Think tick season winds down once the kids go back to school? It doesn’t. Virginia Cooperative Extension researchers say adult blacklegged ticks stay active clear into the winter months, right as most people put their bug spray away for the season. These are the moves that keep ticks out of a Virginia yard before that…
Kroger and Food City sit closer to home for many Tennesseans, and many still drive past both. Publix earns the detour. These are the Publix finds worth the longer drive for Tennessee shoppers. 1. Hand-Rolled Sushi Tennessee’s newest Publix stores keep a sushi chef stationed behind the seafood counter, hand-rolling fresh selections every day the…
Florida gained 22,517 residents from other states last year. Two years earlier, that number was 183,646. Fewer people are arriving, and the households already there are running numbers on property taxes, condo bills, and hurricane season. These are some of the biggest reasons people are leaving Florida in 2026. Note: This is general information, not…
Think the worst thing Texas’ summer can cost you is a high electric bill? Not necessarily. Ask anybody who’s spent a July night in an emergency room after reaching into a woodpile they couldn’t see into. These are the Texas summer rules locals follow that newcomers often end up learning the hard way. Note: This…
On February 1, the last-resort insurer for coastal wind and hail raised its rates 7.5% on houses and 25% on mobile homes. No hurricane had to hit the coast first. Insurers build these increases out of rate filings, reinsurance bills, and paperwork some homeowners never open. These are the home insurance surprises South Carolinians are…
A home inspector runs a flashlight down a thin crack in a Lynchburg basement wall and writes one line about it. By the weekend, three companies in Virginia have called about that crack. Two say “structural” before anyone has measured anything, and the third says to watch it and call back in the spring. These…
Do you think your air conditioner is delivering the cold air you’re paying for? A fifth to a third of it might never reach your room. It might be leaking out of the ductwork crossing your attic, and that’s before anybody touches a vent or a thermostat. These are the air conditioner mistakes Georgia homeowners…
A new neighbor in Kokomo accepts an invitation to a pitch-in and turns up carrying nothing but a bottle of wine. Nobody says a word. Many Hoosiers would sooner let you work it out than embarrass you over an empty casserole dish. These are the habits Hoosiers never explain to the people who move to…
A renter in Scranton gets home from a shift, and her key doesn’t turn. Her landlord swapped the lock that afternoon over two months of unpaid rent. She broke her lease. He broke the law. These are the things Pennsylvania landlords can’t legally do to renters. Note: This is general information, not legal advice. Landlord…
Rice, rolled oats, and gummy bears sit in open bins at the Clovis WinCo, sold by the pound. Californians love that aisle and still overpay on the way out. These are the WinCo mistakes customers pay for week after week. 1. Paying an ATM Fee to Shop Californians hand a slice of their WinCo savings…
