Meet a Reader | Alex from Hawaii
Today we're meeting a New York native who has lived in Hawaii for 19 years! That's definitely a big climate difference, and it's totally something I could see Lisey doing because she really, really, REALLY hates cold weather.
Here's Alex:
1. Tell us a little about yourself
I have been a secondary school English teacher on the island of Oahu for the past 19 years (I'm 42).
I'm originally from Glens Falls, New York, and moved to Hawaii after college because I was sick of the cold weather in New York (I went to college near Rochester).
I went to a teacher recruitment fair in the spring of my senior year in college. Multiple districts in the nation offered me a job, but I chose Hawaii because it sounded like a crazy, fun adventure. I'd never been to Hawaii and I didn't know anyone there.
I was placed at a school on the windward side of Oahu, which turned out to be one of the most mainlander-friendly, beautiful places I could have landed.
It was such a great place to start my career as a teacher that I never left, although I did switch schools after eight years to teach at a private high school in Honolulu.
I am married and have two school-aged children. I love to read and to go to the beach, and I love surfing!
2. How long have you been reading The Frugal Girl?
I can't remember, but I think at least ten years or so.
I remember when Kristen's kids were a lot younger and she would write a lot about homeschooling them. My church had a lot of homeschooling families and one of my research projects for graduate school was about homeschooling, so I found Kristen's blog very interesting.
But I think I stumbled on the blog originally because I was looking for frugal tips.
3. How did you get interested in saving money?
I have always been a frugal soul. When I was a kid, I biked around the long, winding roads of my rural town, collecting bottles and cans for five cents each. I did lots of odd jobs and babysitting for pocket money, and got my first real job selling t-shirts in the tourist town nearby when I was 14 years old.
Living in Hawaii is very expensive, and public school teacher wages are extremely low here relative to the cost of living, so I had to continue being very frugal to stay here for so long.
I was single for my first ten years out here, so I really had to watch my pennies carefully. I was always buying things for my classroom!
4. What's the "why" behind your money-saving efforts?
Ultimately, stewardship, I guess.
I have a lot of respect for intentionality in all things, and time and money are at the top of the list. I always want to make sure that I'm spending money on what I truly value and that our money reflects our true priorities.
We value generosity very highly and have always made that a central part of our marriage. We also value education for our children. So we want to make sure that our resources are prioritized towards those values.
5. What's your best frugal win?
I have a lot of them, but probably the best one was "buying low" on the marriage market (that's my joke with my husband). He was an "undervalued stock"--a social worker with a student loan, and I snapped him up! Since we got married he had his loan forgiven with the PSLF program, and he has increased his income quite a bit.
He has the same values as I do with money and is happy to be on the frugal train with me. When we got married, he was driving a car with a loan, which I paid off with money I'd saved.
He then sold the car and paid cash for a '99 Corolla (same car as mine!) to replace it. We drove matching '99 Corollas for a couple of years. He's a wonderful man--a big frugal and life "win".
Another big frugal win was buying our 850-square-foot highrise condo out here in 2015. We already had our first child at that point and knew we wanted a second. The condo had 3 bedrooms and 2 baths, but it was tiny.
We knew it had all the space we needed, two parking spaces, laundry in the unit, and a dishwasher, so we figured we could live with the small space. We had our second baby and were able to make it work in the small condo for six years. I am an expert declutter-er.
We just bought a 1400-square-foot townhouse in January, and we're really glad that the equity in the condo made it possible for us to upgrade.
6. What's a dumb money mistake you've made?
From a purely financial perspective, moving to Hawaii was extremely dumb! You would be dismayed at what we paid for our townhouse. Hawaii was never going to be my long-term plan, and I actually tried to move to the mainland in 2009 because the cost of living here was getting me down.
But the recession meant schools had hiring freezes and I couldn't find a job. There are ways to "hack" the expenses, but getting around the massive cost of housing is pretty difficult.
7. What's one thing you splurge on?
I get a haircut for $100 including a tip about three times a year.
My hairdresser is amazing. She gives me a massage and doesn't talk unless I want to chat. Her work is incredible and I feel like a million bucks afterward.
I don't color my hair and have chosen to let it go grey naturally, so I consider the pricey haircuts to be a reasonable expense relative to what I'd spend if I had a more high-maintenance look.
8. What's one thing you aren't remotely tempted to splurge on?
I have a big imagination, so although I don't splurge very often, I understand the temptation to splurge on most consumer items.
So while I wouldn't buy, say, a fancy purse, I can imagine wanting to buy such a thing. I'm not tempted by cars. I think cars are probably the "splurge" item that I feel the least tempted about.
9. If $1000 was dropped into your lap today, what would you do with it?
Buy plane tickets to the mainland. Getting to the mainland to see family is a major thing we save for.
10. What's the easiest/hardest part of being frugal?
Easiest: feeling little anxiety about money most of the time.
Hardest: having to be disciplined with routines and habits like cooking at home, cleaning routines, shopping at thrift and consignment stores and Facebook marketplace, and tracking expenses.
11. Is there anything unique about frugal living in your area?
Hawaii "hacks":
1. Only need one season of clothes
2. People are pretty informal and low-key (because everybody's money is going to their mortgage or rent!) so keeping up with the Joneses on appearances is less of a thing, at least in my experience
3. Lots of fun free things to do outdoors, since all beaches have public access
4. Buy pretty much all of your groceries at Costco--it's the only affordable place in town, except Chinatown grocery stores (no Aldi, sadly).
5. Get-togethers with friends are always potlucks--get good at making a couple of yummy dishes that aren't too costly
6. You can buy cheaper high-mileage vehicles because the commutes aren't very long (this doesn't apply to everyone, but it has been our experience)
7. We did a house-swap vacation this summer, which is a new hack that we had never tried. Living in Hawaii means we're a pretty desirable house-swap.
8. We do a lot of credit card hacking because we have to fly to see family. This works for us because we're obsessive budgeters and keep track of all purchases quite meticulously.
9. Very few furniture stores ship to Hawaii. There's no Ikea. HOWEVER, there is a massive military presence, and when they PCS the government pays for them to ship their furniture. This means that the Facebook marketplace used furniture section is pretty active. I have bought and sold quite a bit of used furniture out here. When we buy new, it's almost always a piece from either Costco, Home Depot, or Target. Most of the other furniture options are very expensive and not very high quality.
12. What frugal tips have you tried and abandoned?
I tried being a mystery shopper for about a year after my first child was born. I was trying to increase my income, which is a common frugal tip. It was really fun getting so many restaurant meals for free, but man it was a lot of work.
Teaching isn't exactly a low-stress job that you can leave at work, so I found myself constantly working, which isn't ideal when you are also taking care of a 1-year-old.
I decided to just be happy with the income I already had and not try to develop a side hustle.
13. What single action or decision has saved you the most money over your life?
Probably going to a state university for college and graduate school.
I only had to take out a $5k loan for my undergraduate degree. I got a lot of scholarships and my parents were able to cover almost all of the rest. The lack of student loan debt made it possible for me to move to Hawaii as a teacher.
And then I went to the University of Hawaii for my master's degree in education--that was also heavily subsidized by grants, so I only paid about $5k for that degree, which I cash-flowed.
14. How has reading the Frugal Girl changed you?
I became a Christian while living in Hawaii, and I love Kristen's understated faith. I've found a lot of inspiration in the blog.
When I discovered the blog, I was single and longed for a family of my own, so I loved living vicariously through the Christmas cookie baking and the furniture painting, and the kids all sprawled out on couches, reading. Simple living and being frugal not to become wealthy but instead to have a smaller footprint and greater mindfulness have resonated with me enormously.
I'm also an ATK subscriber thanks to Kristen--I'd never have ponied up the money for that if it weren't for all of those Dinner Illustrated endorsements.
15. Which is your favorite type of post at the Frugal Girl and why?
Thankful Thursdays and the five frugal wins.
16. Do you have any tips for frugal travel or vacations?
Don't go to Hawaii! Nah just kidding. But it's getting harder to vacation in Hawaii in a frugal way. They're banning vacation rentals in most areas on Oahu now, so the rentals that are legal are becoming as expensive as hotels.
Our go-to frugal Hawaii vacation spot is Volcanoes on the Big Island, because the rentals have historically been quite affordable and we love the chilly climate compared to our usual very warm weather.
Also, we love Volcanoes National Park and find it a very frugal place for fun with all the incredible hiking. If you have any kind of military connection, that is a huge hack for traveling in Hawaii. We don't really have access to any military stuff here, but we've had military friends and they get some great hook-ups on hotels.
We also really enjoy camping at the private campsites on Oahu; they are actually not that cheap relative to camping on the mainland, but it's still a lot cheaper than a hotel. One of our favorite spots has little wooden shacks with bunk beds.
_________
Alex, I love that you are an ATK fan now because of my blog. Their recipes are so good! And the Dinner Illustrated cookbook is so super useful.
Also, I smiled at how you and your husband are both working on living the frugal life together. I love that you both drove old Corollas! I think it's so impressive that you guys have managed to live in Hawaii for so long on a social worker + teacher salary. Good for you guys!
Questions from me: Do you ever miss having changing seasons? And what's typical weather like for you? Is the weather really humid where you are?
Alex, so very nice to meet you. It is such a small world.....another Meet A Reader who lives, or should I say lived, so close to me. I am in Massena, NY. That is approximately three and a half hours from Glens Falls. And our son went to RIT near Rochester for his college degreee. My husband and I vacationed for our 25th anniversary (back in 2015) where else.......Hawaii!! I'd like to know what types of meals you have for breakfast, lunch and dinner that you consider frugal. I know that when we visited, food was very expensive and am wondering what you eat or how you shop to keep costs down. And what I wouldn't give to have a strawberry guava bush in my backyard. Lucky duck:) Take care and thanks for participating.
@Vicki Skonieczny, here's another Central New Yorker who's fascinated by Alex's frugal life in Hawaii.
And, Alex, you may be amused that my life path is sort of the reverse of yours: I went to college in Florida, but came north for grad school and ended up staying in Central NY (I refer to this as an "accident of matrimony"). And now I'm the one who's walking the roads in my neighborhood, collecting bottles and cans for the 5-cent deposits!
@A. Marie, in Michigan, you get 10-cent deposits. There was an old Seinfeld episode in which Kramer and Newman try to figure out a way to transport cans to Michigan in order to get 10 cents per can instead of 5 cents. It probably was funnier to those of us living in Michigan.
@Vicki Skonieczny, Hi! We just shop at Costco most of the time and avoid ingredients that are pricey. Lots of big Instant Pot batches of things that we then work on eating all week. Chili, pulled pork, frozen Costco lasagna, various soups...pretty basic recipes and a lot of Costco convenience foods. I make muffins for the kids for breakfast and my husband and I have a smoothie every morning (but not with local fruit, which is usually sadly not that cheap except in summer if you have a friend with a mango tree).
@Kris, don't think I haven't considered this myself. But Michigan is a little too far away to make it practical.
@A. Marie, So funny the addiction to collecting bottles and cans. My mom still can't resist picking them up whenever she finds them after my obsession with collecting them 30 years ago. Central NY has lots going for it! I often feel very nostalgic for the beautiful seasons and the low cost of living. 🙂
@Kris, That's hilarious! I need to track down that Seinfeld episode. I'm an ex-Michigander, and was a huge fan of the 10 cent payout per can. I was always looking for cans! We don't have a can or bottle deposit in Arizona, unfortunately. They just go in my recycling.
Alex,
Thanks for sharing a slice of your life with us. It looks like you made a good decision to move to HI. I am sure it is not easy living so far from family. We are on the east coast and my family is in the Midwest and the Mountain states. We don't see them as often as I'd like. Is your husband more local to HI, as in does he have family there?
@K D, Nope, my husband is from Mississippi. He was a transplant after college because he had a close friend in the military out here and thought it would be fun to get a social work job and live near his friend for a while after college. The friend left a long time ago but my husband never did.
Hello, Alex. Now I had to search for spam musubi, and I found out that I've actually eaten it at a potluck! I relate so much to being single and a school teacher; I had to spend so much of my own money in my classroom (especially in my first school district). It was nice to have a glimpse into life in Hawaii because I doubt I'll ever visit.
Aloha! It is nice to meet. I imagine there are many financial challenges to living in this beautiful place, but the lifestyle seems so relaxed. Lots of positive energy.
My nephews have served in the military on Oahu, and I have been fortunate to spend some time there. It is a wonderful place! Snorkeling there is among my top 10 travel memories. Haupia may be among my favorite treats. I wondered if you could make a strawberry guava version of that.
Wishing you the best.
Hi Alex! My family was part of that "massive military presence" you mention, because my dad was in the Air Force. I lived on Oahu for three years when I was kid, and went to Mililani Uka Elementary (this was before your time, though). It was the only place of all the places we lived that my parents didn't buy the house we lived in while we were there and then sell it when we moved, and my dad still regrets that, I think. That would probably be his biggest frugal fail. 🙂
@kristin @ going country,
I went to Mililani Uka in the mid to late 1980s. While that was probably before your time, I would have never thought I’d see Mililani Uka mentioned here (long time lurker of Kristen’s blog).
Hi Alex!
Your interview was so fun! I love your photos and am wondering what a strawberry guava tastes like--I don't think I've ever had one. It's interesting to see the similar threads to my life--I don't live in an exotic locale, like you (west coast of Michigan) but we do/have done a lot of similar frugal activities. We are at the beach a lot (our water temperature may be a little different, haha), we always made homemade Halloween costumes, and we take advantage of our locally grown produce, especially fruit, and we camped a lot when our kids were younger. I enjoyed the peek into your life. 🙂
@Kris,
Strawberry guavas are freaking delicious! We vacationed on the Big Island in September and the property had a strawberry guava bush. So good.
I also live in West MI near the lake, and was reminded how fortunate we are to experience four seasons.
@Lisa, we're practically neighbors! 🙂 I love having four seasons, but I know it isn't for everyone.
So nice to meet you Alex! Thanks for sharing your life in Hawaii. I would love to know some of your favorite go-to frugal meals there.
@Tricia, Lots of pulled pork. Pork carnitas from Pinch of Yum, Korean pork from the NYT cooking section, Pork BBQ from my husband's Mississippi recipe. It's versatile and cheap. I have a chicken tortilla soup recipe (also from Pinch of Yum) that I make for potlucks all the time. I buy all purpose and bread flour in bulk and store it in 5 gallon buckets, and I use it to make bread in the bread machine for PB&J for the kids, as well as all my hobby baking. I also buy boxed cake mix whenever it's on sale for $1.50 or less at Target and use jazzed up box cake recipes with homemade cream cheese frosting for any kind of celebratory dessert.
I like to make pureed veggy soups with lentils in large batches for lunches. The ATK cauliflower soup recipe and the butternut squash soup recipe are both favorites. Also love to make ground beef "bibimbap", which is just a teriyaki beef recipe with a lot of chopped up veggies that I serve over cabbage and rice with a fried egg on top.
Oh, and Thai red curry. I buy containers of the Mae Ploy thai spice paste at a thai restaurant we like and then make our own thai red curry. This has become a pretty easy recipe after years of practice. I make it as soup with an extra can of coconut milk or as curry with just one can of coconut milk.
We use our freezer a LOT, and we have an extra chest freezer (like Kirsten). I have a master grocery list and grocery price book of things we buy at Costco and I don't deviate much from that because my recipes all use those staples from the pantry and the freezer. In addition to frugality, I also have time constraints that require me to be strategic and keep weeknight food as simple as possible.
I just have one very important question!!! Did you go to Geneseo?!?! If the answer is yes, then I will have follow-up questions. 🙂
@Shannon, YOU GUESSED IT! 🙂
@Alexandra,
Public School, near Rochester and so well known for Education that the whole country- even Hawaii!, comes to recruit? It had to be. 🙂 I'm a 1998 grad! I just took my oldest for a visit last week!
@Shannon, That's awesome! It was a terrific education at a bargain price. Sometimes I wonder if we should move back to NY when our kids are in high school so that we have access to in-state rates for the SUNYs.
@Alexandra, SUNY is free now to residents.
@Rose,
Well, the tuition (about $7,000) is free if your total family income is under $125,000. SUNY schools cost, on average, $27,000 including room, board, and fees. So, if you live close enough, and have the right income, they can be very inexpensive. If not... they can still be a great deal but some families just over that threshhold, are finding better offers from private schools. We have a very high achieving senior and are in the thick of this right now. Waiting to see which schools " show us the money! " 🙂
Hi Alex! Cute kids!
I've never been to Hawaii--it's so far away from New York it's easier to go to the Caribbean--but my daughter spent three weeks there at gifted-child camp when she was 12. She came home demanding pineapple on her pizzas. Thanks for nothing, Hawaii!
(Ha! I should try Spam mutsu sometime--my mom used to serve Spam now and again when I was a kid and I always liked it.)
@Rose, It's very easy. We've made it for family on the mainland. We have a rice cooker here, which makes musubi even easier. Key for success with musubi is to use short grain sushi rice--it's really important to use sushi rice so that it molds well. Another trick for success is to use the Spam can as a mold. Cut the spam into 8 or 10 pieces, bake it on a sheet pan in the oven with teriyaki sauce, and then load the Spam can about half full with sushi rice and put one slice of Spam on top. Then flip the Spam can over in the middle of the rough side of the nori (cut the nori in half; finding nori on the mainland is no longer difficult in typical grocery stores) and wrap the nori around the rice/Spam. Use a little bit of water on your finger to moisten the seam of the Nori and the sides will stick on top of each other. Then wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Do not refrigerate: the rice will dry out and fall apart. Spam musubi will last about 24 hours, but it's best eaten within about three hours of making it. It's the quintessential beach lunch.
Ironically, I find it inedible, because I am not a fan of Spam. I make my musubi with bacon and scrambled eggs. My kids will eat nothing but musubi all day if I make it in the morning.
Alex, that was brave of you to just head to Hawaii by yourself! I've heard that Hawaii is expensive and housing is extremely high, so I was really interested to see how one lives frugally there. It sounds like you are doing very well!
My dad was offered a stint in Hawaii by the Army Air Corps when he was ready to discharge from the military after WWII, at a time when my parents were married but still childless. He and my mom thought about it, but it was so far from their families and he was so ready to come home after years of war in the Pacific, he turned it down. He probably would have been moved again before I came along, but I sometimes wonder what my life would have been like if they had moved there and decided to stay. Thanks for giving me a glimpse!
@JD, my father was also in the Army Air Corps in WW2 as an aerial photographer. He died last year at the age of 102 ! As you can imagine, he had many stories to tell. I’m sure your dad did, too.
So very nice to meet you. My son and DIL are in HAWAII right now on their honeymoon. North shore. I have never been. I loved learning about Hawaii today!!
Our extended family recently moved off the island of Oahu, and we really, really miss our trips to their home in Kailua. We made every excuse to go and see them! We learned some excellent Hawaii travel hacks that we'll continue to practice when we come back as tourists 🙂 Your photos make me long for those lovely, slow-paced family visits with our loved ones.
Hi Kristen, yes, I miss the seasons so much I can hardly stand it sometimes. When I first lived here, I bought many pine scented candles and would light them in my apartment from October through January. I didn't pay for my electric bill at the time and my landlord probably found it frustrating how high I kept the A/C turned up. I was "pining" away! HOWEVER...there is a huge drawback to the seasons that I don't miss at all, and that is all the hassle that accompanies cold weather. Whenever I'd go back to NY during fall or winter I'd rejoice upon getting home to Hawaii and being able to wear shorts and a t-shirt again.
Yes, the humidity out here can be atrocious. Right now we're JUST getting over the worst part of the year for heat/humidity. We did just move to a townhouse in an area in the mountains, where it is usually much cooler and more pleasant. In fact, right now I am enjoying a lovely "chill" in my living room (it's probably around 70 degrees). To me, the weather is absolutely ideal from now until about June, when the heat starts cranking up, and then it gets oppressive from early August until mid-October.
Alex, just wanted to say that we have visited Hawaii every single year for the past twenty years, sometimes twice a year. Our favorite place on earth to visit. I will venture to guesswe have covered well over 50% of those flight and hotels expenses from credit card hacks. I tell people about this all the time but almost no one can be bothered. Go figure!
@Anne, That is amazing. We have done well with our credit card hacking over the years, but I don't think we could claim 50% savings on our flights/hotels. The level of organization required for that is beyond me at the moment. Hat's off to you.
This is just what I needed on a gray chilly morning; I can practically feel the trade winds - thanks Alex! I love your son's shark costume - I am so not clever that way and always admire people who are.
I visited Hawaii years ago and had a great time. I made friends with some flight attendants there and they visited me out on the East Coast - I still remember how they stocked up on certain products they liked because it was so much less expensive here. They had relatively small homes but they all had million dollar views! (My favorite was the whale-watching platform one guy built into a tree - just a flat wooden floor and an old La-Z-Boy recliner.)
If you're sharing your strawberry-guava tart, I'll start saving up for a HI vacation now...
: )
Hello frugal friend! So happy to see this post! Your kids are getting so big, just the way Kristen's did (Hee!). Your timing on the move was impeccable. If you had waited much longer to make the leap, you might still be stuck in that tiny condo. Excellent decision! Thank you for being brave enough to do a Reader Profile for TFG.
@Dicey, heyyyy! I thought you'd probably see this. Yes, if we had waited any longer to make the switch from the condo to the townhouse, I think we would have been stuck in that condo for several more years due to the change in the interest rates now. Thanks for all the encouragement at the time. It was a huge upgrade and we're grateful it all worked out.
Ohhh, are you guys friends already?
@Kristen, I know Dicey from my money journal on an internet forum. She has been super supportive over the years and actually recommended your blog post about lice when my kids came down with it a few years ago. I had already read that blog post but I used all the tricks and they worked great!
Hi Alex - love, loved, loved everything you had to say about living frugally in Hawaii. We lived on Kaua'i for six years, and everything you do are things we did as well. Our frugal hacks were pretty much the same as yours although besides Costco we depended heavily on the local farmers' markets and friends for inexpensive produce, and learned to go without several things (like spinach, for example) that we either couldn't find or was too expensive in stores except for a giant bag from Costco once in a while. We also didn't have to worry about things like air conditioning and heating bills, although there were a few times when the trades disappeared that we wished we had A/C.
We left this past year - expenses were climbing so rapidly, and we found ourselves completely priced out of the housing market, even a condo (with HOAs beginning at $800/month). Also, we were just too far away from our children, who've all settled on the east coast or in Japan. And, the return of visitors following the pandemic felt different than it did before. Not sure why, but it was quite unpleasant at times. Overall though we absolutely loved our time in Hawaii, and if a couple of things were different we'd still be there or happy to return. Hawaii was a good fit for us.
I agree housing will be the biggest expense if anyone is considering a move to Hawaii. If you can't find something affordable to buy, look at renting. If that's too expensive, then don't come. We read Craigslist for a year before we moved to get an idea of prices, and built our budget around that. We also budgeted high for other things like food and such, but as we adjusted and adapted our skills we spent far less than we thought. We paid close attention to what locals did and adjusted our lifestyle accordingly. One of the best things about Hawaii is that no one cared what kind of car we drove (older Honda Civic), what kind of clothes we wore (shorts, slippahs, and a t-shirt and we were good to go). The best things to do in Hawaii, like going to the beach, hiking, watching the sun rise or set, were free - we didn't need to spend a fortune to have a good time.
Aloha, and best wishes for a continued happy life in Hawaii!
@Laura, Hi! Yes, when I tell people our condo fees they are horrified. There are definite drawbacks to living out here. We stay because our whole professional lives have happened here; we love our jobs and by now we have a network of very close friends doing life with us. We also love our church.
I'm not sure if we'll stay indefinitely. The idea of having grandkids on the mainland makes me wince. I also think in retirement moving to a lower cost of living area would probably be a very good idea.
It's interesting that you felt that the return of tourists has been unpleasant. We were so giddy with the island during Covid--everything was deserted and it was just amazing. And now going back to sharing with tourists is a bit hard. We actually visited Kauai in summer of 2020, when almost no one was there. What an incredible treat. I know from an economic perspective we really, really need the tourism, and I don't begrudge anyone their awesome vacation here--after all, I'm not from here, either. But yes, I've noticed it too...things have changed here since Covid.
Amen to hairdressers who don't talk. The problem is eventually they kind of become your friends and like to chat. Thank you for sharing this post.
@Farhana, Sorry to hijack Alex's thread a bit, but she knows how I am with storytelling. (We are friends on another forum.) When I was in my early 20's I was diagnosed with cancer very unexpectedly. I spent a week in the hospital, completely in a daze. On her own time, my hairdresser came to the hospital and washed and dried my hair. It was an absolute turning point for me. I'm tearing up at writing this and it happened forty years ago.
There is nothing in the world wrong with having another friend. Your comment almost feels like you think having a hairdresser for a friend is somehow beneath you, which I am sure is not what you meant. A good friend is a good friend, no matter what they do or how you meet.
@Farhana, She is just wonderful. Over the years she has become a friend--we usually have a little chat at the beginning of the appointment--but then she gets very serious and business-like while she does the haircut and it seems like she's just laser-focused on making sure it's perfect.
Farhana I didn't take your comment as elitist at all. When you're paying for a spa or salon experience, silence can be a treasured part of that. A lot of hairdressers seem to love to chat, but I would personally pay more for the ability to close my eyes in the chair and relax into the silence, whether the stylist was my bff or a complete stranger.
Dicey, that was a very beautiful thing your friend did for you.
Thank you for introducing yourself. It is interesting to read about your life in Hawaii; we have visited several times but my husband and I are not outgoing enough to have tried to talk to residents to get a picture of the non-vacation Hawaii. I don't like warm weather enough to envy you that aspect of living there, but I am SO envious of your access to water/beaches. I live in a totally landlocked area of northern Alaska and miss the years I lived in our coastal villages. There is just something so soothing about seeing the waves and water as far as you can see. I also loved your comment about buying low on the marriage market and finding a real treasure there.
We lived on the Big Island for a few years years. One tourist hack is to stay OUT of tourist stores. Buy your mac nuts and other Hawaii souvenirs and gifts at local grocery and drug stores (we used to get stuff at Longs Drugs, not sure they haven't changed to CVS which is more expensive). Buy food and snacks at grocery stores and Costco, or go away from the tourist areas and eat where the locals eat. Be adventurous in trying new things.
Some local restaurants may look like holes in the wall, but local food is ono (delicious!) and more affordable. Remember it's the United States, so there's still plenty of regulations for food safety and cleanliness. Local grocery stores often sell poke, sushi, chicken long rice (my favorite!) spam musubi, loco moco, and plate lunch much cheaper than touristy places, and you're never far from a beach to eat your grocery store finds.
Also check restaurant schedules online. Family owned businesses will close one weekday or another and you may show up to find a place highly recommended is always closed on Wednesdays. We lived there before there was much internet, and the joke was often on us because in our rural area "everyone knows they are closed on Xdays". Everyone who has lived there all their life, that is. ;o)
We so loved living there. The people don't just give lip-service to the "spirit of aloha", they really live it. So when you visit, get out of the tourist areas and meet and shop with the locals. You will be glad you did.
Hi Alex, Mahalo for sharing about your life in Hawaii. I found it fascinating. I earned a trip to the Big Island back in March, 2022 for Avon sales. I would love to visit the Big Island again. It was gorgeous and not as crowded or expensive as the other islands I've been to. My boyfriend flew out and met me in Maui. We spent some time there and then we flew to Oahu. Our favorite restaurant in Honolulu, which was in walking distance of our hotel near Waikiki, was "Barefoot Beach Cafe." They had wonderful food at "almost" mainland prices. The only issue was the long line you had to stand in to order your food. We would take turns standing in line, since it normally took 45 minutes to an hour. It was so worth it, though. The food was fabulous! We would like to go back sometime. I had used my Southwest Airlines miles when they were having a Hawaii Sale, so the flights were all free for both of us, plus Avon paid for my two main flights (to and from Hawaii). I got some decent hotel deals through the Southwest Airlines website. Maui was the most expensive place, by far.
I lived in Kailua on Oahu for three years, then moved to Oklahoma (back in 1999!!) and at my first grocery store visit, I asked the cashier...are you sure you got ALL the food rung up?! Such a huge difference living on the mainland. Rent for a small studio apartment was $650 when I lived there. One thing I learned...do NOT waste food; it cost way too much, even back then!!
I enjoyed reading your list of frugal things unique to living in Hawaii; it certainly is NOT the cheapest place to live.
so nice to meet you. thanks for posting. i also did mystery shopping when i was single. it was a lot of work. didn't have to do it anymore after i got married. your life is very impressive. i am glad that you get to live in hawaii. the costume is great as are the all the photos. i hope to visit hawaii some day. all the best to you and your family.
Alex I went to Hawaii for vacation this summer and it was definitely the most expensive vacation we have ever taken. I am very impressed that you manage to live frugally there. Loved reading your story, also about finding your faith.
Alex,
Nice to “meet” you! I live in Kailua, so I was pleasantly surprised to see your post about trying to live frugally on Oahu. And, I wanted to let you know in case you haven’t heard about it, there is a company in Waipahu that sells IKEA products, it is Haul2HI.com. You are absolutely right that the furniture selection on the island leaves a lot to be desired, so being able to get IKEA things from them has been really helpful!
@Karen Ziemer, I DO know about Haul2HI...but every time I've tried to order from them, the shipping costs more than the item itself, so I've never bought from them. I've noticed they sometimes have warehouse sales where I'm assuming the shipping costs aren't quite so much.
It was a joy to read your interview, Alex! Thank you for sharing your beautiful life with us! I especially loved your answer to question number 4. And your first frugal Hawaii hack is mind-blowing to me. I'm in the midst of switching out clothes for everyone (it snowed here in southern Michigan on Thursday afternoon and was sunny and 70 Friday afternoon!) so at this time of year it's fascinating to think about only needing one set of clothes.
Hi Alex! I enjoyed reading your stories of life in Hawaii. My older brother lives in Hawaii. He works for Hawaii News Now and also for a local radio station in Honolulu. Two of our sisters have visited our brother and really enjoyed their stay. Maybe someday my husband and I can afford to go there for a visit. From your descriptions ( and all the frugal tips) along with my brother’s , Hawaii seems like a beautiful place to vacation.
I'm suddenly hungry for spam musubi. And...I recognized you right away from MMM.
@MM1970, ha, same, although I use a different name there!
This was interesting for me to read since we just returned from one week long vacation on the Big Island Hawaii. We purchased Hilton Grand Vacation Club ten years ago. With that program we have certain number of points every other year (while "owing" a week every other year in one bedroom in Hilton property in Orlando, Florida). Points last two years and can be used to vacation either in the place you own or for various combination of number of nights/various places in USA and internationally. We never stayed in the actual place that we "own" because my husband's parents live in Orlando, and we just stay with them when we visit (I keep using quote marks because I feel that it is not a real ownership if you only have access for a few days each year). Normally I would not think to fly to Hawaii because the flight is so long and expensive (two flights six hours each for us, New Yorkers). I always thought that Florida, Mexico, or California make more sense for the sunny vacation. If I want to fly far, I will rather fly to visit Kharkov, Ukraine (where I was born and where some family members still live). However, the tragic war in Ukraine put an end to any plans to visit my Homeland. We had some Hilton vacation points that had to be used before the end of the year and my husband wanted to experience Hawaii. Our two kids are away in college, and we decided to go without them this time. Thus, two airplane tickets instead of four suddenly made a distant place like Hawaii a possibility. Even in comparison to NYC Hawaii is so expensive! We have visited free petroglyph preserve (had to pay for uber to get there from/back to hotel though) and participated in a few free activities at the resort. Watched dolphins up close at the dolphin sanctuary at the resort. Didn't shell out $289 per person for a 30-minute dolphin encounter when you can actually touch them and get your pictures taken. We walked for 25 minutes to purchase groceries in the only store around and it was still expensive: a medium size cantaloupe was $7, bananas were almost $1 each, 8 0z yoghurt container was $2.50, half gallon of milk - $5, 10 oz baguette - $6! There were no regular sales, however a few items approaching expiration dates were 50% off (yoghurt and baguette). Surprisingly, alcoholic bottled beverages (big wine drinker here!) were the same price as in NYC. I came back three pounds lighter due to eating less and walking more. The only two souvenirs I purchased were two local Hawaiian soap bars for my daughter at $9 each.
Hawaii was still worth the expense though! We didn't feel like we were in the US, felt like a foreign country. Flora felt very exotic. Mongooses were running everywhere just like squirrels in New York.
What a nice story - thanks for sharing! I love how intentionally you live your life. As a person with undiagnosed adhd for the first 55 years of my life, living intentionally was pretty much unattainable for me, but it's something I am able to do more now and really appreciate it.
I would mend the socks if I had caused the hole myself by snagging it on something sharp. However, if the sock unraveled due to low quality (very unlikely for Darn Tough), I would send them out so that they can improve on the product.
Speaking of the warranty return on Darn Tough, my husband swears by them but doesn't use the warranty for normal wear and tear. Recently we had a slight disagreement on it when he placed an expensive order on new socks without using the warranty on his old socks with holes. Now, when I read the warranty it does say "if these aren't the longest-lasting socks.." but on the other hand, it does seem to cover normal wear as well. I think in the end he's just too lazy to do it and it's one of those chores I have decided not to take on myself even if it pains me.