Getting around Toronto with kids is about to become more affordable.

The Mayor of Toronto and TTC Chair made an announcement of new funding to significantly expand and enhance transit service, reduce wait times and crowding, and make using the TTC more affordable for families by eliminating fares for children 12 years and under.

For the rest of us, fares are going up and we should expect a $0.10 increase to the cost of a TTC token/cash fare. The money will be used to make the following improvements:

•    Restoration of all day, everyday bus service that was cut in 2011

•    Ten-minute or better bus and streetcar service on key routes from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. six days a week (9 a.m. on Sundays)

•    Reduced wait times and crowding at off-peak times

•    Reduced wait times and crowding on 21 of the busiest routes during morning and afternoon rush hours

•    Proof-of-payment and all-door boarding on all streetcar routes

•    Expansion of the Express Bus network, adding four new routes to a network that serves 34 million rides annually

•    Expanding the Blue Night Network, adding 12 routes to the 22-route network that serves 4 million rides annually

•    Adding up to two additional subway trains on Lines 1 and 2 during morning and afternoon rush hours

•    Route management improvements designed to reduce short-turns, bunching and gapping of bus and streetcar routes

•    Additional resources to focus on subway reliability around signals, track and communications systems

They are also finally integrating GO fares and TTC fares.  You will be able to buy a sticker for $60 that goes onto your Metropass and use GO to get between Danforth and Exhibition while avoiding the downtown gridlock on the TTC.  I would like to see this go further and have the TTC offer the same discounts to GO commuters using Presto as all of the other cities in the GTA (most cities charge less than $1 when you transfer to/from a GO service), but I guess that won’t be happening any time soon.

Will free rides for children make you use the TTC rather than drive?

East Side Marios coupons are always dishing out some of the hottest deals, but right now they’re coupons have gone super hot by offering freebies that will leave both your stomach and pocketbook full and happy.

The first coupon that they are giving away, is the offer of a FREE S’mores pizza, which can anyone honestly say they wouldn’t be interested in at least trying? The only requirement is that you must spend $20 minimum when dining in, and that purchase cannot go towards alcohol (at least the qualifying $20 can’t be, you can still order yourself a drink!).

To meet the $20 minimum, I’d suggest going with a friend and each of you ordering from the Everyday Value Menu, which has a set price of $12.99 per entree. Together your order will be just a bit above the $20 minimum, plus when you order from the Everyday Value Menu you will also qualify for the all-you-can-eat offer of soup or salad and garlic bread.

The second freebie coupon being given at East Side Marios is a FREE $5 Mini Mario Meal, or $5 off on a $10 Mini Mario Meal. You can only use this coupon between Sunday through till Thursday, and you will have to use it with the purchase of one entree that has a minimum value of $12.99. Again, this is a dine-in only coupon and both of these offers from East Side Marios will expire on January 25th, 2015.

Click here to print out your coupons from East Side Marios Canada, or here to find the nearest restaurant location. 

Pizza night with Domino’s Canada has just got that much better with their most recent addition of coupon deals that can save you buckets of change that can be put towards future purchases, or just recycled into your weekly pizza budget. The first hot coupon deal that Domino’s has is probably best suited for nights where you’re just sharing between one other person, as the medium pizza aren’t that big.

This coupon, when you enter in, CAVR4VC4, will give you 1 medium sized Domino’s pizza with 3 toppings plus cheesy bread for just $12.99.

This is just one of the many couponing options that Domino’s has available right now, a nice little add-on one that I saw was the offer of getting any bread side (except for the Garlic Fingers) and any chicken side (like boneless chicken pieces) for just $9.99. For this coupon you will have to enter, CAKH2PP6, at the checkout.

Some more options that you can combine to save on at Domino’s Canada right now include:

•  1 Large 2 Topping Pizza and an order of wings or boneless chicken for $18.99 (use code: CAKM4RY6)
• 2 Medium 2 Topping Pizzas and a 2-Litre of Coca-Cola for $17.99 (use code: CABY2TH7)
• 2 Medium Feast Pizzas with the choice of Deluxe, Pepperoni Feast, Special Veggie or Hawaiian Feast for $19.99 (use code: CAFD6PR3)

Be sure to mention this coupon deal when you’re ordering over the phone, and if you’re ordering online be sure to enter the correct promo code in the coupon box at Domino’s.ca.

Click here to view the full list of ongoing promotions at Domino’s Pizza Canada, or here to place an order.

Shoppers Drug Mart’s specialty printing service, Shoppers Photo is currently offering 50% off any single greeting card on Shoppersphoto.ca. With hundreds of cards to choose from, Shoppers Photo has you covered for any occasion. Pick up a card for an upcoming birthday or anniversary, as well as for a variety of everyday occasions.

Valentine’s Day is coming is up, so it’s a great chance for you to pick up a card up for that special person at Shoppers Drug Mart. You can even add your own personal message on the card and it will be printed along with the card as part of your purchase.

Shoppers Photo, not only has cards available for every day holidays and occasions, but they also offer a selection of pre-designed cards for specialty holidays such as Diwali and Chinese New Year.

This promotion is only available online until January 31, 2014.

Head over to Shoppers Photo Canada to view all the greeting cards on sale.

With new styles being added everyday to this sale at Ugg Australia, plus the additional offer of free-shipping to Canada, Ugg is certainly making a good name for itself in my books. Right now, select styles of Ugg boots and shoes have been marked down to up to 40% off the original price, and there is even a solid choice of sizes to order them in!

Certainly not designed for the Canadian winter, these Classic Mini Crystal Bow Uggs in a dainty English Primrose would be ideal for an early warm spring day, or for even relaxing around the house as industrial strength slippers (I know that’s what mine are used for!) Plus, they are currently on sale for $180 (was $255), so if you were considering purchasing them, you should also consider investing in some kind of suede protector to ensure a long-life on your investment.

If you are still looking for something that can sustain the winter wear a bit more, then you should check out these men’s Rohnan combat boots, which are 100% waterproof and contain a merino wool sock cover. They are now only $200, though before they were being sold for $295.

Ugg Australia will also ship these boots, and any other order for that matter, to Canada for free when you order from Uggaustralia.ca and use UPS worldwide.

Click here to begin shopping the Ugg Australia sale online at Ugg Australia Canada.

Toms Canada is on sale right now for up to 30% off on select styles, meaning you can stock up on your favourite canvas summer shoe well before the season arrives – giving you some time to actually break your Toms in by wearing them around the house (the snow outside my door tells me that it may be a couple of months before the canvas can be donned on the physical sidewalks).

In addition to having a sale of up to 30% off on select pieces, Toms is also offering a limited time promo code for purchases that exceed $25 and another separate promo code on top of that for purchases that exceed $100. If you spend over $25, and enter in the promo code, THANKYOU5, at the check out you can receive $5 off on your total order.

If you spend over $100 at Toms Canada, you can use the promo code, SNOWING10, at the check out to receive $10 off your total order. Obviously the $5 off your order of $25 is the better deal, since you have to spend less to save more, but should you find yourself meeting or exceeding the $100 total then your extra $10 off could put a dent in paying for the VAT – since Toms actually includes the customs and duties totals to your order, you won’t have to worry about being docked at the door.

For instance, when I added these black suede wedge booties to my cart, my total came to $120.75 (taxes included), but when I applied my SNOWING10 promo code the order total was reduced to $109.25.

Toms is also offering free-shipping on all orders until January 30th, 2015 so if you are planning to buy Toms either now or in the coming months, I’d advise ordering now since there is no minimum requirement for free-shipping.

• Click here to begin shopping the sale at Toms Canada online
• or here to shop the rest of the site.

Coach items are up to 40% the retail price at Hudson’s Bay Canada. This is a great chance to pick up an item from the popular brand at a fraction of the regular price. Coach has been widely popular the last few years, particularly with its accessories, but with their higher price points, it’s difficult for many people to add Coach pieces to their wardrobes.

Coach bags are always popular with many fashionistas. The leather Madison handbag has even been spotted on stars like Olivia Wilde and Amy Adams. The smaller version of the Madison handbag is regularly priced at $395, but you can now  purchase it starting at $237. The smaller version is still made of the same hand-crafted Italian leather with the same supple draping as the original. It has a clean and simple look and is available in multiple colours.

If you have a little more to spend, you can invest in the Coach long solid down coat. Regularly priced at $655, you can now purchase the brown version for $393. The Coach long solid down coat is knee-length, with a streamlined silhouette, and elastic cuffs and drawstrings to help you keep out the cold. Since many parts of Canada are still in the midst of winter, it’s a great option to keep yourself both stylish and warm.

Hudson’s Bay Canada is offering free shipping for your items  if your order exceeds $99, but you can also pick up these deals in store.

Click here to shop the Coach sale at Hudson’s Bay Canada

e.l.f. Cosmetics Canada knows that everyone, despite what they may think, loves a good surprise; at least when you’re receiving something free in the end like make up and beauty goodies. I can’t begin to list the number of bad surprises that I have personally been on the receiving end of (a pie in the face, a friend jumping out from behind the corner to scare you), but this mystery box surprise is one that you definitely won’t be disappointed by!

To qualify for this Natural Beauty Mystery Box from e.l.f. Cosmetics you will first have to spend $25 and then enter in the promo code, MYSTERY, at the checkout before 11:59pm PST. There are some really great products that you can use to meet your minimum at e.l.f. Cosmetics, including their $10 e.l.f. Studio Prism eyeshadow. Or even if you’re looking for a beginner brush kit, you could pick up this e.l.f. 11-piece brush kit for just $30.

And while e.l.f. Cosmetics says they offer free-shipping when you exceed $35, this offer is for U.S. residents only. Canadians will have to pay a standard shipping fee of $14.95 plus any additional tax.

Click here to begin shopping for the Natural Beauty Mystery Box from e.l.f. Cosmetics Canada.

Mark off your calendars for this Wednesday, as Shoppers Drug Mart Canada is inviting you to an exclusive 20X the Shopper Optimum points event for this January 21st that will only be on for one-day. You will first have to print out this coupon, and then you will also have to spend a minimum amount of $50 to gain your bonus Shoppers Optimum points.

Circle K Canada has a sweet treat for all you chocolate lovers in the Atlantic Canadian provinces (and within some participating locations across Canada) where you can buy 1 bag of Cadbury Chocolate (100g-120g) and get your second bag for FREE. This offer will be available until February 17th, 2015, which makes it perfectly aligned with Valentine’s Day – essentially an un-official holiday that celebrates chocolate.

To receive your coupon from Circle K, you will have to go to their Facebook page and enter your e-mail address that you use for all of your coupons, after which an e-mail with your buy one, get one free Cadbury Chocolate bag coupon will be sent to your address.

There are many different flavours that you can explore in this offer from Circle K Canada, but remember that you can only use it on bags that are between 100g-120g. I personally would love to grab as many as I could of those Cadbury Minis! What’s your favourite bagged Cadbury Chocolate that you could pick up in this offer?

Click here to get the buy one, get one Cadbury Chocolate bag coupon from Circle K Canada.

KFC Canada coupons have gone live at KFC.ca, with an abundance of new options for many provinces across the country and even more deals being added daily (so if you can’t find your province’s deals, be sure to keep checking back!)

While the specific coupons and prices will vary depending on what province you are redeeming them within, there are some pretty standard options from KFC that I believe will be more or less around the same price no matter the province you are buying your KFC from. Some of the rather hot ones that I was able to gather from the Ontario section included:

• 4-pc. Ultimate Box deal (includes 4-pc. chicken, fries, salad, and reg. drink), for $7.99
• two can dine Double Krunch or Zinger D.K. (includes 2 double crunch/2 zinger DK, 2 fries and 2 reg. drink) for $8.99
• 14-pc. family special (includes 14-pcs. of chicken, lg. fries, and 2 med. salads) for $24.99
• 18-pc. family special (includes 18-pcs. of chicken, lg. fries, and 2 med. salads) for $29.99
• favourites bucket (includes 8-pcs. Original Recipe chicken, med. popcorn chicken and med. fries) for $18.99

These coupons from KFC are only valid once per paying customer, and cannot be used in combination with any other ongoing promotions. You will also only have until March 8th, 2015 to use the coupons which must be printed out in order to be eligible.

Click here to check out your local coupons at KFC Canada, or here to find the nearest retail location.

Just in time for lunch hour, Pizza Hut Canada is bringing back their 5 bucks, 5 bucks, 5 bucks deal where you can buy any large or medium pan pizza at the regular price and receive your 2nd, 3rd, and 4th medium pizza after that for just $5! Within Quebec, your first pizza will have to be large pan pizza at regular price but everywhere else you’ll have the choice of making it a medium regular priced pizza!

This deal will only be on for a limited time, and can be used as many times as you like. A medium sized pepperoni pizza will cost you about $13, so if you were to get three more medium pizzas after the initial one, you would only have to pay $28 for four medium pizzas; an order that would normally cost you $52!

Click here to place your order with Pizza Hut Canada online.

From time to time, L’Occitane En Provence offers free deluxe sample of some of their products. They are currently offering you the chance to try their new Shea Butter Light Comforting Face Cream for free. Enter your email address when you click the link below, and when you sign up for the L’Occitane En Provence eNewsletter, you will receive an email which you can print, or show on your phone, and redeem in store.

If you are ordering online you can use the code FACE15XSL to add the deluxe sample to your order. You will have until February the 3rd, 2015 to redeem this offer, with a limit of one per customer. The voucher can be redeemed in L’Occitane Boutiques only, and you can click here to find the location nearest you.

Click here to sign up for your deluxe free sample of Shea Butter Comforting Face Cream from L’Occitane En Provence.

This coupon offer from Save.ca and General Mills Canada has got your snack time covered for when the feeding frenzy of school children come bolting through your door and descend on your kitchen with ravenous bellies after a long day of play and learning. Right now when you buy 2 of the specially marked boxes of either Nature Valley granola bars or Betty Crocker child snacks you can qualify for a coupon that will give you a FREE 1L carton of chocolate or white milk.

The boxes at the grocery store will indicate if they are part of this ongoing offer, and on the inside will include a pin that you will have to enter at this website after you have collected two of them. After you have entered in your pins, you will receive a coupon that can be used to pick up your free 1L carton of milk from your local grocery store.

Save.ca is only allowing you to use this free milk coupon on chocolate or white milk, so you won’t be able to use it on specialty milk products like Omega 3, calcium and/or Protein enriched, Lacteeze, Lactaid, Lactose free and any other filtered milks. There will also be a maximum value of $3 allowed for this coupon, but seeing as most of us buy milk regardless of whether it’s free or not (especially if you have young kids in the house), this is an opportunity to save on one of your household’s most popularly stocked items.

You have until May 31st, 2015 to cash in on your free milk offer, but it won’t be available in Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia or PEI.

Click here to learn more about the free milk offer from Save.ca and General Mills Canada.

Bath and Body Works Canada knows the best way to beat the cold is to pretend like it doesn’t exist and hibernate indoors within your own personal tropical paradise.  And the best way to duplicate that ‘on the beach’ aroma within your own humbly abode is to have some fresh, exotic scents to mask the saddening visions of frost chilling on your window panes.

The current offer on in-stores at Bath and Body Works Canada is here to help you create your mini paradise, by selling their Brazil Signature Collection for just $7. The scents included in this collection range from a Lush Pink Dragon-fruit, to a a Cool Amazon Rain with the always popular (and obligatory) Copacabana Coconut also headlining the sets.

You can pick these new scents up in the form of hand soap, fragrance, shower gel and much more but if you’re looking for deals then I’d suggest cashing in on the 2 for $25.50 offer on 3-wick tropical candles or the $4 exotic hand soaps.

Click here to view all of the other ongoing promotions at Bath and Body Works Canada online.