About this column:
Columnist Laura Ng details deals, steals and ways to survive a slow economy alongside a slice of life.Despite growing up with winters every bit as cold as we have here in Chesterfield, I'm still surprised by the bitter January cold each year. Arthritis runs in my family, and I began experiencing joint pains as early as 19 or 20. It tends to flare up in extremely cold weather or when I'm sick with a cold or the flu. Unfortunately, I found myself in both conditions last week. On Tuesday, I woke up to the unpleasant sensation of a sore throat. I immediately chewed some vitamin C gummies. On my way to work, I stopped by Dierberg's to grab a box of Zicam—I'm a big fan of the strawberry-flavored …
A lot of people have dangerous habits. Some smoke. Others drink excessively. I enjoy running and walking alone at night. Really, really late at night. I'm aware of all the true-crime stories where petite women go jogging into the woods only to be never found again, but like most people with vices, that knowledge never quite outweighed my love for my dangerous little habit. I find running when the stars are out and the streets are empty invigorating. I especially love walking when it's dark and stormy. I was never the kind of kid who was scared of thunderstorms; I always found them rather …
Being a budget-conscious vegetarian in the Midwest can be difficult: many restaurants do not offer any vegetarian options, other than salads, which I have never found to be remotely filling. Those that do, which tend to be of the "organic" sort, can be outrageously overpriced. It's not that I distrust all organic foods—like most people, I imagine, I would prefer my fruits to not be covered in pesticide and my dairy products to be free of antibiotics/hormones. Nevertheless, I have always been a bit suspicious of why some things need to be organic—it's always seemed a bit like a marketing scam …
As the new year approaches, I've spent some time thinking about the past. There are some things I am definitely proud of but there are other things that I am greatly ashamed of in my life. I used to work for a large, well-known private university in the Northeast. I was in my early twenties and living in one of the most expensive cities in the nation. My hourly wage was a dollar and fifty cents above minimum wage. I couldn't afford to buy health insurance because the premiums were too high. I slept on the floor because I didn't have money for a bed, and after my car "ceased," I walked four …
