KnowYard Community

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.

My Mexican friends refuse to eat at most Tex-Mex places. But they also admit that queso (which doesn't exist in Mexico) is addictive. Cultural exchange works both ways.

SimpliSafe. No contract, $17/month monitoring, easy DIY install. Had it 3 years and it's triggered twice from actual incidents — both times the monitoring center called within 30 seconds. Would buy again.

Tex-Mex is not Mexican food and nobody who grew up eating both would confuse them. Both are good. They're just different cuisines at this point.

Stores in wealthier areas don't lock stuff up even though they get shoplifted too. It's a customer experience decision, not purely a theft rate one. Think about what that says.

Year 8 teacher here. I love teaching. I cannot afford teaching. I tutor, do test prep on weekends, and drive for a rideshare in the summer. It shouldn't be like this.

Left teaching last year for corporate training. Same skills, double the salary, and I don't cry in my car anymore. I miss the kids but I don't miss the system.

Do NOT withhold rent without following the proper legal steps. Texas is very landlord-friendly and they can evict you fast if you just stop paying without going through the process.

Trades. HVAC, plumbing, electrical. Most will hire you with zero experience and train you. Starting pay is $18-22/hr but within 2-3 years you're at $30+. Texas needs tradespeople badly.

Dashcam with parking mode. It records when it detects motion near the car. Won't stop the theft but gives you evidence and sometimes a clear face.

This is why I specifically bought a house with no HOA even though it meant a longer commute. My trash can sits wherever I want and nobody sends me letters about it.

Call your city's code compliance. An apartment without AC in July may violate habitability codes. The city inspector showing up lights a fire under landlords real fast.

HVAC is the play in Texas specifically. It's 100+ degrees for 3 months a year. Every AC unit in the state needs regular maintenance. The demand is endless.

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

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.

I watched someone walk out of a store with a full cart last week. Employees didn't even react. They're told not to intervene. I don't blame them — not worth getting hurt over merchandise.

The real answer is that it depends on what trade and what degree. A CS degree from a good school pays more than plumbing. But a plumbing license pays more than a generic business degree with $40K in loans.

You can do both. Get your trade license AND take classes part-time. My buddy is a licensed plumber making $75K while finishing his business degree at night. He wants to run his own shop.

Texas Property Code 92.056. Send a WRITTEN notice (certified mail or email with delivery receipt) describing the condition and giving them reasonable time to fix it. If they don't, you have options including repair-and-deduct.

The real issue is that organized retail theft rings are running operations, not random people stealing food. They resell on Amazon and Facebook Marketplace. It's a business.

The caveat is that trades destroy your body. I'm 38 and my knees and back are shot. The money is real but so is the physical toll. Have a plan for what you do at 50.

The hard truth is that unless someone is caught in the act, police don't have the resources to investigate car break-ins. Prevention is all you've got.

Park in the garage if you have one. If you don't, park in the most well-lit area possible. Motion sensor light aimed at where you park helps too.

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

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.