Is Texas getting too expensive or are we just not keeping up?
Groceries are up. Rent is up. Insurance is up. Gas somehow went down and then right back up. I make more than I did 3 years ago and I feel like I have less money.
Groceries are up. Rent is up. Insurance is up. Gas somehow went down and then right back up. I make more than I did 3 years ago and I feel like I have less money.
This is my first full summer in Texas. It's been over 100 degrees for 12 straight days. My car steering wheel could brand cattle. I burned my hand on the seatbelt buckle.
July bill just hit: $387. For a 1,600 sq ft house. Thermostat set to 76. I'm on a fixed rate plan, my house is relatively new, and I keep the blinds closed during the day. Still getting wrecked.
Looking to plan something for a long weekend. Done the usual stuff close to home but want to go further out.
I've been here long enough to know which stereotypes are BS and which ones are dead on. The big trucks one? Absolutely real. Every third vehicle on the highway is an F-150 or bigger.
I know HEB is the correct answer on the internet. But I want to know what people actually do week to week. I end up at Kroger because it's closest to me.
I've driven in a lot of states. Texas is on another level. Nobody uses turn signals. Everybody tailgates. Pickup trucks doing 90 in the right lane.
BBQ is supposed to be fun. Community. Gathering around a pit with a beer and eating good food.
Before y'all come for me — I've eaten there plenty of times. It's fine. The patty melt is good. The honey butter chicken biscuit is legitimately great. But the regular burgers? Mid. The fries?
Been here about a year now. There were things I expected — the heat, the big trucks, the BBQ obsession. All true.
Three months in. Some observations from someone still adjusting. - Everyone drives everywhere. I asked a coworker if they wanted to walk to the restaurant across the street.
I need a solid breakfast taco spot. Not a sit-down brunch place charging $16 for two tacos on a fancy plate.
Spent 6 years in apartments. Just bought a house. Here's what nobody warned me about. - Lawn care in Texas heat is a part-time job. Mowing every week in summer. Watering constantly.
Just got back from a week in Mexico City. The food was unbelievable. Came home and went to my usual Tex-Mex spot and it hit different. Not bad, just... different. Tex-Mex is its own thing.
I've been fully remote for 2 years. My company just announced a "hybrid" return — 3 days in office. Which means I now need to commute 45 minutes each way, pay for gas, buy lunch, and wear pants.
I've been applying for weeks. All the Indeed postings are either scams, ghost listings that have been up for 6 months, or they want 5 years of experience for $18/hour. I don't have a degree.
Every city has those spots that have been open for 20-30+ years. No rebranding, no Instagram presence, same menu since the Reagan administration. And somehow they're still packed every weekend.
Interest rates are still elevated. Prices haven't really come down. Insurance costs are through the roof — literally, because of all the hail and storm claims. But rent keeps going up too.
Lease renewal came in. $400 more per month. Same unit. Same busted dishwasher I reported 6 months ago. Same stain on the ceiling from the upstairs leak they "fixed" twice.
First time protesting my property tax appraisal this year. The county raised my value by $35K which makes zero sense because nothing about my house or neighborhood has changed.
Every time I stop at Buc-ee's I spend $60 on stuff I don't need. The beef jerky wall is mesmerizing. The bathrooms are immaculate. The brisket sandwich is solid.
AC has been out for 4 days. It's over 100 degrees outside and my apartment is hitting 90+ inside. I've called maintenance three times.
I'm on a mission to find the best sweet tea around here. Not the bottled stuff. Not the lightly sweetened "is there even sugar in this" version.
Got a letter from my HOA. Violation: "trash receptacle visible from the street." My trash can was next to my garage. Not in the yard. Not on the sidewalk. NEXT TO MY GARAGE on the side of my house.
Three packages stolen in the last month. I have a Ring doorbell so I have footage of all three. Different person each time. One guy pulled up in a car, grabbed it in 5 seconds, and drove off.
Fourth car on our street broken into this week. They're not smashing windows — they're just checking door handles. If it's unlocked they go in, grab whatever they can, and move to the next one.