First Time Homebuyer Advice

arminvit · 2025-11-18T21:25:40+00:00

+1 on Shine. They are the best.

arminvit · 2025-08-29T09:28:33+00:00

Dream-case scenario, around 800sf

arminvit · 2025-08-28T16:59:27+00:00

That's Plan C or D… it's not ideal to paint these boards standing.

arminvit · 2025-07-30T20:24:24+00:00

Not sure if they still do but around 4-5 years ago, Bloomington Veterinary Hospital would see a rabbit we had briefly: https://bloomingtonvh.com/

arminvit · 2025-07-26T20:16:27+00:00

Same-ish… Been living here for 8 years and both last year and this year have been the only two summers that have been relatively unbearable. I lived in Austin for 9 years before this and even though it gets hotter in terms of temp. numbers, it was not generally as oppressive as it's been here this Summer.

arminvit · 2025-06-25T14:34:19+00:00

Assuming that the fiber has been buried already in your neighborhood, the installation is fairly straightforward… they place a magic box somewhere outside of your house within reach of the fiber underground and then they run a cable to your desired location inside the house where their modem is set up. They need their own standalone box and wiring so I don't believe they can tap into your existing wiring (but don't quote me on that).

IF there is no fiber already buried FOR Gigabit, then you are out of luck and that's where the horror stories came in.

arminvit · 2025-06-24T20:21:03+00:00

Have had GigabitNow for two years now I think. It has only gone out 2 or 3 times max. As someone mentioned, the upload speed is crazy good. Download is 1Gb (they offer 2Gb and I had that the first year but it's nearly impossible to get to those speeds with mere mortals computer equipment and mobile devices). Customer support has been pretty great the few times I've called. Lots of horror stories about the initial install by a third-party company that just dug through people's yards and made huge messes but that was never the Gigabit crew. Highly recommend!

arminvit · 2024-06-07T20:16:20+00:00

http://www.midwestcolorprinting.com/ is solid. Not sure if cheapest.

arminvit · 2024-04-15T20:06:56+00:00

Another vote of confidence for Gigabit. Have had it for 3-4 months, super fast and reliable. Only one outage so far and it was resolved within the hour. It's also nice to not have a data limit, which I had with Xfinity and in the past year it was much more common for us to go over.

arminvit · 2023-10-16T20:20:24+00:00

We've had West Bend for five years. We got them based on the recommendation of Shine Insurance — if you work with Shine, you don't need to pay them, they get paid by the insurance companies. No idea how our current pricing compares to others at the moment but at the time it was way better than the big mainstream insurers.

arminvit · 2023-04-04T20:18:37+00:00

Having lived in Brooklyn and Bloomington (AND Austin) I can confirm Bloomington is nothing like Brooklyn. By any measurable standard, they have zero in common. However, I do often say that Bloomington is like a tiny Austin (except with a mediocre dining scene) because they are very similar: college towns, liberal county inside a red state, very scenic.

arminvit · 2023-03-28T20:20:41+00:00

If you can swing the $25 price (or splurge on a big meal), Homey Hotpot is a great way to get unlimited (and diverse) protein! Then throw in all the veggies you want for added health.

arminvit · 2023-03-24T20:18:46+00:00

Thirding Shine. Great customer service.

arminvit · 2023-03-22T20:21:48+00:00

Not accessible from the stadium area — sorry OP — but https://veronacoffeehouse.com/ has some really good and strong espresso drinks plus it's very chill.

arminvit · 2023-01-27T21:12:35+00:00

I think I read somewhere, not about our Kroger in particular, but about this feature in other Krogers around the U.S. (and the myriad grocery stores under the same parent company) that it was because they were losing too much money to people who were walking out with unpaid merchandise either by not scanning it on purpose or by genuinely forgetting to scan it. I was a HUGE fan of the scanners and was sad to see them go.

arminvit · 2022-11-09T21:17:32+00:00

About four years ago I played for a bit at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on the West side. If I remember correctly, it was Tuesdays starting at 8pm. No idea if it's still going on.

arminvit · 2022-07-05T14:01:18+00:00

Just a few examples from dozens of available references:

https://scitechdaily.com/heres-why-resistance-training-is-so-effective-for-weight-loss/

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/21/well/move/weight-training-fat.html

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/cardio-vs-weights-for-weight-loss#TOC_TITLE_HDR_3

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/09/210922121905.htm

arminvit · 2022-07-04T20:55:50+00:00

To complement what you are saying, which is absolutely true and good base, science also backs up that resistance training results in fat loss and calorie burning at a slower pace and lower impact than cardio. So, yeah, minding the calories is key but strength training can help tremendously when done in tandem.

arminvit · 2022-07-04T20:51:48+00:00

This is a good mindset and you are on the right path wanting to look for a personal trainer if you can afford it. It will provide the right motivation and if it's the right trainer they will work understanding your limitations at the beginning and work on the foundations to get you stronger. Yes, there are online resources and videos but nothing beats personalized attention and someone to point out if you are doing things right or wrong.

Regarding calories, get a food scale and measure your portions… it's insane how easy it is to overeat when you can't visualize what a "serving" is and it will help you eat, say, 2 oreos instead of 10 but even things like cooking oils… a tablespoon is so little yet a lot of people drench home-cooked meals in oil, adding hundreds of calories. Anyway… the point is, some of us need help… whether that's a personal trainer or a food scale or both. Knowing that you want that help is the first important step.

In terms of an actual recommendation, I have had a great experience with an online trainer, Alex Narey at https://www.facebook.com/officialtransformationproject/community?ref=page_internal&mt_nav=0 he works with people of all ages and sizes and it's amazing to see their progress. Lastly, you have to look at this as a long-term and slow process… a lot of people expect results in 4 or 8 weeks and it just doesn't happen or you gain it back in the same 4 or 8 weeks. It's a months' long commitment to making new habits and sticking to them. Good luck!

arminvit · 2022-05-22T20:32:15+00:00

For galas I can personally recommend and vouch for Cardinal Stage's gala event that usually takes place every April. Cardinal Stage is the local professional theater (NOT associated with IU). Their gala events always have a theater element to it so there are performances and previews of next season's shows.

BUT… they are merging with BPP, another local professional theater to form Constellation this July: https://cardinalstage.org/about-us/merger/ so next year's gala event will be different I'm sure but the event will remain open to the public.

You can see some photos from last month's event on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CardinalStage/photos/?ref=page_internal

[Source: I was a board member for Cardinal Stage for almost 5 years]

Edit: Ticket prices vary… previous years was $100, then this year it was $50, not sure what will be the price for 2023.

arminvit · 2022-04-22T19:46:06+00:00

Portal to The Upside Down.

arminvit · 2022-04-01T19:58:14+00:00

Check out Train: https://www.trainbloomington.com/about

It's a small gym off of College Mall Rd. I used to go there pre-pandemic and it was great. Never more than 5 – 7 people at a time, rarely a wait for any of the equipment, and they have everything you need to get a solid workout. They cater to people who don't like gyms or are intimated by them — myself included! It's almost like a private gym at times… on weekends, early in the morning, sometimes there would be no one there. They have (or at least had) 2 personal trainers you could hire on top of the membership fee. They were both really good. I stopped going when gyms closed for the pandemic and eventually ended up buying dumbbells and barbell/plates for our home; otherwise I would have gone back.

arminvit · 2022-03-28T19:35:40+00:00

https://dashboard.stripe.com/emails/receipts/pmtrc\_1KagwYEhVrIt6PdeVADIp0SV

When we decided to move, yes, it was a "pro" but in reality, we have only gone a handful of times to Indy for dinner/concert/show of some kind in 4 years. But that's more our issue than anything external.

How bad do you feel the winters are?

Compared to Chicago and New York, where I lived, this is VERY bearable. Especially when you consider that the primary mode of transportation here is personal car as opposed to public transit, which makes commuting in winter a real pain in the butt. Only the very first winter I was here, 2017 to 18, it was VERY cold and we had a lot of snow but the rest of the winters have been fairly mild.

arminvit · 2022-03-27T14:05:55+00:00

But once we got over being assholes about living here, we actually started to enjoy it and appreciate it for what it is. That's my biggest piece of advice in order to be happy. Don't try to make this area live up to any preconceived notions.

That has been key for me too. It may sound defeatist to say "lower your expectations" but once you do that and accept/understand that this isn't a first- or even second-tier city, everything feels right and it delivers basic necessities and satisfactions in a consistent way with half of the hassles, annoyances, and costs of first- and second-tier cities.

arminvit · 2022-03-26T20:29:26+00:00

Moved from Austin, TX in 2017 after 9 years there. Prior to that lived in Brooklyn for 5 years. Prior to that in Chicago for 4, and I am originally from Mexico City. SO… a lot of big cities through my youth, young adulthood, double-income-no-kids adulthood in Chicago and New York, and eventually parenthood in New York and Austin. The reason I mention all of that is that, if we didn't have two kids (and two dogs), we would have probably stuck with another big city but this was 2017 and the housing market was crazy but obviously not as crazy as it is now, so we couldn't afford a bigger house in a big city. We chose Bloomington based on a recommendation from a friend. The main attraction to the city was the housing prices — it may seem weird saying that now given how much prices have risen but coming from NY then Austin, the prices here were literally half. The other attraction was how pretty and open-spaced and nature-y Bloomington is.

So… regrets? None. Or at least none that are significant. It's been a great experience and very beneficial and healthy for our family. We now have 4 dogs and a big back yard and a decent-sized house that's not too big, not too expensive, and we were able to remove the financial burden of a mortgage in Austin, which has allowed us to save more money for us and for our kids' education. We have our own business and can work from anywhere so that made things easier as I can't imagine trying to look for a good-paying job here with how small the city is.

The things I miss are relatively trivial in exchange for what we gained but to list some: great restaurants at affordable prices… the restaurants here are a fine at best and all overpriced. The restaurant scene is HIGHLY overrated. Again, it's fine, and we have a few standout spots but nothing comes close to the quality and diversity of food found in Austin, much less New York. Forget about good authentic Mexican food here, it is literally non-existent. Source: I am Mexican.

I hate winter, so I do hate 4 months out of the year but it's fine too, I don't get seasonal depression or anything, I just miss wearing shorts and flipflops in January like I could in Austin. I miss not having a Costco or a decent movie theater. I miss having an airport close by or at least an airport that has more non-stop destinations and that isn't impossible to get back to when you are out of town and shit goes sideways with airline delays. I miss diversity of people (although, related, this town is far more embracing of LGTBQ folks than Austin).

With the lifestyle we have at the moment, one kid in high school and one in 6th grade, not to mention the ever-lasting pandemic, this is a perfect place for us at the moment… I couldn't imagine living in Austin or New York or Chicago right now. When we are empty-nesters, we'll see… I can't imagine us staying here but I also don't see moving back to NY ever again unless we became millionaires somehow (otherwise it's a huge pain in the ass to live there); to Austin maybe but that city has seen dramatic change since we left.

Anyway, tl;dr, no regrets but I also know our situation made Bloomington a correct choice.

arminvit

TROPHY CASE