KnowYard Community

Groceries are where I feel it the most. Same cart that cost $120 two years ago is $170 now. And the shrinkflation is real — everything is smaller.

I genuinely think some of these projects are designed to never finish so the contracts keep paying out. Call me cynical but 3 years for a highway widening is insane.

It depends where you came from. My friends in California still pay double what I pay for everything. Texas is expensive compared to 2019 Texas, but cheap compared to a lot of other places.

Welcome to Texas inspection theater. My favorite is when they fail you for a windshield crack that's been there for 2 years and is nowhere near the driver's line of sight.

The joke is that Texas has two seasons: summer and construction. And somehow they overlap perfectly to make everything worse.

The fact that he tried the handle and moved on when it was locked tells you everything. Most of these people are looking for easy targets. Make your house not the easy one.

Get the AllTrails app and search your area. Filter by difficulty and distance. Some of the best trails aren't in official parks — they're along creeks, power line easements, and greenbelts.

The inspection system exists to generate revenue. Change my mind. A car that runs perfectly, stops properly, and has functioning lights should pass.

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.

TxDOT project timelines are suggestions at best. I've lived near a highway expansion that was supposed to take 2 years. It took 6. When it finished they immediately started a new project on the connecting highway.

Some shops will charge less. The dealer quoted me $250, an independent tire shop did it for $120. Call around before you pay dealer prices.

Parking strategy: find shade, even if it means walking farther. A shaded parking spot saves you 20 degrees of interior temp compared to full sun.

Hard disagree. I go every few months and the brisket is still consistently great. The Hot Mess hasn't changed. You might've had a bad day.

Invest in a good insulated water bottle. A Yeti or Stanley with ice stays cold for 8+ hours in your car. Warm water in the Texas heat is torture.

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.

Deadbolt, motion sensor lights, and a door reinforcement kit. The kit is $50 and makes it nearly impossible to kick the door in. That's the most vulnerable entry point.

TPMS is the most annoying inspection failure. My car failed for the same thing. $180 to replace a sensor that does nothing I can't do with a pressure gauge in 30 seconds.

State parks. Texas state parks system is incredible and massively underused. A year pass is $70 and gets you into every park in the state. Weekend camping is $15-25/night.

Army Corps of Engineers parks around the lakes are always less crowded than city parks. Free or cheap, good trails, water access. Google the nearest lake to you and look for Army Corps sites.

Electrolytes, not just water. Liquid IV, Pedialyte, even pickle juice. When you sweat this much, plain water isn't enough. You're losing salt faster than you can replace it.

Your pets feel it too. Hot asphalt can burn their paws. Touch it with the back of your hand — if you can't hold it for 5 seconds, it's too hot for your dog to walk on.

Thursday is the move. Less crowded than Fri/Sat and the meat is just as good. I've never had them sell out on a Thursday before noon.

Pecan Lodge is a tourist trap now. Fight me. The quality has dipped since they expanded.

Nah this take has legs. Went twice in 2025 and both times the brisket was dry on the edges. Cattleack would never.

YMCA is slept on. Some of them have surprisingly good weight rooms, plus pool, basketball courts, and sauna. $45/month for an adult membership at most locations.