, I am terrified to tell my boss that I am pregnant! He is a really nice person, but saying that he does not handle stress well would be an understatement.

Read on for more.

This reader wants to know if she should list her current job since she hasn't been there long. For more career questions, check out the Ask Savvy community group.

I was working as a legal assistant for five years, but due to lack of raises and a cut of hours I was forced to look for employment. I have bills and rent to pay.

The new job is a paralegal position, which I minored in college. I hate my new job. The people are rude. The hours are terrible and my boss yells at me and everyone else for everything. It's unlike anything I expected and I have responsibilities that aren't even considered in my job description!

My friend works for the state and has told me about a position that has opened up for a legal secretary; the pay is actually MORE than my paralegal job now and it's 10 minutes away from my house. My friend is a head supervisor and said she is going to try her best to get me in. Since the job was not posted on any public sites, I feel like I have a good chance of getting an interview.

Problem is, should I list my old job? Should I not? I don't want them to think I'm jumping from job to job. Help!

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This reader posted in our anonymous Savvy Confessions group, venting how much people gossip at her office. Do you have any advice for her?
I began a new job about 6 months ago and while I love what I do, I am having questions about whether or not the office that I am in is the right place for me.  My co-workers are always gossiping & involved in drama, while I prefer to have as little drama in my life as possible.  The office is very small, and only 6 people total work there, but I share a space with 2 of them. They are always instant messaging one another while we are all in the office, and they IM with the other people in our office. It is very uncomfortable, and I have a constant sense of anxiety & uneasiness.  My job is already stressful enough (I work in substance abuse treatment), and self-care is very important to avoid burnout, but I have actually left work early in the past because I was so uncomfortable.  It has gotten to a point where I sit at my desk with my head phones in, and just do my work without really talking to anyone.  In a way, I feel very isolated, but I also realize that I isolate myself for self-preservation.  I just don't know what to do.  My boss knows about the gossiping and the drama, and he is fed up with it too, but won't do anything about it.  He just keeps telling me that "they are on thin ice & better watch out."  It is very frustrating.  This position offers a lot of opportunity for personal advancement (outside of the company), and I have been told by a supervisor that if I can just stick it out for the full year, it would help me greatly with my future as a counselor.  I am just trying to figure out if it is worth it.  I was also told (by the same supervisor) that this is not the first time that this company has had issues like this with employees starting gossip, so I have very little hope that it will change.  Please help shed some light on this situation.

Pose your own anonymous questions or off-load your work confessions by posting in the Savvy Confessions group, and I'll find the right expert to help you out.