Ways to use implication in my fiction writing?

Consider what personal hygiene items cost. Shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, etc. In fact, let's just consider those three. What would your character look like if she could only afford two of those things? How about if she could only afford one, or none?

I recall reading a piece in the NY Times several years ago, nonfiction, about a homeless family. The thing that struck me the most was that the mother didn't own any underwear. It was a luxury. Instead (this was a warmer part of the country; I think it may have been Arizona), she wore these little flowered shorts which she washed out every night. She may have had two pairs of them to alternate. No bra, and she certainly needed one as she had had two kids.

That image has stuck with me for some 10 or 20 years.

He wore the rank badges of a major in the police artillery. What does that say about society in my story?