One of the things I hate most about travelling is all the small details that go into planning a trip, and one of the most important (and often expensive) tasks is getting to the airport. Since I am from Toronto, I know this airport the best and will be targeting this post on how to get to and from Pearson Airport for cheap.

Here is a list of various ways that you can get to the airport in Toronto for cheap:

Public Transit – $3.00 each way

Other than walking, taking the TTC is the cheapest possible way to get there, but they really don’t make it easy to do so. Firstly, you have to take the TTC all the way to one of the furthest possible stations (if you are coming from downtown Toronto), then get on a bus that will take around 45 minutes. Knowing how slow TTC is on a regular day means your travel time could be anywhere from an hour to well over 2 hours. As you can tell this is not my way of choice to get there but if money is the biggest determining factor then this is the cheapest option.

For more details about getting to and from Pearson Airport on the TTC click here.

Shuttle Bus – $5.00 and up each depending on source/destination

If you are looking to get to the airport from downtown Toronto a little faster than the above option, you have two choices: Continue Reading »

Recently I took a trip to Varadero, Cuba and needed to get to the airport really early. In true “Cheap Dude” fashion, I started to think about the cheapest ways to get to the airport. I ended up deciding on driving to Pearson and using one of the overnight lots and felt that Park’N Fly would be the best choice as they are the most well known and I don’t like to leave my baby with just anyone! I also decided that I wanted to start reviewing more products and services on this blog (not just restaurants) and thought this would be a great way to kick it off as it would fit in well to my travel section. I had originally planned to stay in the economy or self-park lots (because I am cheap) but after reaching out to Park’N Fly on Twitter they offered me a free week in their valet lot as well as something for one of the reader’s of this blog post so I decided to give it a go.

My History With Park’N Fly / Before I Left

Before I get started with my review I want to give you a bit of a background about my history of using Park’N Fly. I have booked at Park’N Fly at least 5 or 6 times over the years and I have always used their self park and economy lots due the pricing. I have always been very curious about their valet “drop ‘n go” service and wanted to see if it is really worth the increase in price.

When I mentioned to my girlfriend that Park’N Fly had offered me a chance to try out the valet service she immediately advised that I use one of their other lots. She told me that many years ago she had heard a story where some Park’N Fly employee had taken a customer’s car for what was considered to be longer than normal usage and I had to admit that I didn’t really like leaving my keys behind. I also did my own investigations and came across some reviews that mentioned there had been some thefts from cars. My first reaction was to skip trying the valet service altogether, but in the end I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt and give it a try. Continue Reading »

This blog post is long overdue as Ravi Soups is one of my favourite places to eat and one of the best cheap eats in Toronto.

Ravi Soups was started by Ravi Kanagarajah after a failed attempt to open a second Black Camel location. Prior to opening Ravi Soups Kanagarajah had worked his way up from dishwasher at Mildred Pierce to saucier in the kitchen. He later moved on to work at The Drake and Avalon before his time at Black Camel. Kanagarajah was helping with the opening of the second location, but when the owner pulled the plug after just 6 months, Ravi decided to take over the location and create his own place.

I have tried most things on their menu and there really hasn’t been anything on it that I don’t like. Typically when I visit Ravi Soups I order a soup and wrap combo which costs $10.99 plus tax, but if you prefer you can order just a soup or wrap on it’s own. Though, I feel the combo gives you the best value. Here is a screenshot of their menu listed on their site, though there are a few other choices that are not listed such as their daily specials and the curried lamb wrap:

Ravi Soups Menu

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Planning fun dates can get quite expensive, but it doesn’t have to be! Whether you are planning your first date or 500th one, here are a list of cheap date ideas in the city of Toronto. Prices range anywhere from FREE to around $75 per person on each of these ideas. Also, don’t worry if you aren’t from Toronto, a lot of these carry over from city to city. Here is a list of fun things to do in Toronto that work well as cheap date ideas:

UPDATE: With Valentine’s Day just a few days away I have added a new post with some cheap Valentines Day ideas.

Movie Date – *Cheap Tip* – Plan your date on a Tuesday as many theaters offer reduced admission.

Bowling – *Cheap Tip* – Many bowling alleys offer reduced rates from Sunday to Wednesday so check out the website of the bowling alley closest to you before heading out to save a few bucks when planning the date.

Sporting Event – *Cheap Tip* – Toronto sports teams have really struggled over the last few years at the gates which has brought down the cost of tickets. Many are offering group buy deals on sites like Groupon. Also, with some investigation you can often pick up a pair of tickets to either a TFC, Raptors or Leafs game for under $30 either from scalpers or on sites like StubHub.com, Kijiji or Craigslist.

Concert/Live Music – The best site for information about concerts going on around the city is Now Magazine’s Music Listings.

Comedy Club / Improv – *Cheap Tip* – Comedy clubs typically offer reduced cover Sunday to Wednesday and have special nights like Amateur Night which can be lots of fun too. For example, Absolute Comedy is only $6.00 on Wednesdays which is their Amateur night.

Cooking Class – *Cheap Tip* – Several Longos grocery stores offer cooking classes which are usually very affordable in the Longos Loft. Also, the LCBO offers a variety of inexpensive classes at certain locations as well.

Outdoor Festival – More often during summer months, there are various outdoor festivals going on around the city. The best places to find out what is going on are the City of Toronto Events page, their Festival index or by searching on Google and finding listings like this one from CityTV.

Bookstore – Pick out your favourite books and tell each other about them Continue Reading »

Oysters are often thought of as a celebratory dish, something reserved for special occassions, or an aphrodisiac. Fortunately due to some research we have done, they don’t have to be so sacred anymore! I decided to put together a list of places where you can find cheap (and sometimes FREE) oysters in the city. From a “buck-a-shuck” to a little bit more, here are some bars and restaurants where you can get oysters for cheap in Toronto:

Bar Hop – (Downtown / King West)
Price: $1 per oyster
When: Tuesdays
What: $1 per shuck on selected oysters
Where: 391 King Street W

Bestellen – (College St. West)
Price: $1 per oyster
When: Daily from 6pm-7pm
What: Buck-a-shuck oyster deal!
Where: 972 College Street W

Biffs Bistro Bar – (Downtown / Financial District /St. Lawrence Market)
Price: $1 per oyster
When: Daily after 5pm
What: Oyster special is available at the Biff’s Bar.
Where: 4 Front Street E

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