Category: Cost of Living
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Your 2026 Tax Rate Isn’t Set Yet. Hearings Come Next
Appraisals are done, but the tax rates that set your actual bill get adopted in late summer. How Truth-in-Taxation notices, hearings and Texas.gov/propertytaxes work.
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Your Smart Meter Logs Every 15 Minutes. See It for Free
Smart Meter Texas shows DFW households their electricity use in 15-minute slices, free. How to register with your ESID and use the data to shrink a summer bill.
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Texas Renters Have Repair Rights. Here’s How to Use Them
Broken AC in a Texas July? The Property Code gives renters a repair process: written notice, rent current, landlord deadlines. What to do and what never to do.
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Summer Electric Bill Help: How Texas CEAP Works
Texas’s Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program pays utility bills for income-qualified households through local agencies. Who qualifies and how DFW residents apply.
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Turning 65 Freezes Part of Your Texas Property Tax Bill
At 65, Texas homeowners get an extra $60,000 school exemption and a permanent ceiling on school taxes. One free form with DCAD or TAD locks it in.
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Which Groceries Get Taxed in Texas, and Which Don’t
Most unprepared groceries are tax-free in Texas, but sodas, candy, hot food and single-serve snacks are not. The register rules that decide your DFW receipt.
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Why Your Appraisal Notice Shows Two Different Home Values
Market value vs. appraised value on your DCAD or TAD notice: how the 10% homestead cap works, which number sets your tax bill, and what to do if it looks wrong.
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Before Switching Electric Plans, Read the Fact Label
Every Texas electric plan comes with an Electricity Facts Label showing the real price at 500, 1,000 and 2,000 kWh. Here is how to read it before you switch.
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Missed the Protest Deadline? Your Late Options at DCAD
The May 15 protest window at DCAD has closed, but Texas Tax Code 25.25 corrections and good-cause late protests can still cut an unfair appraisal.
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That 8.25% on Your Receipt: Where DFW Sales Tax Goes
DFW’s 8.25% sales tax is really three or four taxes stacked together. How Dallas, Fort Worth and the suburbs split the local share, and who gets your pennies.
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Over 65? You Can Legally Postpone Your Property Tax Bill
Texas Tax Code 33.06 lets homeowners 65 and older or disabled defer property taxes on the homestead. One affidavit, 5% interest, and a lien to weigh first.
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Behind on a Dallas Water Bill? Payment Plans and Help Exist
Dallas Water Utilities offers payment plans by phone, email or 311 before shutoff. How to ask, what a termination notice means, and where to find help.