KnowYard Community

Check your city and county job boards directly. Government jobs don't always post on Indeed. The benefits package is usually better than private sector even if the pay is slightly lower.

The insurance situation in Texas is rough right now. Get quotes BEFORE you make an offer on a house. Some areas are seeing 40-50% premium increases after recent storm seasons.

My wife is a teacher and her take-home after insurance, retirement, and union dues is about $3,200/month. Our mortgage alone is $2,100. Do the math.

I deliver for Amazon Flex on weekends. $25/hr base plus tips. Use your own vehicle. 4-5 hour blocks. It's not exciting but it's reliable money with a flexible schedule.

Still waiting for prices to come down. Used EVs are getting more affordable though. Seen used Tesla Model 3s under $25K. Might be the move.

HEB store brand stuff is genuinely good quality. Their creamy creations ice cream competes with Blue Bell. I said what I said.

HEB for meat and produce, Aldi for everything else. Kroger only if I forgot something and it's 9pm.

The Tesla Supercharger by Walmart is perfect. I plug in, walk to Walmart, do my shopping, come back to a full charge. It fits seamlessly into the routine.

The GISD vs RISD split is the most important thing on this post. I almost bought west of Dalrock without checking school zones. Would have been GISD instead of RISD. My realtor caught it. Always verify.

UPS warehouse and driving positions. Warehouse starts around $21/hr, drivers make $35+/hr after training. Union benefits. It's physical work but it's legit.

For COBRA — check healthcare.gov first. Losing your job qualifies you for a Special Enrollment Period. ACA plans might be significantly cheaper than COBRA depending on your income.

Interesting — I think the Dallas-Fort Worth angle gets overlooked.

Motion sensor lights on the driveway made a difference for us. Not a guarantee but they don't like being lit up.

I talked to one of the construction workers last week. He said the owner is from the Rockwall area and ran a food truck before this. That is a good sign — food truck operators know how to make food people actually want to eat.

The companies forcing return-to-office are just trying to justify their lease costs. It's not about productivity and everyone knows it.

The biggest red flag: when they rush you to accept without giving you time to think. "We need an answer by tomorrow" is pressure, not urgency. Good opportunities can wait 48 hours.

LOCK YOUR CARS. I know it sounds obvious but half the break-ins are just unlocked doors. They walk down the street pulling handles. If it's locked they move on.

Bought a home warranty for $600/year. Covered the AC repair and a plumbing issue in the first 6 months. Paid for itself twice over. Get one for the first year at least.

Share that footage on your neighborhood social media. Nextdoor, Facebook group, whatever. Other people's cameras might have caught him arriving or leaving in a car. Plate numbers are what police need.

Nobody ever includes property tax and insurance when they compare mortgage to rent. With those factored in, my "cheaper than rent" mortgage is actually $500 more than my old apartment.

Google reviews matter but read the actual reviews, not just the star rating. Look for people who mention honest pricing and them being told what DIDN'T need fixing.

Our neighborhood pooled money for extra private security patrol one night a week. Break-ins dropped significantly. It's not cheap but it works.

Same thing happened to us last month. We added window sensors and a door bar on the sliding glass door. Total cost: $80. Sleep much better now.

Real talk right here. No sugarcoating.

Reolink cameras (no subscription, local storage) paired with SimpliSafe sensors for monitoring. Best of both worlds. Camera footage stays on YOUR hard drive, not someone else's cloud.