Hoping for a better summer with our pool

Hi! New here, and excited to be part of this forum.
It was really hot last year in Michigan, and we had trouble with low chlorine levels, and lots of ph issues.
I really hope to avoid that this year. I feel like the pool store we frequent (mostly because it is close to home) has 15 year olds tellng me what to add.
SO I will start out asking about testing my water at home:
Are the strips OK? The stores really push them. I grew up testing with the chemicals. Are those kits better?

Thanks in advance?

Nope, strips are unreliable and notoriously inaccurate. Take a look at How to Get the Right Testkits for your Pool. If you buy through the links, the poolforum gets some cash to keep the lights on.

What kind of pool do you have?

membership updated.