KnowYard Community

Brisket gatekeepers are the worst. My dad has been smoking brisket for 30 years and some guy who watched one YouTube video tried to tell him he's doing it wrong.

Counterpoint: standards are what make Texas BBQ great. If we stop caring about quality we end up like every other state's mid BBQ. Gatekeeping has a purpose.

The friendliness is real. People wave at strangers, hold doors, and make small talk in checkout lines. Moved from the northeast and this took months to get used to.

Smart thermostat was a game changer for me. Bumps up to 80 when nobody is home, drops back to 76 an hour before we get back. Saved about $40/month in summer.

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.

$387 for 1600 sqft sounds high even for summer. What rate are you paying per kWh? Anything over 14 cents and you need to shop around when your contract is up.

At $110K combined you can make $350K work but it will be tight with Texas property taxes. Run the real numbers including tax, insurance, and a maintenance fund. Not just principal and interest.

Ceiling fans in every room. They don't cool the room but they cool YOU and let you bump the thermostat up 3-4 degrees without noticing.

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.

Texas pride. I've never lived anywhere where people fly the state flag more than the US flag. And they're not being ironic about it.

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.

It's both. It's a tourist trap AND it's good. Those things can coexist. The prices are high but the quality is real.

Everything IS bigger. The steaks, the trucks, the highways, the distances, the portions. My first time ordering a "small" drink here I got what I'd call a large anywhere else.

Factor in ALL costs not just mortgage. Property tax, insurance, HOA, maintenance, and the stuff that breaks. My first year I spent $8K on things the inspection missed.

Buc-ee's is an experience, not a restaurant. You go for the vibes and the clean bathroom and you leave with $40 of beaver-branded impulse purchases.

It's not theater. Something like 60-70% of people who protest get a reduction. The appraisal district overshoots on purpose because they know most people won't protest. Don't be most people.

Pro tip: photograph every flaw in your house. Cracked foundation, old roof, stained carpet, outdated kitchen. Bring photos to the hearing. Condition matters.

The weather changing 40 degrees in one day. I've worn shorts and a jacket in the same 12 hour period. Multiple times.

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.

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.

My church potluck sweet tea made in a 5 gallon cooler with approximately 4 pounds of sugar. Nothing in a restaurant comes close.

High school football being a religion. I thought people were exaggerating. Then I saw a high school stadium bigger than most college stadiums. These people are not playing.

Bought last year at 6.8%. Monthly payment is more than my old rent but I'm not throwing money away anymore. You can always refinance when rates drop. You can't un-rent money you already spent.

The fudge and the jerky are genuinely high quality. Everything else is overpriced gas station food with cute packaging. Fight me.

I stop every time I see one and I'm not sorry. The kolaches are solid, the bathrooms are spotless, and the beaver nuggets are crack.