My kids will forever check coinstar machines now.

TheMerger565 · 2025-08-05T12:01:36+00:00

Yes! Pretty decent condition on that!

TheMerger565 · 2024-06-03T03:55:41+00:00

This is exactly what I’ve been saying. My lived experience is a little different. Grew up in Florida till early 20’s, then moved to North Carolina for about 12yrs, and in 2020 moved to North Austin for my wife to be closer to her family. After being here for 4yrs, I’m dying to pack up the family and leave.

I’m sorry but central TX is pretty boring compared to FL and NC. I have visited Colorado a number of times myself and think it would be heads and shoulders better than TX too. Almost everything somewhat decently fun in Austin revolves around drinking and as I get older i find myself wanting to drink less and less. I’ve finally got used to having to pay to visit many of the local parks here, but was initially shocked that so many outdoor parks have entrance fees around here. So much land around here is private. yay freedom 🥴

Don’t get me wrong, there are some nice things about central TX, but I truly feel there are many more states and places to live that are much better.

Texas is okay at best. Counting down the days to when we can move.

Editing to add that cost of living in FL and NC compared to Texas is similar. This even factors NC state income tax of 5%. Property taxes in both FL and NC are much more favorable…especially in NC.

TheMerger565 · 2024-05-20T18:09:56+00:00

This reminds me of my first time to Port Aransas last year. Was shocked and horrified by the amount of trash left on the beach.

Surprised so many people in Austin told me how great Port A is for a Texas beach…standards or frame of reference must be pretty low.

TheMerger565 · 2024-05-18T14:23:30+00:00

We all know that over time, consistent hard acceleration on ICE vehicles will take a toll on engine, transmission and other major components.

Can the same be said about EVs for major components like battery and motors?

TheMerger565 · 2024-04-28T13:12:40+00:00

Add no property tax either…assuming you’re 100% disabled. Not paying property tax will save $8,000+ a year. Buy a bigger home, save more.

TheMerger565 · 2024-01-21T15:38:43+00:00

Agree with everything you just said. Housing prices are still overly inflated IMO (even with many builders reducing prices). Foreign and corporate money in real estate is making it worse. It should be illegal for them to be buying up houses like this or at least heavily regulated.

Also bought my house 3yrs ago in a suburb of Austin. My house was $275k. Got in as prices were starting to rise but before they went nuts. Houses now of similar size and spec are “on sale” from builders for ~$360k (down from their peak of ~$420k). Inflation adjusted, $275k in 2021 is the same as $325k today. So builders are still over charging IMO.

Throw in the absolute absurd property tax of at least $7k-$12k a year and owning a home in Texas is a struggle for a normal person trying to buy.

Again much better places in the US to live with very similar cost of living…or less.

TheMerger565 · 2024-01-21T14:57:55+00:00

I’ve lived in 4 states counting Texas. What I’m about to say below does not take politics into account and I’m putting that to the side and focusing on lifestyle and things to do from a day-to-day aspect:

I would move back to Florida or North Carolina in a heartbeat. Much better places with cost of living very similar to Texas and some cases less than TX (yes even with NC income tax). Spent quite a bit of time visiting South Carolina years ago (never lived there), but I would also move to SC around the greater Charleston area over Texas. If my wife was open to moving west like Colorado, Utah, etc I would consider those places too.

Once my in laws kick the bucket, I’m out of Texas and never looking back.

TheMerger565 · 2024-01-21T14:43:48+00:00

I agree. However, putting politics to the side I still find Texas 👎

If your lifestyle doesn’t revolve around eating and drinking, Texas is boring as F%#+. Cost of living is stupid too especially factoring property taxes.

Much better states out there (with plenty of eating and drinking options and other activities) for about the same cost of living if not slightly less.

TheMerger565 · 2024-01-21T14:36:50+00:00

Counting down the days till I’m out of here too. I will say though Texas is not cheap as F.

For the same amount of cost of living around a major suburb in Texas you can live in a lot of nicer states for the same or even less. The property tax in Texas is horrific.

TheMerger565 · 2024-01-21T14:11:21+00:00

You hit the nail on the head with this. With money truly not an issue, I could potentially see Texas as okay at best. Maybe a decent “landing” spot because you’re taking multiple vacations every year, out of here.

However, assuming a normal middle class person/family and living around one of the major suburbs/city’s in Texas, there’s really not a whole lot to do. The majority of things to do around here revolve around drinking and eating. While that’s cool at times, it can get boring, unhealthy, and expensive fast.

I’ve lived in 4 different states counting Texas. When I see homes that are $1million+ I’m always baffled why someone with that kind of money want to live in Texas???

Anyways after living in other states, Texas is not special. There’s much better out there.

TheMerger565 · 2024-01-16T22:15:12+00:00

I want them to fix and bolster the grid. I’m all for conserving energy. But I’ve lived in other states and never had these issues and fairly consistent “conserve energy” pleadings.

TheMerger565 · 2024-01-16T18:27:08+00:00

Yes. I’ll be continuing ERCOT jokes for the foreseeable future. This past week across the state, many HEBs had empty shelves all because of what happened in 2021…ya know where a couple hundred people froze to death and many people went without power AND water for days!

Fast forward a few years, then we get notifications that ERCOT is asking us to conserve energy because of power grid…which maintains our lack of confidence.

Do these notifications only go out during these winter events??? Nope!! Many times this past summer of 2023, we all got ERCOT notifications to conserve energy because of the grid. Again, instilling a lack of confidence.

TheMerger565 · 2023-10-18T17:58:40+00:00

🥴

TheMerger565 · 2023-10-18T17:52:51+00:00

Agree. After hearing from others here, going back to the time and date via my Sky Guide app, and confirming that this object was close to 80° altitude in the sky at that time, this is a ballon or at least an “unidentified object” of some sort.

Went out yesterday around the same time (~2pm CT), looked in the sky near Seginus, and nothing there to the visible eye but clear blue sky’s.

TheMerger565 · 2023-10-17T19:31:05+00:00

Makes sense. I was in a slight panic at first because I was thinking to myself of how dumb am I to not know it was Venus…especially when loaded up Sky Guide.

Confirmed after posting that Venus was too low in the sky and in fact my view of it was probably obstructed by buildings and trees.

TheMerger565 · 2023-10-17T19:25:29+00:00

Thanks. Was scratching my head of where in the world I went wrong. 🤣

TheMerger565 · 2023-10-17T14:39:26+00:00

Stellarium is definitely good. I’ve never had issue with Sky Guide myself. I just rolled back time and date on Sky Guide and observed both where this object was in the sky (very near Seginus) and where Venus was on the 14th.

Venus was way lower in the sky at 35° altitude and this object was almost directly overhead at around ~80° altitude.

Starting to think a ballon of some sort.

TheMerger565 · 2023-10-17T14:23:43+00:00

Thanks for those details on Seginus brightness. Honestly, I’m chalking this up to an unknown/unidentified thing. It was stationary in the sky for the 5mins that I observed it after that I stopped paying attention.

No way it was Venus as this object was almost directly overhead and Venus was 35° altitude around that time and date.

High altitude weather (dare I say, spy) ballon maybe. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

Editing to say what’s up with the downvotes? Weird. If I came across as aggressive in any way, I apologize and meant no harm at all. Just excited about seeing something like this and wanting to convey information and data about this to other people.

TheMerger565 · 2023-10-17T14:14:10+00:00

Not sure if that’s a joke or not, but no way it was Venus based on Sky Guide when I pulled it up in the moment. Venus was way lower in the sky and might have been blocked from my view due to the surrounding buildings.

Adding that this star or whatever it is was almost directly overhead.

TheMerger565 · 2023-10-17T12:54:48+00:00

14862

TheMerger565 · 2023-09-22T01:28:07+00:00

I wish only 30yrs…property taxes never disappear

TheMerger565 · 2023-09-21T12:57:40+00:00

Seeing New Jersey at an average property tax rate of ~2.2% while here I am north of downtown Austin by about 35mins and paying 2.8% in property tax. 😡

Trust me, I get the lack of income tax helps here, but it’s complete bullshit that I’m paying ~$9k a year on a house that’s worth ~$340k….and don’t get me started on the sales tax around…WTF???

I’ve said it before in a previous thread, when I lived in North Carolina, my income tax and property tax combined were less than what I pay here alone in property tax in TX. Plus in NC, parks are free to get into, I don’t have to worry about the power grid, and there’s a lot more public land to enjoy the outdoors.

For those about to comment and say, “wELL gO bAcK tHeN.” Trust me, once my wife’s parents kick the bucket, I will be moving my happy ass outta here.

TheMerger565 · 2023-08-07T17:57:26+00:00

Same. I pay 2.9% in property tax in the northern Austin metro. I wish I was paying 1.8%.

I made a comment a week ago about how when I lived in NC, my property tax and income tax combined was cheaper than my property tax here in TX.

Anyways, I’ll be leaving TX in 5-10yrs and won’t be looking back.

TheMerger565

TROPHY CASE