Wow. How long as this existed? My lender only offered me their first-time homeowners program which meant I only had to put 5% down. This was 3 or 4 years ago

I literally had this same exact thought because I walk by it to get to Butterbang. The "for lease" sign has the number (401) 738-5000. There's also the old laundromat (the rent seems reasonable in that one) and Lauren's (but I'd be skeptical of that spot. It stank something fierce when I finally gave it a try)

Good point. I didn't think to check the wind speed.

Pawtucket declared a parking ban to start at 3pm tomorrow. Just checked the forecast. 1-3", low of 32.

I guess maybe because they want to salt in anticipation of black ice?

Read your HOA bylaws re: finish work. Typically, the HOA shouldn't give a hoot about work inside of your condo so long as it doesn't have the potential to interfere. i.e. if you're doing some bathroom maintenance then they'll want to make sure your contractor is licensed and bonded and that they are aware of when they're coming.

source: both of my parents have been president of their respective HOA boards in the past (and have since resigned because there is nothing redeeming about it)

B Squared did a catered lunch that I attended. The black bean burgers were amazing.

I've heard good things about Gerry Dupont but haven't personally used him

I was paying close to $1500/month for a 2 BR/1 BA apartment. Saved a few hundred dollars/month to move into a 2 BR/2 BA townhouse with washer/dryer. (This was like 5-ish years ago. I closed on a house like right before COVID)

Other things are relative in cost or just slightly more expensive (going from 0% sales tax to 7% threw me off).

Car insurance is another story. I pay ~$100/mo for 1 car and that's way cheaper than everywhere else I looked. In NH, I paid that for 2 cars.

So it probably evens out but quality of life is superior. And the pizza omg. The further north you go, the worse the pizza is (or maybe it's the further from NYC). I would literally just eat Sams Club or Pizza Hut because those were actually the best options. And making friends is easier. There's so much more to do overall.

I have friends on Medicaid with no coverage issues and I've paid for RI's health insurance and didn't have issues until I decided to choose BCBS one year because it sounded better on paper.

But personally, I would be concerned about having to switch doctors. Maybe I just suck at being an adult but finding a new doctor here is a nightmare because of how far out new patients are booked. I once had to wait so long for an appointment with a new PCP that I completely misplaced where it was and who it was with.

Providence is a great city and I do love my home but moving to Rhode Island does come with some hurdles.

In addition to FlashFood, try TooGoodToGo. There are sometimes produce deals on there under "Groceries"

1. Restaurant Depot has decent pricing and you can request a day pass
2. A number of places do Cash & Carry without advertising it. I was surprised to learn that Quality Food in Providence has a C&C counter
3. Confreda Farm. They do amazing deals all year-round anyways but during the summer you can just drive around to their wholesale side and buy what you need. Their "canning tomatoes" are my favorite
4. Farm Fresh is good for local stuff. Not always the cheapest but it's my go-to come canning season

I'm quite fond of Scituate. It's a great fix for that small town feel but isn't too far from Providence. There are some hidden gems there too (Barden Family Orchard, Martinelli's Farm, Lucky Clover Farm, the farmers market, Scituate Arts Fest, and Famous Pizza, just to name a few)

Pretty much the only difference is that there's less manure on the road

This is my life. Did not make it today because I was so tired. Thankfully I have mushrooms and a few misc veggies leftover from a Wed night market.

I'm currently attempting to get out of bed to go to a farmers market. Farm Fresh is my go-to Saturday market but Mount Hope is also enjoyable.

Instagram is my usual source for events (I follow local musicians, market planners, and pop ups). Google is easy too.

Some folks also use FB events and EventBrite.

Call the USDA office and learn about their loan programs. They'll loan up to $600K to a budding farmer and then a bank could cover the rest. I forget the interest rate but it was very reasonable and if you're socio-economically disadvantaged, there are programs available to help offset any losses in the first few years.

Brokers can help because a lot of good deals can be tricky to find online.

You need to be mindful of zoning. Scituate is a very lovely place but I've heard that trying to get building permits or get something zoned for agricultural use if it's not grandfathered in is much more painful than it should be. (This is just an example. Every town has pros and cons).

I keep saying I'm going to try their brunch but then I chicken out because I can't imagine it being good. I'm going to need to try it now.

Thee Ded Fez

PA native. The best option is to make your own.

You can and should make a solid, authentic cheesesteak with Provolone. This bullshit that it HAS to have Cheez Whiz needs to stop. The original sandwich didn't even have cheese and was just chopped meat & onions on a hoagie roll and then because everyone wanted cheese on their hoagie, Provolone became the default for a cheesesteak (processed cheeses joined the club later because they're cheap and melt easy). The sandwich existed for 20 years before Cheez Whiz was even a thing.

The real problem is that most places just do it overall wrong. It needs to be greasy. It should secretly contain the sweat of an overworked mildly stoned grill chef. The bread should be slathered with some fat and then lightly toasted on the grill. And don't just get any bread: go to your favorite Italian bakery and get a fresh hoagie roll. Dress it with some freshly fried onions. If you're going this route, look for shaved RIBEYE at the store because fat = flavor.

Here's what actually happens: -restaurant buys bulk shaved steak. Typically 1 of 3 brands (2 of these brands are packed by the same company). -grill chef salts the meat and doesn't use an adequate amount of fat. Sometimes even overcooks it. Either way, the meat is dry as the Sahara by the time they add the cheese -they put it on a cold, flavorless roll -they dress it with sliced raw green peppers and raw OR soggy onions. The green peppers somehow make the sandwich even worse and they miss that lil bit of mmm that frying up the onions provides

Craft in Pawtucket is a solid plan B. I enjoyed the one I had there. It still missed the health code violations that add the bit of Philly nostalgia but it's still a solid sandwich.

I will never not upvote Craft. I literally was just telling my boyfriend yesterday that while I love a number of RI restaurants, Craft is actually my #1 because the quality of food and service is just so consistently solid.

I've been eating there for at least 5 years and have eaten there frequently enough that I SHOULD have at least one mediocre or bad experience (whether food or otherwise) but everything I have eaten has been delicious, the prices are reasonable, and everyone who works there is so pleasant. I think maybe the only negative thing is don't drink the tap water because Pawtucket water is disgusting.

I'm offended that Chocolate-Covered Bacon is on here because 1. I've only ever had it at an authentic Austrian restaurant and 2. It's delicious

Also I'm from Pennsylvania originally and that food is WAAAY worse. Scrapple. Altoona-style Pizza. How did those not make the list?!

Bubbie's on Hope St gets bagels from Life's a Bagel in Canton. They're only available on Fridays and Sundays. This is the closest I've found to a good Jewish bagel.

Krazy Korner (Seekonk) has decent bagels and makes great sandwiches

Bagel Gourmet is tasty but still not quite right. Good for a quick fix.

There's a delicatessen opening near Wildflour that I'm hype to try because they might have good bagels.

I do appreciate Vicente's and MB and consider them somewhat local. Vicente's is very inclusive and they opened in a neighborhood that needed grocery. Market Basket is brilliant in their strategy of maximizing purchasing power and focusing on volume vs margin.

Other RI options:

-Dave's -Brigidos -Confreda's (their sales are insane)

Plus all of the farm stands in RI. I know a great group of girls who have been working with local producers to try to get their retails down (recently got LOCAL certified organic potatoes delivered for $1.99/lb and they offered me an additional discount if I wanted to take more)

Thank you for this info!!!

I love the thinking but I also recognize that they'll find a way to fuck us over more.

Now if we could all find ways to go off-grid that would be a real way to do it.

The biggest problem is that utilities are monopolies. My ONLY option is RIE. I can't even get solar because my roof cannot support the panels. And it's not like I can call up Eversource to be like "hey can you beat this rate?"

Others with solar can't sell me their unused power because legally they have to sell it back to the utility company in exchange for credits (which ideally SHOULD lower overall price for every non-solar customer but it doesn't)

YES. HASH BROWNS AND HOME FRIES

I wish that SmokyMmmEats was still here because she made this plant-based breakfast sausage that made the BEST sausage gravy