[scarberiankhatru]

I'm inclined to disagree with that...if you stopped a subway full of regular riders and asked them if they had unfettered 24/7 access to a car sitting in their driveway, I do not think that the bulk would say 'yes.' It may not even be a majority. Most could easily share/borrow/buy a car, though.

 

[299 bloor call control.]

Like CDL.TO said, there is no such thing as reduced fare tokens. Using a student card will get you student fare tickets which you will have to add a dime for once the fare goes up.

If you are buying 100 tokens, just buy a frickin' Metropass.

Oh... and not to mention you'll need a student card to use said reduced fare tickets. Unless you're planning on plastic surgery to look like your cousin so that you can use her discount. The return on investment a decade from now might be worth it.. but she's 14, so her discount's gone in three years anyway.

 

[Chuck]

I'm not causing any troubles. Dundas Southbound platform booths never run out of tokens.

How would that help someone who doesn't live or work anywhere near Dundas?

And yes, I am cheap. Aside from which, $15 is just shy of a 5 days worth of meals.

I'm curious to know what you eat for on average $1 per meal. I thought I was cheap for shopping at No Frills!

 

[scarberiankhatru]

You can eat like a king for $1 per meal if you just eat bread, cabbage, and tea and then eke out the rest of your diet with a daily dose of delusional ravings that take your mind off of hunger and the complete lack of essential nutrients...perhaps rbt is, in real life, a Dostoevsky character?

 

[drum118]

How would that help someone who doesn't live or work anywhere near Dundas?



I'm curious to know what you eat for on average $1 per meal. I thought I was cheap for shopping at No Frills!

Grill cheese sandwich, hot dogs, peanut and jam sandwich, some green, bowl of cereal, meat sandwich, etc. Easy to do.

 

[junctionist]

Speaking of the TTC, today I was on a subway train today which still had the 1996 subway map (without the Sheppard line and a update patch over the Spadina line). The panel was longer than the current one, it had the addresses of the stations on a list on the right hand side, along with a message to not block the aisle by resting your feet against poles. It must have survived because it was bolted on. A modern sign was present across from this one.

 

[scarberiankhatru]

I haven't had a pre-Sheppard map sighting on a train in about 6 months...I thought they were now extinct.

 

[rbt]

How would that help someone who doesn't live or work anywhere near Dundas?

I'm curious to know what you eat for on average $1 per meal. I thought I was cheap for shopping at No Frills!

Lots of grains/starches (bulk purchases), beans, kale/chard/spinach, and fruit picked from around the city (crab apples, grapes, rose hips) reduced to sauces. Purchased fruit from china town will last quite a while at a low price too.

The Fruit Shop in Ottawa has an amazing selection of "about to go bad" produce for $0.99 for about 2 days worth of fruit/veggies. Same concept as "same day meat" from the grocery store. Eaten or cooked/stored immediately, it's fine. Toronto's China town regularly has similar specials.

I usually make my own breads; roughly $1 for 4 loaves per week. Various oils (canola, sunflower, olive) go into the bread depending on my mood. The started in my fridge has gone bad though, so I'm back to yeast packets for now (yuck -- yeasty tasting bread).


In the winter it gets more expensive but a $34 Wanigan food box (organics) will last me 10 days for veggies. Grains/beans/starches/flours run about 30 cents a day on the high side.

I buy quality spices from the Spice Trader on Queen ($50 per 6 months) which gives lots of variety of flavour.

Dairy is the most expensive component and generally comes in the form of a large tub of yogurt, cottage or ricotta cheese every few days.


Can't stand grocery store meat, so I simply don't buy it. Anything pre-packaged, including things like cereal, is avoided as well. I simply don't trust the quality of food going into those things.

I started eating this way because I feel good and stay healthy on it (years of experimenting with different habits). The low cost was an unexpected side benefit.


For lunch I had a baked apple stuffed with baked beans, kale, rice, and raisins with a sprinkle of ceylon cinnamon and a touch of goat cheese on top. Likely cost well under 50 cents and tasted great.

 

[unimaginative2]

Wow! That's fascinating. Where do you get such cheap goat cheese? I go through the stuff by the gallon, and it costs me a fortune.

 

[rbt]

Wow! That's fascinating. Where do you get such cheap goat cheese?

Actually, I go the other way. I generally purchase a small quantity of the most pungent/flavourful cheeses I can find.

A 1cm cube of 10 a strong 10 year old chedder can add an amazing amount of flavour to a pasta dish. An even smaller amount of a very strong stilton can stick up an entire meal for 4

High quality cheeses, like high quality spices, are best used in very small quantities.

If you are using goat cheese for texture, then by all means continue what you're doing. If you're using it for flavour then try something like an old/sharp Mont St. Francis and use 1/10th of the quantity and fill the rest of the space with lightly blanched pear slices.

A mild pear wont hide the goat cheese flavour while maintaining some of the same colour/volume/moisture levels.

Actually, my favourite grilled cheese sandwiches use a few shavings of 10 year old cheddar, a bit (1cm cube) of strong goat cheese, about 1/2 a pear, on whole wheat sour dough baguette slices. Great flavour, great texture, and very cheap to make.

 

[interchange42]

That does sound delicious and unrelated to the TTC fare hike...

42

 

[unimaginative2]

Perhaps an "Rbt's tasty-sounding and ridiculously inexpensive food ideas" thread is in order. It should have that exact name.

 

[dosbox]

I'm inclined to disagree with that...if you stopped a subway full of regular riders and asked them if they had unfettered 24/7 access to a car sitting in their driveway, I do not think that the bulk would say 'yes.' It may not even be a majority. Most could easily share/borrow/buy a car, though.

Ask those regular riders after they've had to deal with insane traffic and parking for a few months and see what answers you get then.

 

[scarberiankhatru]

Traffic and parking difficulties don't affect someone's ability to access a car. I'm saying that far less people that ride the TTC have a gassed car sitting idle in their driveway than myths would have us believe. I've heard figures like 80-90% "choice" bandied about, and they are rubbish. Most riders could find other means of travel than the TTC, though, but do not, for cost/traffic/parking/etc. reasons. Basically, lots of people could "become" choice riders...I'd agree with an 80% figure for that.

 

[dosbox]

Traffic and parking difficulties don't affect someone's ability to access a car. I'm saying that far less people that ride the TTC have a gassed car sitting idle in their driveway than myths would have us believe. I've heard figures like 80-90% "choice" bandied about, and they are rubbish. Most riders could find other means of travel than the TTC, though, but do not, for cost/traffic/parking/etc. reasons. Basically, lots of people could "become" choice riders...I'd agree with an 80% figure for that.

Got a link for that "80-90%" claim? A quick google indicates that the TTC claimed 60% - albeit 8 years ago. This number appears to be based on actual data rather than anecdotes.

This compares to a 2006 stat of 67% who "had a car available" in Portland, Oregon, so it's not inconceivable that a "majority" or "bulk" of riders would still choose public transit.

Note: I'm not claiming that the Portland numbers are directly comparable to Toronto - just that it's feasible a "majority" or "bulk" of transit riders choose that mode despite having a car.