KnowYard Community

Tinted windows, remote start, and a good sunshade for the windshield. That's the holy trinity of surviving Texas car heat.

I just accept that summer electric bills are $300+ and budget accordingly. It's the Texas tax nobody mentions.

Pool membership was the best $200 I ever spent. June through September I'm there 4 days a week after work.

The bathroom thing alone justifies its existence. After driving 3 hours on a Texas highway I would pay $5 just for a clean bathroom. The food is a bonus.

Chick-fil-A is the gold standard and I'm tired of people trying to find something better. It's sweet tea. They perfected it. Move on.

28% to police seems about right. Rowlett PD response times are solid compared to Garland or Dallas. I've called non-emergency twice and they showed up within 20 minutes both times.

The Dallas-Fort Worth market is wild right now. Good topic.

Don't let perfect be the enemy of good. I waited 2 years for prices to drop and they went up $40K instead. Timing the market is a myth. Buy when you can afford to.

Lake Ray Hubbard is NOT a swimming lake. I made that mistake the first summer. Drove to the shore expecting to jump in and the water looked like chocolate milk. Great for kayaking though.

Document every maintenance request in writing (email, not just the portal). If they haven't fixed stuff you reported, that's leverage for negotiation or for your city's tenant complaint process.

You get used to it in the sense that you learn to work around it. You go outside before 10am or after 7pm. You accept that June through September is indoor season.

I found a garage apartment behind someone's house for $950/month. Private entrance, quiet street, great neighborhood. Wouldn't have found it on any apartment website.

Year 8 here. You don't stop hating it. You just hate it quietly and then enjoy October through April knowing you earned it.

Same thing happened on my street in Waterview yesterday. Guy said he was doing "energy audits" for Oncor. I called Oncor and they said they do not send people door to door for energy audits. Reported it to Rowlett PD.

You get used to it in the sense that you learn to work around it. You go outside before 10am or after 7pm. You accept that June through September is indoor season.

Check your insulation. Seriously. Had an energy audit done and found out my attic insulation was garbage. Got it blown in for $1,200 and my summer bills dropped about $80/month.

Hot take: Texas drivers are aggressive but predictable. They're going fast and they expect you to keep up. Northeast drivers are passive-aggressive which is somehow worse.

Not something I expected to read today but glad I did.

Don't let perfect be the enemy of good. I waited 2 years for prices to drop and they went up $40K instead. Timing the market is a myth. Buy when you can afford to.

The "market rate" excuse is infuriating when the unit is in worse condition than when you moved in. Market rate for WHAT exactly.

Costco for bulk items, HEB for weekly stuff, and I still end up at Walmart at 10pm because I forgot something. Every single week.

this post should be pinned at every DFW gym. the attrition rate in the first 6 months is brutal — probably 70-80% of people who try a martial art quit within 6 months. the ones who survive that period almost always stay for years

The blue truck on 66 is the best kept food secret in Rowlett. The al pastor from the trompo is legitimately as good as anything on Jefferson Blvd in Oak Cliff. I go every Thursday after work.

I negotiated mine down $150 by showing them comparable units on Zillow that were cheaper. They'd rather keep a paying tenant than turn the unit. It's worth trying.

month 4 was my quit point and my coach texted me when i didnt show up for a week. that text — "hey man, missed you on the mat this week. everything ok?" — is why im still training 3 years later. find a gym where people notice when youre gone