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All stories relating to cheap

Good Stuff Cheap: nine of the city’s best foods for under $6

A few bucks won’t fulfill your caviar dreams—if it does, you need to dream bigger—but it’s possible to taste the best of the city’s food for next to nothing

Inventively flavoured macaroons are perfectly pillowy treats worthy of a patisserie in Saint-Germain-des-Près. $2.10 each. Nadege, 780 Queen St. W., 416-368-2009.

Coleslaw delivers creamy crunch with a kick (even better as a topping on the pulled pork sandwich). $4. The Stockyards, 699 St. Clair Ave. W., 416-658-9666.

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Good Stuff Cheap: how to glam up a parlour on a not-so-huge budget

Maureen Peng and her partner, Tim Johnstone, both 30, jumped into home ownership in 2008 when they bought a down-at-the-heels, six-bedroom rooming house in Corktown, vowing to fix it up—way up. They were suited to the task. Johnstone is a visual thinker (he’s a 3-D animation instructor at Humber College) and a weekend tool master. Peng is a project manager for an interior-design firm and a master at co-ordinating make-overs. Consummate party people, their priority was this front room—a venue for entertaining—distinguished with oversized crown mouldings and a ceiling medallion. Peng calls this the “clear-liquids-only” room.

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The Goods

From the Print Edition

January 13, 2011 | 8:55 am

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Good Stuff Cheap: hit the fashion zeitgeist with this fuzzy, furry trio

Rabbit-fur hat, $49
Danier, 218 Yonge St., 416-598-1159.

Leopard-print leggings, $45
Durumi Apparel, 639 Queen St. W., 416‑939-2580.

Sherpa shoes, $60
Chocolate Shoes, 639 Queen St. W., 647‑588-3947.

(Images: John Burgoyne)

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The Goods

From the Print Edition

January 13, 2011 | 8:53 am

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Good Stuff Cheap: Toronto’s five best vintage stores (no rummaging required)

For Luxury Labels
Venture a few blocks north of Yorkville to Haute Classics for immaculate second-hand pieces sourced from very tony closets. Chanel, Chloé, Dior and Christian Louboutin (patent sapphire pumps for $270 instead of $700-plus) are priced in the hundreds, rather than the thousands.
946 Yonge St., 416-922-7900.

For Menswear
Parkdale’s House of Vintage has outstanding men’s garb—a rarity on the old-is-new circuit. Dudes can put together a Michael Caine Alfie look with ankle boots ($60) and a Pierre Cardin blazer ($50).
1239 Queen St. W., 416-535-2142.

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The Goods

From the Print Edition

January 13, 2011 | 8:50 am

9 Comments

Good Stuff Cheap: ladies and gentlemen, here’s how to put together a party outfit for under $200

We challenged two style bloggers, Ryan Michael Cheung (of four1sixfive1four.tumblr.com) and Afiya Francisco (of thestylehouse.ca), to put together a party outfit for $200. They did it, shoes and all

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The Goods

From the Print Edition

January 13, 2011 | 8:47 am

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Good Stuff Cheap: three genuine refuges where guys can get their groom on—cheaply

(Image: Lorne Bridgman)

HAIRCUT
Blood and Bandages, $22
This two-chair shop is a dude sanctuary with nary a Vogue to be found (reading material tends to be of The World’s Most Powerful Handguns and Rifles variety). Owner Roger Janes snips lids by moving between clippers and scissors—he’s never done a full clipper cut, saying, “It’s kind of a lazy way to cut hair.” Fellas get inspiration from the wall of old-timey hair-model portraits or just straight-up ask for the Don Draper style that’s ubiquitous these days.
932 College St., 416-357-9178.

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The Goods

From the Print Edition

January 13, 2011 | 8:44 am

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Good Stuff Cheap: six designer sample sales that make lining up seem entirely sane

(Images: Jeremy Laing by Thomas Kletecka/Collective Edit; high heel courtesy of Alexander McQueen; bow tie courtesy of Band of Outsiders; jeans courtesy of Nudie Jeans Co.; zip-up courtesy of Puma; kids’ boot courtesy of Geox; )

For Straight-from-SoHo Fashion
Crowds huddled in Ossington’s doorways are a familiar sight, but nothing compares to the sidewalk jams that form when Jonathan and Olivia owner Jackie O’Brien holds her biannual sales (starting on Boxing Day and again in June or July). Cool kids, designers, ad execs and artsy-leaning scions flock here for deconstructed hipster wear from Manhattan, Sweden and the U.K., by the likes of Alexander Wang, Rag and Bone, Band of Outsiders, Engineered Garments, and Wings and Horns. All up to 50 per cent off. E-mail info@jonathanandolivia.com to get on the list.

FOR Big European Labels
Toronto retail veteran Elsa Reia was hosting sample sales long before they were in vogue, which explains her all-star roster of designer brands: apparel, accessories and footwear from Alexander McQueen, Rick Owens, Dries Van Noten, Miu Miu, Martin Margiela, Lanvin, Isabel Marant and more. The blowout runs over two days in April and October. Expect a variety of sizes and inventory, from recent and past seasons, marked down by 70 per cent or more. E-mail info@reiastudio.com to sign up.

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The Goods

From the Print Edition

January 13, 2011 | 4:00 am

2 Comments

Good Stuff Cheap: 100 items under $10

We scoured this booty-filled city and scooped up its best deals

Start the slideshow »

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The Goods

From the Print Edition

January 11, 2011 | 8:49 am

5 Comments

Good Stuff Cheap: Three unbeatable go-to spots for home improvement

Addison's (Image: Lorne Bridgman)

BATHROOMS
Addison’s
See it on Castlefield Avenue, buy it at Addison’s. The rambling, one-of-a-kind decor mecca is outstanding for bathroom, heating and plumbing goods. Among the vintage gems: deco-ish repro faucets, antique claw-foot tubs and pedestal sinks (each from $200), replacement toilet-tank lids ($25–$40), chrome towel bars (from $25) and cast iron hot water radiators ($100 and up).
41 Wabash Ave., 416-539-0612.

LIGHTING
Paul Wolf Lighting and Electric Supply
Beat big-box prices at Paul Wolf, home to all-hours service and hundreds of light fixtures, bulbs, dimmers and switches. Call the shop’s 24-hour emergency number if your lights fizzle, and they’ll get you what you need.
555 Eastern Ave., 416-466-9957; 425 Alliance Ave., 416‑504-8194.

FRAMING
Victor Gallery
Find rows of solid ash or basswood frames and shadow boxes in black, white and brown stains, as well as hard-to-find dimensions, with nothing over $120. In the rare event that you can’t find a size, a member
of the Mitic family (the owners) will customize a piece in a week.
636 Queen St. W., 416‑504-1659.

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The Dish

Restauran-TO

November 26, 2010 | 3:46 pm

1 Comment

Salad King coronation pushed back to January; Ryerson students still hungry

Crumbling empire: Salad King's old location on Gould Street suffers from partial wallessness (Image: Matthew Fox)

Hungry Ryerson students are going to have to suffer through yet another exam period without the aid of cheap yet nourishing Thai. Salad King, that improbably tasty staple of downtown cheap eats, won’t be reopening until at least the end of January 2011, according to a thorough report by the intrepid SK watchers at Torontoist. It seems owner Ernest Liu had underestimated the amount of time it would take to convert the sports bar above the Foot Locker across the street into a new palace of stainless steel and satay.

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The Informer

Yours to Recover

November 22, 2010 | 2:16 pm

5 Comments

Ontario Liberals announce more hydro gifts, would like us to remember them on election day

Merry elections (Smart meter: Hydro One)

That sound coming from Queen’s Park could easily be confused with a government in near-panic over hydro bills, but Dalton McGuinty would really prefer to call it something else. So welcome to the latest break Ontarians are getting on their electricity bills after last week’s 10 per cent discount: an additional two hours of off-peak power for people who are on smart meters (at this point, almost all of Toronto.) The Toronto Star reports:

But the government source said it’s hard to say how much consumers will benefit from with the evening rate drop to off-peak prices, now at 5.1 cents per kilowatt hour—almost half the peak rate of 9.9 cents and well below the mid-peak rate of 8.1 cents.
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The Goods

Shop Talk

November 2, 2010 | 9:18 am

9 Comments

Joe Fresh considering New York location

A look from Joe's recent show (Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)

While Canadians await American cheapo chain Target, New Yorkers looking for a taste of Canadian style (you know, besides all the urban lumberjacks running around Manhattan) could soon get their very own Joe Fresh store. According to the New York Post, the Loblaw-owned retailer is rumoured to be the front runner for retail space at 5th and 43rd in New York City, with the North Face and the NBA store also bidding for a spot in the 29,000-square-foot triplex.

Right around the corner from the old New York fashion week stomping ground of Bryant Park, Joe Fresh would be a good distance (20 blocks, to be exact) from more upscale retailers like Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman, but the free-standing store will have come a far way from the frozen food–adjacent racks at the Superstore if the deal goes through. Finally, a chance for Torontonians to reverse that often heard New York line: “Actually, we had it here first.”

• Vornado gets a jewel box [New York Post]

See the photos from the recent Joe Fresh Style fashion show >>

The Goods

Shop Talk

October 15, 2010 | 10:07 am

8 Comments

Why Target is not coming to Canada…yet

The stuff budget-shopping dreams are made of (Image: Chris Gonzales)

Back in January, Target announced that it was looking into opening Canadian stores. We wrote a small post on The Goods at the time, and since then, it’s been inundated with comments from people across the country claiming that a Target store is opening in their town. According to an article in today’s Globe, they’re right. Well, half-right.

It turns out that a man named Isaac Benitah owns rights to the name in Canada and is opening “Target” stores in Sudbury, Nanaimo and Surrey in the next year. The U.S.-based Target, which we’re all familiar with, has taken Benitah to court several times, challenging his right to the trademark. Until they win (the newest case begins today), don’t expect to see the cheapo chain north of the border.

• Target has a problem. Its name is Target [Globe and Mail]

The Dish

Caffeine High

August 27, 2010 | 8:50 am

2 Comments

The best way to get cheap coffee at Manic, I Deal, Crema and more

Lattes taste sweeter when they're free and with a cookie (Image: Georgette via the Toronto Life Flickr pool)

While the reasons to avoid corporate coffee shops are abundantly clear to any aficionado, there is now a new enticement to explore Toronto’s coffee scene: the Indie Coffee Passport. For $20, the passport allows the bearer to indulge in one free coffee or tea (up to $5 on the menu) at 24 indie coffee shops throughout the city. For the mathematically disinclined, that’s $120 worth of coffee or tea for $20, plus a little legwork to traverse the city. The passport can be purchased on-line here or at some of the participating coffee shops. While some big names are conspicuously absent from the list (Sam James, Dark Horse and Lit, to name a few), the choices should allow for some interesting experimentation. Participating locations, after the jump.

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The Informer

Mayor May Not

August 26, 2010 | 1:47 pm

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Rob Ford campaigns against city council lunches (insert ironic joke about Ford’s waistline here)

The swank city council buffet (Image: Rob Ford For Mayor Campaign)

Next up on Rob Ford’s chopping block: lunch. The mayoral candidate continued his legacy of bottom-line nitpicking (and pissing off other city councillors) yesterday by vowing to rid city hall of the free food doled out at meetings if he becomes mayor. Members of Ford’s campaign team have snapped photos of a mid-afternoon meal in which city councillors indulged in a bacchanal of extravagant delicacies: cheap-looking fruit platters, wraps and soggy sandwiches.

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