Aish.com is having a series on maaser. Very interesting. they talk about what to do if you can’t afford maaser.
Costumes on Purim- I finally bit the bullet and asked my rav. He said in a community where everyone is doing it, they don’t attract undue attention. If nobody is doing it, then a purim costume attracts undue attention. So in a yeshivish community, wearing a costume is a lack of tznius. Otherwise, it’s acceptable, assuming the costume follws the halachic standards of tznius. But clearly, as with many areas of tznius, hamachmira tavo aleyha bracha as long as one doesn’t look down on those who do wear costumes.