KnowYard Community

I bought a whole-house generator after 2021. $8K installed. I shouldn't have to do that but I have elderly parents living with me and I'm not risking it again.

Port Aransas for a cheap beach trip. Not the prettiest beach in the world but the vibe is chill, the fishing is good, and hotels are way cheaper than Galveston.

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.

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.

If you're lucky enough to have a Gold's Gym nearby, that's still the gold standard for serious lifting. Some locations are better than others though.

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.

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.

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.

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 Cracked foundation, old roof, stained carpet, outdated kitchen.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

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.

Keep a cooler in your trunk in summer. Cold water, some snacks. If you break down on a Texas highway in July, help might take 30-45 minutes. You want water available.

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.

The deregulated market is the problem. Nobody wants to invest in reserve capacity because there's no profit in power plants that only run during emergencies. So we have zero buffer.

Did the Texas BBQ trail — hit 5 different BBQ spots across the state in 3 days. Gained 8 pounds. No regrets.

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.

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.

The 2021 storm should have been a wake-up call. 200+ people died. And here we are still running the same grid on hope and prayers every summer.

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.

First time I protested I was nervous. The informal hearing took 12 minutes. The guy looked at my comps, agreed I had a point, and dropped it $25K. Easiest money I ever saved.

Marfa is one of the weirdest towns in America in the best way. Art installations in the middle of nowhere, the Marfa lights, Prada Marfa. Combine it with Big Bend for a full trip.

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

Local independent gyms are where it's at. Not the chain ones. Find the gym owned by one person that's been open 15 years with equipment that's older than you. Those gyms have the best equipment and the best culture.

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.

Crunch Fitness is a solid middle ground. More equipment than PF, actual free weight area, $25-30/month at most locations.

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