You're supposed to wear it 24/7 unless you're in a snow biome. It's made with a special fabric so you never sleep, shower or use the bathroom. I am curious, can you see your feet when wearing it?
A lot of good suggestions in here. I think the trader you find through the first quest should be a general trader. From there, that trader might give hints or send you on errand/quests to find specialized traders. Noah suggests they are part of a network and should play that way...
If you can see a snow biome anywhere, go. Dig some snow with a stone shovel, snowballs are a great water source. (Glass jar+snowball in a pot=water, or tin can+snowball in fire = water) on your way there and back hunt for deer/pigs.
As said, sale anything you can at trader and use the vending...
He's a wild shot so they stay hidden when he's out, and they no longer have windows facing his house. :)
@Roland, any chance Kinyajuu adjusted some RWG?
I have never felt the need to mod before, but decided to for A17. It just feels sluggish the first few days so I increased the starter quest skill points to 10. That said, I was terrified of my overall computer skills until I realized how easy it is to change a few things. When this gets...