Zillow oahu
Housing Options
2023.05.18 01:15 MammothVanilla7159 Housing Options
Looking for a 2 bed, 2 bath dog-friendly housing with amenities in Oahu. I'm in FB groups too but wondering about some options I found on Zillow.
Any opinions on Kalaeloa Rental Homes? Kapilina Beach Homes? Also open to Kapolei Lofts, they look newer.
submitted by MammothVanilla7159 to MovingtoHawaii [link] [comments]
Any opinions on Kalaeloa Rental Homes? Kapilina Beach Homes? Also open to Kapolei Lofts, they look newer.
2022.06.10 18:54 PepperDogger Practical Local Moving Tips ('Oahu)
Welp, after 5 years got notice we need to vacate (owner family displacing us).
Kind of went quickly through stages of grief, but it still sucks because we're within 1-10 minutes of all the local ohana, plus we like our place--easy, convenient and spacious. So it goes.
So I go to the practical stuff to not wallow in the situation. Asking you kind souls for locally-relevant advice for :
Just want to learn the easy way from all you smart folks what to do or avoid.
Mahalo!
submitted by PepperDogger to Hawaii [link] [comments]
Kind of went quickly through stages of grief, but it still sucks because we're within 1-10 minutes of all the local ohana, plus we like our place--easy, convenient and spacious. So it goes.
So I go to the practical stuff to not wallow in the situation. Asking you kind souls for locally-relevant advice for :
- finding a place 2-3+/2+ (strong preference for house) windward 'Oahu, convenient to town, (Trying CL, Nextdoor, FB, Zillow, and I guess there is some military list sister can watch for us). Where else?
- Roaches? Sourcing boxes without(!) bringing critters into our current or new place--how? Used to go get fruit boxes from grocery stores on the mainland, but not sure if that's a thing here or just asking for trouble. We're pretty critter-free now and would like to keep it that way.
- truck rentals --who're the go-to good folks for this or who to avoid?
- downsizing stuff (selling/donating). We're near the dump at least, but don't want to toss useful stuff.
Just want to learn the easy way from all you smart folks what to do or avoid.
Mahalo!
2022.05.11 22:35 Theodamusei Airbnb Landlords Overleveraged?
 | submitted by Theodamusei to wallstreetbets [link] [comments] B U L L I S H "People tend to say the current housing boom isn't a bubble like 2008 because 2008 was fueled by subprime credit loans. But more recent studies by NBER suggest that most of the credit expansion of that era was to middle/upper middle class people buying second homes. And the vast majority of the deliquencies were real estate investors who couldn't afford to pay their mortgages when the recession hit. One family trying to pay off one mortgage is tough, but an investor trying to pay off 10 mortgages all at once during a downturn is way harder no matter how well off you were before. Yes, there is currently a fundamental shortage of housing, but the us population is growing at .4% (1.3 million people per year) while the housing supply is expanding by 1.8 million houses per year, so if that were the main driver then housing prices should have been cooling off these last 5 years as home building ramps back up (to highest level in 16 years) and population growth declines to record lows. Instead, housing prices have obviously only been accelerating. What we did see is a year-over-year increase in demand for second homes rise by 87%! An almost double increase in second home purchases from a level that was already insanely high. Moreover, many of these second home purchases were funded by Stock-BackedLOCs and HomeEquityLOCs, where rich people use their assets as collateral to get cheap capital, and these loans were so hot that most of the major banks stopped offering them altogether in 2021. You have to wonder what data they're looking at to put a complete stop on one of their most popular products. Those loans are variable rate, so when interest rates go up, those loans get more and more expensive, so people who bought vacation homes in Florida using their stocks as collateral are getting doubly hit. Nevertheless, the 800 pound gorilla in the room is cash-out refinance: someone takes a loan to buy a house for $400k, maybe they borrow $300k. Then the house shoots up to $800k (which they think is just the new reasonable price), so they go back to the bank and borrow $400k from the bank showing them the piece of paper that says their house is worth $800k. So now they're in maybe $700k worth of debt on a house that is "$800k", and they can pour that extra $400k into a new investment property (that was worth $200k 2 years ago). The debt is cheap and the investment is soaring, so it seems pretty smart. The problem is when that pulls back just a little. If the market pulls back 20%, they now owe $700k on a $650k house, and if they run into any cashflow problems they'll have to sell their $400k investment, except they can only sell it for $320k. Maybe if this were one person's scenario in an otherwise buoyant environment, they could scrape by but what if this happens to multiple investors in a short time period? Airbnbs could be at the epicenter of this phenomenon for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it's easier to get a loan for a second home than an official investment property; due to the historical difference in the behavior between real estate investors and vacation home buyers. Vacation home buyers buy to build memories over a long time. Real estate investors hit the sell button as soon as the ROI goes flat, since they care about the bottom line. Airbnb changes the game because people can present themselves as a vacation home buyer, while intending to treat it like an investment. It seems a good deal: they get lower interest rates than typical investors, and they get a premium by servicing wealthy tourists rather than poorer tenants. The reality is they are leveraging themselves much more than real estate investors would be able to, while relying on a source of income (vacationers, pandemic lockdown fleers) that are much less reliable than a typical tenant. This could get very dicey if we enter a recession/cool down. Basically there's a lapse in regulators' judgement b/c this is a space that was historically only participated in by the uber wealthy that is now participated in by the middle class. It's not the whole problem by any means (end of cheap capital is going to mean a lot of bubbles bursting all at once), but years from now we could see the Airbnb owners as the punching bag for this bubble. The same way people talk about fruit farmers buying mcmansions in 2006 as the vivid example of the absurdity of that era, even though that was hardly the norm, people will talk about cases of 25 year olds in owning 5 airbnbs in austin as the illustration of the obvious absurdity of our era." -Source(I edited this quote for clarity/length) These same landlords (& normal homeowners) could have a lot of tech stocks, cryptocurrency, and/or recently lost their high-paying job in tech. Perfect example Example #2 Panic spreading among Airbnb owners: 10+ individual annecdotes of major drop in bookings 70% of Americans altering summer vacation plans due to inflation Also some states have started to outright ban Airbnb & many cities have started to place major limits on Airbnb Rich millenials (major portion of housing & vacation demand) held a huge amount of their wealth in cryptocurrency at EOY 2021 so they've likely been getting hammered Remember, the trad hotel industry have much more powerful lobbyists than Airbnb. TL;DR: there are way too many Tiktok landlord influencers promising people risk-free passive income by taking out mortages on rental properties. Long-term puts on ABNB, Zillow, RDFN, ITB maybe? Lmk what you think |
2022.03.06 06:48 RunnerWTesla Apartment / Condo Rentals in Kaka'ako
I’m moving to Oahu and I’ve heard Kaka'ako is a good place to live. It seems like a cool area. Anyone know good sites to check for rentals, other than Zillow?
submitted by RunnerWTesla to Honolulu [link] [comments]
2022.01.21 20:51 dbkim Tips for finding rental properties
Hi there, looking to finally move out of my parents now that i finished college and got a full time job. I’ve been having trouble finding rental properties though. i’m really just looking for a 1BR. Craigslist is flooded with scammers and spam posting of the same complex. Zillow is good but I hear the market on Zillow doesn’t cover majority of the island.
If you guys could give me some tips on where to look for rental properties, that’d be awesome. Thank you!
(Looking for places on Oahu)
submitted by dbkim to Hawaii [link] [comments]
If you guys could give me some tips on where to look for rental properties, that’d be awesome. Thank you!
(Looking for places on Oahu)
2021.03.24 15:05 Macadocious40 Public Oahu schools vs Big Island schools (Elementary and Intermediate)
Currently living on the mainland, but looking at jobs primarily on Oahu and the Big Island (Hilo side). Now that I have a family, I’ve been looking at school grades/ reviews while on Zillow, Oahure, and other real estate sites. Are those school ratings really accurate? Are Oahu schools (especially in the Leeward area) really as low as they are rated? Are the Big Island schools better? Overall, are private schools the way to go regardless of location? This question is not intended to disrespect anyone from any school system. I just want to get perspectives from anyone living on either island.
submitted by Macadocious40 to BigIsland [link] [comments]
2021.03.24 15:02 Macadocious40 Public Oahu schools vs Big Island schools (Elementary and Intermediate)
Currently living on the mainland, but looking at jobs primarily on Oahu and the Big Island (Hilo side). Now that I have a family, I’ve been looking at school grades/ reviews while on Zillow, Oahure, and other real estate sites. Are those school ratings really accurate? Are Oahu schools (especially in the Leeward area) really as low as they are rated? Are the Big Island schools better? Overall, are private schools the way to go regardless of location? This question is not intended to disrespect anyone from any school system. I just want to get perspectives from anyone living on either island.
submitted by Macadocious40 to Oahu [link] [comments]
2021.03.24 06:12 Macadocious40 Public Oahu schools vs Big Island schools (Elementary and Intermediate)
Currently living on the mainland, but looking at jobs primarily on Oahu and the Big Island (Hilo side). Now that I have a family, I’ve been looking at school grades/ reviews while on Zillow, Oahure, and other real estate sites. Are those school ratings really accurate? Are Oahu schools (especially in the Leeward area) really as low as they are rated? Are the Big Island schools better? Overall, are private schools the way to go regardless of location? This question is not intended to disrespect anyone from any school system. I just want to get perspectives from anyone living on either island.
submitted by Macadocious40 to Hawaii [link] [comments]
2020.05.18 05:24 raiyos Ideas for finding properties?
So I'm ready to get started, I have enough for a down payment. My issue is that I cant seem to find duplexes/triplexes etc for sale. It might be a factor of where I live, Oahu. But there is so little out there in can find. I even looked at some properties in areas I might be transferred to in 2 years, Annapolis and Groton CT.
I looked on Zillow, Realtor.com, redfin etc. No real multifamily properties are coming up. Am I missing something? Any suggestions on where to look?
submitted by raiyos to realestateinvesting [link] [comments]
I looked on Zillow, Realtor.com, redfin etc. No real multifamily properties are coming up. Am I missing something? Any suggestions on where to look?
2019.09.21 01:29 mailehm 25 year-old Skills Trainer and FT student living in Honolulu on $38,675
Assets & Debts:
5:00 am-
My new dog Pancake jumps off the bed, waking me up. I groggily pat her, check the time and re-burrito myself.
5:45 am-
The alarm on my watch buzzes to wake me up. I heave myself into a sitting position. Pancake comes to lick my knee. By some miracle neither my husband’s alarm nor his banging around in our studio woke me up.
I stumble out of bed and turn the A/C off. Energy costs in Hawai`i are high and although our utilities are included we have the World’s Nicest Landlord and we don’t want to put him out.
I turn the shower on and sit down for my morning marination. My husband brings me coffee and kisses me goodbye. A few minutes later I’m re-awoken by Pancake’s cold nose. I chug my coffee, brush my teeth, wash my face and jump out.
I do my AM skincare routine, get dressed and open up the windows. I say goodbye to the last of the cooled air and begrudgingly embrace the muggy weather.
Clearly I need extra caffeine so I grab a Monster Zero out of the fridge and ask my Google Home to tell me the morning news and time my makeup (primer, foundation and concealer, setting powder, brow gel and mascara set by an industrial-strength sealant) against the BBC morning update. The BBC is faster but, hey, at least Boris Johnson is having a bad day.
I quickly pack my lunch (almond milk protein smoothie, banana, grapes, hummus and carrots) and fill my Yeti tumbler with ice and another Monster. I’m good on time but Honolulu traffic is notoriously awful so I kick the cats out and take Pancake on a quick lap around the block before zooming off to work.
8:00 am-
My client is on time and in a good mood! We do our morning transitional 1 mile walk and launch into the day. I check my sleep tracker log (8h16m!) and log all of the food I plan to eat today while we walk. I’m very type-A about tracking my personal data.
Speech is a little bumpy but our Speech Path is a star and whips out a conversation about superheroes that my client is very happy to participate in. Things are going great but I’m dreading my frustrating supervisor’s imminent arrival.
After we come back from Speech our classroom EA brings out the coffee maker at a colleague’s request. It’s 100000 degrees and I’ve already had 30 oz of energy drinks this morning but I say fuck it and pour myself a cup. If I go into cardiac arrest at least I’ll ride into Valhalla on the wings of a Red Bull.
12:00 pm-
My terrible supervisor has failed to show up today! Huzzah! Listening to him for 4 hours a week takes more energy out of me than even my client’s most difficult day.
We head to the cafeteria for lunch.
I drink my smoothie and eat my banana and gossip with the other SpEd staff. Apparently a sub propositioned a married teacher. The scandal!
School lunch is beef stew and I dread my student’s gas.
We have independent bookwork for the last period of the regular school day so I take out my phone and email with my husband while my client works. He intimates that he was the one who “took care” of my supervisor as a birthday present. I get a good chuckle.
2:00 pm-
There was a lot of farting in last period. At least the other kids were entertained. My client understands that he needs to say “excuse me” but not how to modulate the intensity of his fart noises. I’m not sure how to teach that particular life skill.
2:30 pm-
My client had a great day and earned toooons of minutes on the iPad. I munch on my hummus and carrots while he watches YouTube.
Extended School Day officially starts at 2:30 so we head to a different classroom for social enrichment.
During this period I get a refund notification on an order I placed through Poshmark for a set of false eyelashes for a wedding I’m in on the 21st. (+ $14.79) I scan the marketplace and send an offer for a similar pair. (HUDA lashes in #10, Scarlett)
After that it’s back to the track for our afternoon transitional mile. One of the EAs joins us and tells a charming story about giving birth to her daughter on Halloween while dressed as a pumpkin.
3:30 pm-
My client gets picked up early! It’s a real win-win day. This means I don’t have to speed to my afternoon meeting.
On my way I pick up two chocolate chip cookies from a nearby plate lunch place (- $4.08) and settle in for the meeting. There’s a very interesting case involving bodily fluids and self-stimulatory behavior that is fascinatingly grody. It is suggested that my colleague invest in a poncho.
6:00 pm-
I head home from the meeting and finally strip my gross clothes off. Hurricane season in Hawai`i means 90 degree weather with 80% humidity and no actual hurricanes. The school my client is at doesn’t really have A/C, so I could wring my sports bra out if I wanted to. It’s back into the shower to sluice off the sweat and do my PM skincare routine.
An order I placed through Poshmark for a pair of Lululemon leggings in Incognito Camo Multi-Grey arrived today and I’m thrilled they’re in good condition. I’ll need to take them down to the Waikiki Lululemon store to be hemmed but that’s a small inconvenience in exchange for saving $50 on the store price. Besides, I’ll need to head down there on Sunday to get my navel bar shortened anyways.
My husband and I take Pancake for a mile long walk. We catch up on our days and talk about my upcoming birthday. Our good friends are getting married a week after my birthday and my cousin bailed on going out to dinner with us so I’m a little down that my birthday is a non-event this year. Usually I would go to dinner with my family but my grandmother passed away over the holidays last year and my dad and uncle both left the island so I’m feeling quite lonely. It’s been a tough year.
For dinner my husband has a box of Annie’s White Cheddar Shells and I have a canned Progresso soup. He raves about Binging with Babish on YouTube and is salty when I’m less impressed than him. I mean, it’s a nice show but, like, I went to culinary school. It’s not groundbreaking. If we had a kitchen that was more than 2 sq ft I could also home-smoke bacon.
9:00 pm-
I get a notification that my offer was accepted on Poshmark. With shipping the lashes come out to ( - $16.79). Not great but still less than Sephora.
We spend a few minutes dream shopping for homes in Eugene, OR on Zillow and then we turn the A/C on, I eat half a CBD sleep gummy and head to bed.
Total: - $6.08
9/13:
5:45 am-
I’m up and groggy. Pancake was skittering around all night and my husband tells me it’s because we accidentally left one of the cats in. Oops. Pancake’s greatest goal in life is to be best friends with the cats. The cats’ greatest goal is to get rid of Pancake.
I hop in the shower and a few minutes later my husband brings me coffee. I’m grateful until I accidentally spill most of it down the drain a few minutes later. Oh well. I check my sleeping app (7h31m) and realize I’m in for a long and tired day. While I'm looking at my various stats I remember it's payday and check my Mint account. I see that my net pay for this period is (+ $1,089.11). While I'm in there I recategorize a few transactions from earlier in the month. I have several auto-transfers as well as my CC payment set up so I enjoy the high checking account balance while I can.
I decide on an extremely abbreviated version of my usual makeup routine and pack my snacks for today (a banana, carrots and hummus).
After a quick walk for Pancake I'm off.
It’s Friday which means Starbucks and buying lunch as a personal reward for not dying over the past four days. I want to get an egg salad sando at 7Eleven because I saw someone eating one earlier in the week but then I’d have to make a separate stop for coffee. I decide I’ll get something from Foodland and I mobile order a venti iced coffee from the Starbucks next to the store on a prepaid card.
There’s weirdly no traffic this morning and I make it to the shopping center in like five minutes. I pick up my coffee and am greeted by an extremely pleasant custodian who wishes me a happy Aloha Friday.
I walk over to Foodland. Bento or poke? I love me some spicy ahi but it’s $17.99/lb so I pick up a miso butterfish bento and a hot chicken musubi which seems new and interesting (- $10.76). I get the final stamp on my bento card which means free lunch next week!
I drive the last mile and snag my favorite spot in the staff lot. I’m amazed I got here so fast. I only live about 5 miles from my client’s school but it regularly takes 40+ minutes to get there. I’ve considered both biking or getting a scooter but I’m usually too pooped after work to consider a 5 mile bike ride and every time I mention scooters my husband reminds me I’d probably get killed.
Last year I had a client on Windward side which meant that I got to drive against traffic along the Kaiwi coast. I miss that commute.
I take this time windfall to update this MD and enjoy the smell of delicious bento permeating my car. As I climb out my glasses fog up from the humidity. Ugh.
I head to our classroom and am shocked into tears by a beautiful card signed by everyone in our room, a couple of small gifts and a banner and whiteboard decorated for my birthday. Some days are tough but I’m reminded why I love education and behavioral health. I’ve been feeling really down about my family being so split up and this sweet gesture is a balm to my heart.
My client and I head out for our morning mile. We rejoin our class in the garden and work to prepare our plot for some veggies. We’re blessed by 30 seconds of refreshing drizzle followed by 45 minutes of unrelenting mug.
During recess another student brings me a bag of mochi popcorn for my birthday and our EA tells me she brought me a special lunch. I’m overwhelmed with everyone’s kindness.
12:00 pm-
Off to lunch! The cafeteria is like a sauna. My client eats school lunch and I dig into the tasty Korean chicken salad our EA brought me and polish off my hot chicken musubi. The salad is excellent but the musubi is weird. After lunch the class surprises me with handmade birthday cards and our teacher and EA whip out a beautiful birthday cake. The class sings me happy birthday and I’m full on gross sobbing. I’m so grateful to work with such an incredible team. We dig into the chocolate cake and then paint some rocks to decorate our class garden plot.
3:00 pm-
After our afternoon mile I’m dying. Heat index is 90 degrees and I’m out of water. I can’t imagine having to walk all the way to the office to refill it so I buy a bottle out of the gym vending machine (-$1) and lay on the cold concrete until I’m no longer a puddle.
We have equipment management for one of the varsity teams until 4:30 and then I’m freeeeeeeee! I head home, greet Pancake and my husband (in that order) and munch on a Portuguese sausage roll my husband filched from work. I give my cat Wonton a piece and she ignores it. I’m offended.
I decide that since it’s my birthday-eve I deserve to eat another sausage roll while I take a subzero shower. It’s an excellent idea. I enjoy my ice-shower until my husband opens the shower curtain, farts and runs away. This has to be a war crime.
As I get out of the shower I notice two of my nails are mostly broken. I had planned to get my nails done on Sunday but my neighborhood salon can fit me in at 5:45 so I scamper down. This is budgeted for monthly. (- $72)
8:00 pm-
My husband and I split my bento for dinner. I pass out early.
Total: +$1,016.11
9/14:
6:00 am-
Not today, Satan!
8:30 am-
It’s my biiiiiirthdaaaaaay! I’m officially 25. Weird. I start the morning off with a cuddle puddle of me, my husband and all of our pets.
Eventually I start getting notifications from the tide of digital well-wishers. I have a separate text from my dad who is currently halfway through the CDT trail and has resurfaced within phone range. He’s texted me to confirm that he’s still alive. I reply that I’m glad he’s having fun and that he should check his calendar app. He doesn’t forget my birthday out of disinterest or malice, but 4/5 years he needs to be reminded. He immediately calls and we get a good chuckle as he had no clue what day of the week it was, let alone the day of the month. Extended time in the wilderness will do that to you.
My husband puts in a mobile order at Starbucks for coffee and bagels and one of the drinks is covered by their birthday reward. He pays for the rest and reloads our shared card. He walks down to pick the order up leaving the Pancake snuggles all to me!
11:00 am-
In addition to working more than full-time I also have a full-time course load. I’m studying for a dual certification (SpEd and GenEd) elementary education BEd with plans to pursue behavioral health in post grad (likely a Master’s in counseling and, hopefully eventually a PsyD), so I have a buttload of classwork. I’m lucky that all of my classes are available online, so I usually take care of it in two large chunks on weekend mornings. Unfortunately our power is scheduled to be out for a few hours today so anything I start now will be lost. My husband promises to help with my least favorite class tomorrow morning in exchange for an essay I wrote for him last week and it helps me feel less stressed. We pack the doggo up and head out to North Shore.
On the way, my husband stops for poke and I run into a local shoe store to replace my slippers. My current ones are being held together by thoughts and prayers. I used to play roller derby and work as a baker and because of that I have tons of old injuries that necessitate good shoes, so with kama`āina discount my new slippers come out to (- $65.93).
2:00 pm-
We make several stops along the way for miscellaneous errands so we end up at Kawela Bay around 2. It’s still humid on this side of the island but there’s more breeze. I jump into the water and Pancake yeets herself in after me. She’s shocked when the water isn’t solid and yelp-gurgles. We rescue her and realize that this must be her first time at the beach. We adopted her from the local humane society after our elderly dog passed and they told us she was an abuse case. We give her lots of pats and love but the sky suddenly opens up and there’s a downpour. We try to wait it out but after 45 minutes it hasn’t let up and poor Pancake looks miserable so we head out.
I’m pretty bummed as all I wanted to do was drink whiskey at the beach and read a bad romance novel.
To cheer me up my husband stops at Ted’s Bakery and buys a pumpkin haupia pie and two danishes. It’s still pouring.
We eat the danishes as we take the long way home and fret over what the weather will be like at the wedding next week. The main event is in town but there’s a welcome party at Kualoa that may well get rained out. We pass an island-wide track meet and I try to pick out the students I know but it’s raining too hard to see.
6:00 pm-
We get home. As it’s my birthday I make the executive decision that the A/C should come on early. We take a shower and spend some quality time together. We never really make an active choice to go to sleep but slowly begin to melt into the bed sheets until it’s time to either turn off the lights or make a real commitment to a The Thing aesthetic.
Total: - $65.93
9/15:
9:30 am-
I’m alive, but barely. Pancake, my husband and I cuddle for a while until the reality of the day sets in. Ugh.
I get up and throw a deep conditioning mask on my hair to sit while I tackle homework. I make good progress but tire out pretty quickly. I only have a short report left and it isn’t due until Thursday so I leave it for the time being. My brain just won’t compute. I’m usually able to manage work and school but I’m anxious about work, school and the wedding this week.
My husband orders some groceries through InstaCart and covers the cost as I’ve already contributed my part to our monthly grocery budget.
12:00 pm-
I finally jump in the shower and do my usual Sunday ritual of cowashing and setting my hair, shaving my legs and exfoliating. When I get out I do an AHA face mask and fake tan the parts of my legs where there are questionable tan lines.
I still have a bunch of stuff to do (pick up my dress from the tailor, get my navel bar shortened, drop those pants off at Lululemon) but my husband’s suggestion that we just... not wins. We walk down to a local brewery and I have the hummus plate and a weirdly blue cocktail ( - $20.92) afterward my husband wants shave ice and I want ice cream so we split up. I land on extra super chocolate since they’re out of cookie dough (- $4.56).
3:00 pm-
We collapse into a short food coma.
3:30 pm-
Nothing lasts forever, unfortunately, so we pack up Pancake and head over to Kaneohe for weekly family dinner. Every week our core group of close friends along with a rotating cast of those who have wormed their way into our hearts and group chat meet up at the house with reliable A/C and ample seating. Usually my friend with culinary experience cooks and I sous but we had three birthdays this week so the decision to order fancy Italian was made. We DoorDash it for peak laziness and my portion comes out to (- $27.81).
While we wait for dinner our friends surprise everyone with birthday gifts. I get a new container of my favorite TonyMoly peach hand cream, a cute Sailor Moon PJ shirt, sunglasses, a copy of my favorite board game (Codenames) and am speechless when two of my friends announce that the Monkeypod wood cutting board they’ve been hand making is for me. It’s beautiful and I decide that it will be our charcuterie board forever more.
6:30 pm-
Dinner arrives and we all chow down. The topic of conversation drifts to the wedding and everyone visibly tires. We’re all jealous of the two weeks the bride and groom have taken off of work.
Everyone is weary in preparation for the wedding, so dinner breaks up early. We drive back to our side of the island, dredge up the energy to put the clean sheets back on the bed and I pass out while my husband murders stuff on LoL.
Total: - $53.29
9/16:
5:45 am- I’m up and I ragedrink my coffee as I imagine my friends who are getting married blissfully still asleep on their week off. According to my app I’ve only slept 7h26m.
I stumble through my morning routine and somehow come out ahead. I pack my lunch and take Pancake for a quick walk before leaving.
Traffic is traffic but I still get to work early enough to get a good parking spot.
My client is on time and cheerful. After our morning mile we spend the period in our class garden plot laying down soil.
We have a special SPED assembly about an outdoors outreach program and get to make friendship bracelets. I’m all about it.
12:00 pm-
The mug is oppressive and I’m dying. Lunch goes smoothly despite the heat and I work on building recess independence with my client by sitting just out of sight in the classroom. The teacher and I discuss an upcoming field trip. After lunch is speech which is in an air conditioned room, thank god. Unfortunately, my brain is already cooked and I don’t feel like I’m much help.
3:30 pm-
The kiddo is picked up early and I melt in the direction of my car. I get home and take a cold shower immediately followed by accidentally falling asleep for an hour.
6:30 pm-
My cousin swings by to drop off some used pet items for our cats and dog and we chat a while. She’s thinking of going back to school for nursing and I’m so proud of her! After, my landlord and one of their little girls come up to bring me a birthday fruit tart and pet our cats. Again, I’m beside myself with the kindness of the people in my life.
I manage to knock out a couple of my upcoming assignments despite my best effort to be lazy.
For dinner I have a canned soup fortified with some diced frozen chicken breast and destroy that tart while watching a YouTube video about custom doll making which is creepily fascinating. They’re making a custom Sailor Venus doll. I look at my wall of Sailor Moon collectibles and decide I don’t need a new hobby.
9:00 pm-
I yeet myself into the sheets. Just one more day of work this week!
Total: $0
9/17:
5:30 am-
I did not sleep well last night. Part of it was the nap and part of it was Pancake’s insistence that she have at least one body part touching me at all times despite the heat. This has to be the hottest summer ever. I check my sleep monitor app (7h0m).
I can’t even justify my usual absurdly long morning shower because, even with the A/C still in it’s too friggin hot to live.
I hop out, get dressed and go to open up. I realize that we accidentally left a window open with the curtain closed in front of it. I’m irritated that we wasted so much A/C. I pack my usual lunch and head out for work.
8:00 am-
My client did not sleep last night so it’s tantrum town almost immediately. Why would parents send an under-rested kid with special needs to school? Who knows. By 8:45 I’ve given up and take my client to the nurse’s office to nap. Several calls are made home but there’s no answer. I start getting anxious about all of this wasted time that I could be dedicating to school work and email with my husband for a while. I get an email notification that a pair of shoes I listed on Poshmak sold (+ $45.60).
The rest of the school day carries on in a similar fashion. My client rallies a couple of times but at the end of the day we’ve had more behaviors in an eight and a half hour timespan than we have for the past three weeks and it’s extremely clear that sleep is the culprit. I’m beyond exhausted. This client is much, much, much easier than the one I had last year and their behaviors are very manageable but I’m still really discouraged at all of the backsliding we had today.
5:00 pm-
I’m home and just generally not feeling great. My husband wants to go out to a pizza place with $6 Tuesdays but when we get there the line is out the door. People are extremely frugal in Hawai`i so it’s no surprise. We pack back into the car and Taco Bell is decided on. We park and my husband goes in. Unfortunately there’s a miscommunication where I thought my husband was getting food and he thought I didn’t want food so when we get home and he unpacks I am tacoless. This compounds my general bad day as well as his. We take Pancake for a walk and talk and ultimately I spend like an hour crying. Since December, everyone in my family has either died or moved overseas and I’ve been having a really hard time coping with the changes. Everything sort of culminated with my old dog passing away last month. I had him for 18 years and the loss has been staggering. Adopting Pancake has helped me a lot but the lack of sleep, tough day and upcoming wedding combined with my growing pile of undone classwork turn me into human jello.
My husband and I talk for a few hours and by the time we go to bed I feel a little better.
Total: +$45.60
9/18:
9:00 am-
This is the first of the three days I’ve taken off for the wedding, so I sleep all the way in. I’m still anxious but I make myself do some chores around the house and I knock out my biggest homework assignment for the week and feel much better. While I’m working I get a request from the maid of honor to cough up my portion of the bachelorette party. This re-irritates me because the plan is to pay $600 to rent a private karaoke room in Waikiki when we can just get to a different one with better food for no money at my favorite place in Kaka`ako. Several of the bridesmaids are from the mainland and appear to be really buying into the Hawai`i tourism racket. I pay, but I’m still bitter (- $125).
1:00 pm-
I’m finally caught up enough with my classwork that I don’t feel like I’m going to die. I review my finances for this MD and notice that I haven’t been getting paid for my overtime, hmm. I’m working with a new company so I send a strongly-worded email to HR.
Speaking of overpriced things in Waikiki, I have to go there. Sigh. I need to have the bar in my belly button piercing shortened and the only APP-certified piercing shop on island over there. I also need to drop those Lululemon leggings off for free hemming. I refuse to pay $12 for parking so I park on the mauka side of Kapi`olani Park, which is the closest free parking to Waikiki (protip). Unfortunately everything I need is on the absolute other side. It takes me about a half hour to walk down there but I enjoy the subzero A/C wafting out of the luxury shops. It costs (- $31.41) with tip to change out my bar. On the way back I stop in to Sephora to buy a new bottle of DevaCurl conditioner because I only have like half a wash left. It’s expensive, but it’s honestly worth the hype. This bottle should last me about six months (- $48.33).
4:00 pm-
I finally make it home and I’m starved. My husband was nice enough to pick my bridesmaid dress up from the tailor on the way home from work, so that’s one less worry. He takes me out to Taco Bell to make up for the night before and I eat my weight in crunchy delicious fast food while we watch travel videos on YouTube.
5:00 pm-
Some idiot sets off a false island-wide tsunami warning and every person visiting for the wedding collectively loses their shit over text. Everybody who lives here starts cracking jokes that maybe they rehired the guy who sent out the false nuclear missile warning last year. The mainland people are confused at our fatalistic humor but, like, when you’ve watched people shove their kids down manholes to avoid the blast and been forced to make peace with imminent nuclear death because someone hit the wrong button on a dropdown menu a tsunami warning is really no big.
8:00 pm-
My husband and I are planning to move to the mainland in about 18 months and part of this plan is buying a new car. He has a great, reliable car that is worth shipping but mine is a POS. I’ve been saving for a 4Runner but my husband wants to discuss alternate options. We go through the list of cars that meet our goals and do price and cost/benefit comparisons and once again end up at the 4Runner.
My husband is concerned about us spending a lot of money on a higher-priced car rather than buying something cheaper and saving the rest of the money. I tend to agree with him, but I recently spent $3,000 keeping a $3,000 car running and lately I’ve been of a mind that investing in a better product may be worth the peace of mind. I’ve played the “please don’t have a check engine light today” game with every car I’ve owned and it’s a big stressor. He’s also concerned about having a car payment during the forecasted recession and that we may still have a car payment around the time we’re planning to start a family. All of these are completely valid points.
My counterpoints are that we both put more into savings monthly than we spend, that we both work in a government sector in positions that can’t be eliminated, and that I believe we can save enough to put down that our payments will be low. Finally, I remind him that if we’re well and truly fucked by a recession of course I’m not going to insist we buy and expensive SUV. This is a discussion we have with some frequency so there’s no vehemence. He also really wants a 4Runner, but both of our families were hit extremely hard by the last recession and we really suffered for it. I lived off of $100/month for several years and he was forced to drop out of high school to help his mom pay bills. Because of this we both have difficulty escaping “depression-era” thinking.
The biggest financial problem we run into is that we often are so focused on saving and stability that we forget to have fun. I’m trying to be an advocate for hope instead of caution, but even I don’t know if I’ll be able to go through with that large of a purchase when we get around to it.
10:00pm-
Discussion settled for this round, we head to bed.
Total: - $204.74
9/19:
9:00 am-
I’m awakened by the dulcet sounds of the Roomba. Most people would be mad, but this means I got to sleep for like 11 hours. Pure bliss.
I throw in a load of laundry and start preparing for my Very Long Day as well as catching up on this MD. While looking at my Mint account I notice that my recent credit card payment has been returned. I have enough funds in my checking account, so I’m confused by this. I call Chase and apparently some phantom checking account that doesn’t actually exist has been attached to my credit card and the payment was returned because the system tried to withdraw it from the non-existent account. I make sure the ghost account is removed and submit a replacement payment for last month’s charges. I’m wondering if I should move away from this Chase card. My info was stolen in July and I had to freeze the account and get the fraudulent charges removed. Two weird incidents in the span of a few months seems problematic.
11:00 am-
I do some cleaning and put together my bags for tonight. I think I have a requisite 3 outfit changes and am going to be on a boat. Today starts with the wedding rehearsal, then a sunset catamaran ride and the actual bachelorette party. I do some fancy fancy makeup and seal it with my industrial sealant spray. I get a Venmo request from the extremely talented nail artist I sent the bride to for her wedding manicure and transfer the money ( - $85.00). I also see an email from my HR department saying they will credit me for the overtime due on my next paycheck.
2:00 pm-
Another of the on-island bridesmaids picks me up, which is super sweet because she went out of her way to grab me. I buy her a coffee on my prepaid Starbucks card in gratitude.
The wedding is being held at a historic museum here in Oahu so we cruise over. There’s some light liquid sunshine-style rain but it’s a lovely day so far.
I geek out seeing friends who are in the wedding party who have moved away. And their babies!!! I also finally meet the rest of the bridal party. They’re super chill ladies and it’s a big relief as I was really worried there would be clashing personalities. We practice the procession a zillion times but it’s a little awkward because my Groomsdude counterpart is absent today due to being super preganté and the wedding party gets scolded by the planners for… having too much fun? Whatever.
4:00 pm-
Practice over, we begin party time. If you’ve ever tried to gracefully change into a bikini in a bathroom built in the early 1800s, I wouldn’t recommend it. Lots of gaps and no toilet seat cover. We are, naturally, running late and some of the mainland girls are worried. We explain Hawai’i-time to them as well as Hawai’i traffic and after a quick call with the captain everyone is less worried. We all receive our themed tank tops. Typically I would be staunchly against a themed bachelorette party but the theme for this one is Sailor Moon and, as mentioned before, I have a problem. I get to be Sailor Jupiter and this is extremely rad.
We make it down to the docks in time to watch a hobo-fight. I’ve been pretty thoroughly trained in de-escalation techniques from my past involvement in political advocacy and want to break them up, but one of the bridesmaids tells me to leave it and I don’t want to derail the party. Another of the bridesmaids calls the cops, which I’m a little morally opposed to, but I drop it and we board the boat.
Someone produces charcuterie and there are waterproof beanbags and I’m in heaven. The drinking starts and my anxiety is further soothed to see everyone being moderate. The bride has a great time and it’s always lovely to be out on the ocean.
8:00 pm-
We roll into the MoH’s hotel room for our final outfit change. One of the mainland bridesmaids has hand crafted extremely beautiful Sailor Fuku. I lose my g-d mind. The bride gets the full Sailor Moon treatment and cries a little. It’s great. We all dress up and walk down to get the car and the seamstress-bridesmaid is beaming at the various comments of “Sugoi!” and “Kawaii!” from the Japanese tourists. We also get a lot of thumbs up from the English-speaking tourists of Sailor Moon-watching age. It’s pretty cool.
9:30 pm-
If you’ve never rolled into a gay karaoke bar in full SM-costume, I’d recommend it highly. The costumes get a lot of “Yas queens!” It’s pretty touching. The bride is with another bridesmaid getting valet, so we mosey onto the private room and do some lightening quick setup. We’re late and all of the other guests have arrived and I’m super relieved to see that I know a ton of them from my roller derby days! The rest of my anxiety melts. A couple of the girls have done their own costumes and we actually turn out with the full set of Sailor Scouts.
The bride comes in and is floored. Everyone is having a great time. The bar staff is super sweet and even though they’re slammed they make sure to look after us. At one point we’re visited by one of the chefs who beautifully belts out the original Moonlight Densetsu in Japanese and everyone is pumped. We have one drunk guy break into the private room to very respectfully tell us he loves Sailor Moon so we find him in the main room and take a photo.
It’s a great night with great people and I’m blessed to be there.
12:00am-
I pick up a Lyft on my husband’s account and glide into the night.
Weekly Totals:
Spent: - $505.43
Earned: + $1,149.50
Total: + $644.07
My spending for this week was uncharacteristically high. This is usually what I spend in about two weeks, however all of the over-and-above spending was due to the upcoming wedding (... and needing conditioner and new shoes) and my husband has promised to help me cover those costs at the end of the month. It also helps that I’ll be reimbursed for the OT I’m owed.
submitted by mailehm to MoneyDiariesACTIVE [link] [comments]
- Income
- $3,222 per month before taxes, plus $500 from my husband’s GI Bill.
- My husband works in tech for the government and we have a combined net income of about $120,000 per year not counting GI Bill benefits. We split joint costs in proportion to our income.
- Retirement Balance
- $210 in a custom Roth IRA. I, uh, just started this last month and have budgeted for a $300 monthly contribution.
- Savings Account Balance
- $350 in a hard-to-touch HYSA for emergency funds. Also a new account that I have budgeted for a $150 monthly contribution.
- $9,000 in a HYSA earmarked for the purchase of a new car in 2021. However, it is used as an emergency fund until my separate account is built up enough to be reliable. My husband recently borrowed $7,000 from this account for an emergency that he is paying back. I contribute the monthly $500 directly into this account.
- $230 in a personal savings account that I contribute $150 to per month so that I have money on hand if I want to make a big purchase without going over my budget.
- $250 in a joint savings account where my husband and I are both contributing for a planned move in 18 months.
- $50,000 that I inherited when my grandma passed last year. This is in a custom investment account that does not charge capital gains tax so long as it is used for education. I am planning to finish my BEd and pursue a Master’s with this money.
- Checking Account Balance
- $1,769 in my general checking account. This is quite high for me but last month’s credit card payment hasn't been debited yet.
- $550 in a joint checking account earmarked for a vacation upcoming in February that my husband and I both contribute to. The government owes us ~$2,000 from GI Bill funds that will go to this account.
- Credit Card Debt
- $1,250 for last month. This is paid in full on the 15th of the month.
- Misc. Debt
- N/A
- Recurring Charges
- $5.99 for student Spotify
- $1 for iCloud storage
- $60.00 for pet insurance for my dog and two cats
- I am driving my dad’s car while he is on a long-term hike so I don’t currently have a car insurance payment.
5:00 am-
My new dog Pancake jumps off the bed, waking me up. I groggily pat her, check the time and re-burrito myself.
5:45 am-
The alarm on my watch buzzes to wake me up. I heave myself into a sitting position. Pancake comes to lick my knee. By some miracle neither my husband’s alarm nor his banging around in our studio woke me up.
I stumble out of bed and turn the A/C off. Energy costs in Hawai`i are high and although our utilities are included we have the World’s Nicest Landlord and we don’t want to put him out.
I turn the shower on and sit down for my morning marination. My husband brings me coffee and kisses me goodbye. A few minutes later I’m re-awoken by Pancake’s cold nose. I chug my coffee, brush my teeth, wash my face and jump out.
I do my AM skincare routine, get dressed and open up the windows. I say goodbye to the last of the cooled air and begrudgingly embrace the muggy weather.
Clearly I need extra caffeine so I grab a Monster Zero out of the fridge and ask my Google Home to tell me the morning news and time my makeup (primer, foundation and concealer, setting powder, brow gel and mascara set by an industrial-strength sealant) against the BBC morning update. The BBC is faster but, hey, at least Boris Johnson is having a bad day.
I quickly pack my lunch (almond milk protein smoothie, banana, grapes, hummus and carrots) and fill my Yeti tumbler with ice and another Monster. I’m good on time but Honolulu traffic is notoriously awful so I kick the cats out and take Pancake on a quick lap around the block before zooming off to work.
8:00 am-
My client is on time and in a good mood! We do our morning transitional 1 mile walk and launch into the day. I check my sleep tracker log (8h16m!) and log all of the food I plan to eat today while we walk. I’m very type-A about tracking my personal data.
Speech is a little bumpy but our Speech Path is a star and whips out a conversation about superheroes that my client is very happy to participate in. Things are going great but I’m dreading my frustrating supervisor’s imminent arrival.
After we come back from Speech our classroom EA brings out the coffee maker at a colleague’s request. It’s 100000 degrees and I’ve already had 30 oz of energy drinks this morning but I say fuck it and pour myself a cup. If I go into cardiac arrest at least I’ll ride into Valhalla on the wings of a Red Bull.
12:00 pm-
My terrible supervisor has failed to show up today! Huzzah! Listening to him for 4 hours a week takes more energy out of me than even my client’s most difficult day.
We head to the cafeteria for lunch.
I drink my smoothie and eat my banana and gossip with the other SpEd staff. Apparently a sub propositioned a married teacher. The scandal!
School lunch is beef stew and I dread my student’s gas.
We have independent bookwork for the last period of the regular school day so I take out my phone and email with my husband while my client works. He intimates that he was the one who “took care” of my supervisor as a birthday present. I get a good chuckle.
2:00 pm-
There was a lot of farting in last period. At least the other kids were entertained. My client understands that he needs to say “excuse me” but not how to modulate the intensity of his fart noises. I’m not sure how to teach that particular life skill.
2:30 pm-
My client had a great day and earned toooons of minutes on the iPad. I munch on my hummus and carrots while he watches YouTube.
Extended School Day officially starts at 2:30 so we head to a different classroom for social enrichment.
During this period I get a refund notification on an order I placed through Poshmark for a set of false eyelashes for a wedding I’m in on the 21st. (+ $14.79) I scan the marketplace and send an offer for a similar pair. (HUDA lashes in #10, Scarlett)
After that it’s back to the track for our afternoon transitional mile. One of the EAs joins us and tells a charming story about giving birth to her daughter on Halloween while dressed as a pumpkin.
3:30 pm-
My client gets picked up early! It’s a real win-win day. This means I don’t have to speed to my afternoon meeting.
On my way I pick up two chocolate chip cookies from a nearby plate lunch place (- $4.08) and settle in for the meeting. There’s a very interesting case involving bodily fluids and self-stimulatory behavior that is fascinatingly grody. It is suggested that my colleague invest in a poncho.
6:00 pm-
I head home from the meeting and finally strip my gross clothes off. Hurricane season in Hawai`i means 90 degree weather with 80% humidity and no actual hurricanes. The school my client is at doesn’t really have A/C, so I could wring my sports bra out if I wanted to. It’s back into the shower to sluice off the sweat and do my PM skincare routine.
An order I placed through Poshmark for a pair of Lululemon leggings in Incognito Camo Multi-Grey arrived today and I’m thrilled they’re in good condition. I’ll need to take them down to the Waikiki Lululemon store to be hemmed but that’s a small inconvenience in exchange for saving $50 on the store price. Besides, I’ll need to head down there on Sunday to get my navel bar shortened anyways.
My husband and I take Pancake for a mile long walk. We catch up on our days and talk about my upcoming birthday. Our good friends are getting married a week after my birthday and my cousin bailed on going out to dinner with us so I’m a little down that my birthday is a non-event this year. Usually I would go to dinner with my family but my grandmother passed away over the holidays last year and my dad and uncle both left the island so I’m feeling quite lonely. It’s been a tough year.
For dinner my husband has a box of Annie’s White Cheddar Shells and I have a canned Progresso soup. He raves about Binging with Babish on YouTube and is salty when I’m less impressed than him. I mean, it’s a nice show but, like, I went to culinary school. It’s not groundbreaking. If we had a kitchen that was more than 2 sq ft I could also home-smoke bacon.
9:00 pm-
I get a notification that my offer was accepted on Poshmark. With shipping the lashes come out to ( - $16.79). Not great but still less than Sephora.
We spend a few minutes dream shopping for homes in Eugene, OR on Zillow and then we turn the A/C on, I eat half a CBD sleep gummy and head to bed.
Total: - $6.08
9/13:
5:45 am-
I’m up and groggy. Pancake was skittering around all night and my husband tells me it’s because we accidentally left one of the cats in. Oops. Pancake’s greatest goal in life is to be best friends with the cats. The cats’ greatest goal is to get rid of Pancake.
I hop in the shower and a few minutes later my husband brings me coffee. I’m grateful until I accidentally spill most of it down the drain a few minutes later. Oh well. I check my sleeping app (7h31m) and realize I’m in for a long and tired day. While I'm looking at my various stats I remember it's payday and check my Mint account. I see that my net pay for this period is (+ $1,089.11). While I'm in there I recategorize a few transactions from earlier in the month. I have several auto-transfers as well as my CC payment set up so I enjoy the high checking account balance while I can.
I decide on an extremely abbreviated version of my usual makeup routine and pack my snacks for today (a banana, carrots and hummus).
After a quick walk for Pancake I'm off.
It’s Friday which means Starbucks and buying lunch as a personal reward for not dying over the past four days. I want to get an egg salad sando at 7Eleven because I saw someone eating one earlier in the week but then I’d have to make a separate stop for coffee. I decide I’ll get something from Foodland and I mobile order a venti iced coffee from the Starbucks next to the store on a prepaid card.
There’s weirdly no traffic this morning and I make it to the shopping center in like five minutes. I pick up my coffee and am greeted by an extremely pleasant custodian who wishes me a happy Aloha Friday.
I walk over to Foodland. Bento or poke? I love me some spicy ahi but it’s $17.99/lb so I pick up a miso butterfish bento and a hot chicken musubi which seems new and interesting (- $10.76). I get the final stamp on my bento card which means free lunch next week!
I drive the last mile and snag my favorite spot in the staff lot. I’m amazed I got here so fast. I only live about 5 miles from my client’s school but it regularly takes 40+ minutes to get there. I’ve considered both biking or getting a scooter but I’m usually too pooped after work to consider a 5 mile bike ride and every time I mention scooters my husband reminds me I’d probably get killed.
Last year I had a client on Windward side which meant that I got to drive against traffic along the Kaiwi coast. I miss that commute.
I take this time windfall to update this MD and enjoy the smell of delicious bento permeating my car. As I climb out my glasses fog up from the humidity. Ugh.
I head to our classroom and am shocked into tears by a beautiful card signed by everyone in our room, a couple of small gifts and a banner and whiteboard decorated for my birthday. Some days are tough but I’m reminded why I love education and behavioral health. I’ve been feeling really down about my family being so split up and this sweet gesture is a balm to my heart.
My client and I head out for our morning mile. We rejoin our class in the garden and work to prepare our plot for some veggies. We’re blessed by 30 seconds of refreshing drizzle followed by 45 minutes of unrelenting mug.
During recess another student brings me a bag of mochi popcorn for my birthday and our EA tells me she brought me a special lunch. I’m overwhelmed with everyone’s kindness.
12:00 pm-
Off to lunch! The cafeteria is like a sauna. My client eats school lunch and I dig into the tasty Korean chicken salad our EA brought me and polish off my hot chicken musubi. The salad is excellent but the musubi is weird. After lunch the class surprises me with handmade birthday cards and our teacher and EA whip out a beautiful birthday cake. The class sings me happy birthday and I’m full on gross sobbing. I’m so grateful to work with such an incredible team. We dig into the chocolate cake and then paint some rocks to decorate our class garden plot.
3:00 pm-
After our afternoon mile I’m dying. Heat index is 90 degrees and I’m out of water. I can’t imagine having to walk all the way to the office to refill it so I buy a bottle out of the gym vending machine (-$1) and lay on the cold concrete until I’m no longer a puddle.
We have equipment management for one of the varsity teams until 4:30 and then I’m freeeeeeeee! I head home, greet Pancake and my husband (in that order) and munch on a Portuguese sausage roll my husband filched from work. I give my cat Wonton a piece and she ignores it. I’m offended.
I decide that since it’s my birthday-eve I deserve to eat another sausage roll while I take a subzero shower. It’s an excellent idea. I enjoy my ice-shower until my husband opens the shower curtain, farts and runs away. This has to be a war crime.
As I get out of the shower I notice two of my nails are mostly broken. I had planned to get my nails done on Sunday but my neighborhood salon can fit me in at 5:45 so I scamper down. This is budgeted for monthly. (- $72)
8:00 pm-
My husband and I split my bento for dinner. I pass out early.
Total: +$1,016.11
9/14:
6:00 am-
Not today, Satan!
8:30 am-
It’s my biiiiiirthdaaaaaay! I’m officially 25. Weird. I start the morning off with a cuddle puddle of me, my husband and all of our pets.
Eventually I start getting notifications from the tide of digital well-wishers. I have a separate text from my dad who is currently halfway through the CDT trail and has resurfaced within phone range. He’s texted me to confirm that he’s still alive. I reply that I’m glad he’s having fun and that he should check his calendar app. He doesn’t forget my birthday out of disinterest or malice, but 4/5 years he needs to be reminded. He immediately calls and we get a good chuckle as he had no clue what day of the week it was, let alone the day of the month. Extended time in the wilderness will do that to you.
My husband puts in a mobile order at Starbucks for coffee and bagels and one of the drinks is covered by their birthday reward. He pays for the rest and reloads our shared card. He walks down to pick the order up leaving the Pancake snuggles all to me!
11:00 am-
In addition to working more than full-time I also have a full-time course load. I’m studying for a dual certification (SpEd and GenEd) elementary education BEd with plans to pursue behavioral health in post grad (likely a Master’s in counseling and, hopefully eventually a PsyD), so I have a buttload of classwork. I’m lucky that all of my classes are available online, so I usually take care of it in two large chunks on weekend mornings. Unfortunately our power is scheduled to be out for a few hours today so anything I start now will be lost. My husband promises to help with my least favorite class tomorrow morning in exchange for an essay I wrote for him last week and it helps me feel less stressed. We pack the doggo up and head out to North Shore.
On the way, my husband stops for poke and I run into a local shoe store to replace my slippers. My current ones are being held together by thoughts and prayers. I used to play roller derby and work as a baker and because of that I have tons of old injuries that necessitate good shoes, so with kama`āina discount my new slippers come out to (- $65.93).
2:00 pm-
We make several stops along the way for miscellaneous errands so we end up at Kawela Bay around 2. It’s still humid on this side of the island but there’s more breeze. I jump into the water and Pancake yeets herself in after me. She’s shocked when the water isn’t solid and yelp-gurgles. We rescue her and realize that this must be her first time at the beach. We adopted her from the local humane society after our elderly dog passed and they told us she was an abuse case. We give her lots of pats and love but the sky suddenly opens up and there’s a downpour. We try to wait it out but after 45 minutes it hasn’t let up and poor Pancake looks miserable so we head out.
I’m pretty bummed as all I wanted to do was drink whiskey at the beach and read a bad romance novel.
To cheer me up my husband stops at Ted’s Bakery and buys a pumpkin haupia pie and two danishes. It’s still pouring.
We eat the danishes as we take the long way home and fret over what the weather will be like at the wedding next week. The main event is in town but there’s a welcome party at Kualoa that may well get rained out. We pass an island-wide track meet and I try to pick out the students I know but it’s raining too hard to see.
6:00 pm-
We get home. As it’s my birthday I make the executive decision that the A/C should come on early. We take a shower and spend some quality time together. We never really make an active choice to go to sleep but slowly begin to melt into the bed sheets until it’s time to either turn off the lights or make a real commitment to a The Thing aesthetic.
Total: - $65.93
9/15:
9:30 am-
I’m alive, but barely. Pancake, my husband and I cuddle for a while until the reality of the day sets in. Ugh.
I get up and throw a deep conditioning mask on my hair to sit while I tackle homework. I make good progress but tire out pretty quickly. I only have a short report left and it isn’t due until Thursday so I leave it for the time being. My brain just won’t compute. I’m usually able to manage work and school but I’m anxious about work, school and the wedding this week.
My husband orders some groceries through InstaCart and covers the cost as I’ve already contributed my part to our monthly grocery budget.
12:00 pm-
I finally jump in the shower and do my usual Sunday ritual of cowashing and setting my hair, shaving my legs and exfoliating. When I get out I do an AHA face mask and fake tan the parts of my legs where there are questionable tan lines.
I still have a bunch of stuff to do (pick up my dress from the tailor, get my navel bar shortened, drop those pants off at Lululemon) but my husband’s suggestion that we just... not wins. We walk down to a local brewery and I have the hummus plate and a weirdly blue cocktail ( - $20.92) afterward my husband wants shave ice and I want ice cream so we split up. I land on extra super chocolate since they’re out of cookie dough (- $4.56).
3:00 pm-
We collapse into a short food coma.
3:30 pm-
Nothing lasts forever, unfortunately, so we pack up Pancake and head over to Kaneohe for weekly family dinner. Every week our core group of close friends along with a rotating cast of those who have wormed their way into our hearts and group chat meet up at the house with reliable A/C and ample seating. Usually my friend with culinary experience cooks and I sous but we had three birthdays this week so the decision to order fancy Italian was made. We DoorDash it for peak laziness and my portion comes out to (- $27.81).
While we wait for dinner our friends surprise everyone with birthday gifts. I get a new container of my favorite TonyMoly peach hand cream, a cute Sailor Moon PJ shirt, sunglasses, a copy of my favorite board game (Codenames) and am speechless when two of my friends announce that the Monkeypod wood cutting board they’ve been hand making is for me. It’s beautiful and I decide that it will be our charcuterie board forever more.
6:30 pm-
Dinner arrives and we all chow down. The topic of conversation drifts to the wedding and everyone visibly tires. We’re all jealous of the two weeks the bride and groom have taken off of work.
Everyone is weary in preparation for the wedding, so dinner breaks up early. We drive back to our side of the island, dredge up the energy to put the clean sheets back on the bed and I pass out while my husband murders stuff on LoL.
Total: - $53.29
9/16:
5:45 am- I’m up and I ragedrink my coffee as I imagine my friends who are getting married blissfully still asleep on their week off. According to my app I’ve only slept 7h26m.
I stumble through my morning routine and somehow come out ahead. I pack my lunch and take Pancake for a quick walk before leaving.
Traffic is traffic but I still get to work early enough to get a good parking spot.
My client is on time and cheerful. After our morning mile we spend the period in our class garden plot laying down soil.
We have a special SPED assembly about an outdoors outreach program and get to make friendship bracelets. I’m all about it.
12:00 pm-
The mug is oppressive and I’m dying. Lunch goes smoothly despite the heat and I work on building recess independence with my client by sitting just out of sight in the classroom. The teacher and I discuss an upcoming field trip. After lunch is speech which is in an air conditioned room, thank god. Unfortunately, my brain is already cooked and I don’t feel like I’m much help.
3:30 pm-
The kiddo is picked up early and I melt in the direction of my car. I get home and take a cold shower immediately followed by accidentally falling asleep for an hour.
6:30 pm-
My cousin swings by to drop off some used pet items for our cats and dog and we chat a while. She’s thinking of going back to school for nursing and I’m so proud of her! After, my landlord and one of their little girls come up to bring me a birthday fruit tart and pet our cats. Again, I’m beside myself with the kindness of the people in my life.
I manage to knock out a couple of my upcoming assignments despite my best effort to be lazy.
For dinner I have a canned soup fortified with some diced frozen chicken breast and destroy that tart while watching a YouTube video about custom doll making which is creepily fascinating. They’re making a custom Sailor Venus doll. I look at my wall of Sailor Moon collectibles and decide I don’t need a new hobby.
9:00 pm-
I yeet myself into the sheets. Just one more day of work this week!
Total: $0
9/17:
5:30 am-
I did not sleep well last night. Part of it was the nap and part of it was Pancake’s insistence that she have at least one body part touching me at all times despite the heat. This has to be the hottest summer ever. I check my sleep monitor app (7h0m).
I can’t even justify my usual absurdly long morning shower because, even with the A/C still in it’s too friggin hot to live.
I hop out, get dressed and go to open up. I realize that we accidentally left a window open with the curtain closed in front of it. I’m irritated that we wasted so much A/C. I pack my usual lunch and head out for work.
8:00 am-
My client did not sleep last night so it’s tantrum town almost immediately. Why would parents send an under-rested kid with special needs to school? Who knows. By 8:45 I’ve given up and take my client to the nurse’s office to nap. Several calls are made home but there’s no answer. I start getting anxious about all of this wasted time that I could be dedicating to school work and email with my husband for a while. I get an email notification that a pair of shoes I listed on Poshmak sold (+ $45.60).
The rest of the school day carries on in a similar fashion. My client rallies a couple of times but at the end of the day we’ve had more behaviors in an eight and a half hour timespan than we have for the past three weeks and it’s extremely clear that sleep is the culprit. I’m beyond exhausted. This client is much, much, much easier than the one I had last year and their behaviors are very manageable but I’m still really discouraged at all of the backsliding we had today.
5:00 pm-
I’m home and just generally not feeling great. My husband wants to go out to a pizza place with $6 Tuesdays but when we get there the line is out the door. People are extremely frugal in Hawai`i so it’s no surprise. We pack back into the car and Taco Bell is decided on. We park and my husband goes in. Unfortunately there’s a miscommunication where I thought my husband was getting food and he thought I didn’t want food so when we get home and he unpacks I am tacoless. This compounds my general bad day as well as his. We take Pancake for a walk and talk and ultimately I spend like an hour crying. Since December, everyone in my family has either died or moved overseas and I’ve been having a really hard time coping with the changes. Everything sort of culminated with my old dog passing away last month. I had him for 18 years and the loss has been staggering. Adopting Pancake has helped me a lot but the lack of sleep, tough day and upcoming wedding combined with my growing pile of undone classwork turn me into human jello.
My husband and I talk for a few hours and by the time we go to bed I feel a little better.
Total: +$45.60
9/18:
9:00 am-
This is the first of the three days I’ve taken off for the wedding, so I sleep all the way in. I’m still anxious but I make myself do some chores around the house and I knock out my biggest homework assignment for the week and feel much better. While I’m working I get a request from the maid of honor to cough up my portion of the bachelorette party. This re-irritates me because the plan is to pay $600 to rent a private karaoke room in Waikiki when we can just get to a different one with better food for no money at my favorite place in Kaka`ako. Several of the bridesmaids are from the mainland and appear to be really buying into the Hawai`i tourism racket. I pay, but I’m still bitter (- $125).
1:00 pm-
I’m finally caught up enough with my classwork that I don’t feel like I’m going to die. I review my finances for this MD and notice that I haven’t been getting paid for my overtime, hmm. I’m working with a new company so I send a strongly-worded email to HR.
Speaking of overpriced things in Waikiki, I have to go there. Sigh. I need to have the bar in my belly button piercing shortened and the only APP-certified piercing shop on island over there. I also need to drop those Lululemon leggings off for free hemming. I refuse to pay $12 for parking so I park on the mauka side of Kapi`olani Park, which is the closest free parking to Waikiki (protip). Unfortunately everything I need is on the absolute other side. It takes me about a half hour to walk down there but I enjoy the subzero A/C wafting out of the luxury shops. It costs (- $31.41) with tip to change out my bar. On the way back I stop in to Sephora to buy a new bottle of DevaCurl conditioner because I only have like half a wash left. It’s expensive, but it’s honestly worth the hype. This bottle should last me about six months (- $48.33).
4:00 pm-
I finally make it home and I’m starved. My husband was nice enough to pick my bridesmaid dress up from the tailor on the way home from work, so that’s one less worry. He takes me out to Taco Bell to make up for the night before and I eat my weight in crunchy delicious fast food while we watch travel videos on YouTube.
5:00 pm-
Some idiot sets off a false island-wide tsunami warning and every person visiting for the wedding collectively loses their shit over text. Everybody who lives here starts cracking jokes that maybe they rehired the guy who sent out the false nuclear missile warning last year. The mainland people are confused at our fatalistic humor but, like, when you’ve watched people shove their kids down manholes to avoid the blast and been forced to make peace with imminent nuclear death because someone hit the wrong button on a dropdown menu a tsunami warning is really no big.
8:00 pm-
My husband and I are planning to move to the mainland in about 18 months and part of this plan is buying a new car. He has a great, reliable car that is worth shipping but mine is a POS. I’ve been saving for a 4Runner but my husband wants to discuss alternate options. We go through the list of cars that meet our goals and do price and cost/benefit comparisons and once again end up at the 4Runner.
My husband is concerned about us spending a lot of money on a higher-priced car rather than buying something cheaper and saving the rest of the money. I tend to agree with him, but I recently spent $3,000 keeping a $3,000 car running and lately I’ve been of a mind that investing in a better product may be worth the peace of mind. I’ve played the “please don’t have a check engine light today” game with every car I’ve owned and it’s a big stressor. He’s also concerned about having a car payment during the forecasted recession and that we may still have a car payment around the time we’re planning to start a family. All of these are completely valid points.
My counterpoints are that we both put more into savings monthly than we spend, that we both work in a government sector in positions that can’t be eliminated, and that I believe we can save enough to put down that our payments will be low. Finally, I remind him that if we’re well and truly fucked by a recession of course I’m not going to insist we buy and expensive SUV. This is a discussion we have with some frequency so there’s no vehemence. He also really wants a 4Runner, but both of our families were hit extremely hard by the last recession and we really suffered for it. I lived off of $100/month for several years and he was forced to drop out of high school to help his mom pay bills. Because of this we both have difficulty escaping “depression-era” thinking.
The biggest financial problem we run into is that we often are so focused on saving and stability that we forget to have fun. I’m trying to be an advocate for hope instead of caution, but even I don’t know if I’ll be able to go through with that large of a purchase when we get around to it.
10:00pm-
Discussion settled for this round, we head to bed.
Total: - $204.74
9/19:
9:00 am-
I’m awakened by the dulcet sounds of the Roomba. Most people would be mad, but this means I got to sleep for like 11 hours. Pure bliss.
I throw in a load of laundry and start preparing for my Very Long Day as well as catching up on this MD. While looking at my Mint account I notice that my recent credit card payment has been returned. I have enough funds in my checking account, so I’m confused by this. I call Chase and apparently some phantom checking account that doesn’t actually exist has been attached to my credit card and the payment was returned because the system tried to withdraw it from the non-existent account. I make sure the ghost account is removed and submit a replacement payment for last month’s charges. I’m wondering if I should move away from this Chase card. My info was stolen in July and I had to freeze the account and get the fraudulent charges removed. Two weird incidents in the span of a few months seems problematic.
11:00 am-
I do some cleaning and put together my bags for tonight. I think I have a requisite 3 outfit changes and am going to be on a boat. Today starts with the wedding rehearsal, then a sunset catamaran ride and the actual bachelorette party. I do some fancy fancy makeup and seal it with my industrial sealant spray. I get a Venmo request from the extremely talented nail artist I sent the bride to for her wedding manicure and transfer the money ( - $85.00). I also see an email from my HR department saying they will credit me for the overtime due on my next paycheck.
2:00 pm-
Another of the on-island bridesmaids picks me up, which is super sweet because she went out of her way to grab me. I buy her a coffee on my prepaid Starbucks card in gratitude.
The wedding is being held at a historic museum here in Oahu so we cruise over. There’s some light liquid sunshine-style rain but it’s a lovely day so far.
I geek out seeing friends who are in the wedding party who have moved away. And their babies!!! I also finally meet the rest of the bridal party. They’re super chill ladies and it’s a big relief as I was really worried there would be clashing personalities. We practice the procession a zillion times but it’s a little awkward because my Groomsdude counterpart is absent today due to being super preganté and the wedding party gets scolded by the planners for… having too much fun? Whatever.
4:00 pm-
Practice over, we begin party time. If you’ve ever tried to gracefully change into a bikini in a bathroom built in the early 1800s, I wouldn’t recommend it. Lots of gaps and no toilet seat cover. We are, naturally, running late and some of the mainland girls are worried. We explain Hawai’i-time to them as well as Hawai’i traffic and after a quick call with the captain everyone is less worried. We all receive our themed tank tops. Typically I would be staunchly against a themed bachelorette party but the theme for this one is Sailor Moon and, as mentioned before, I have a problem. I get to be Sailor Jupiter and this is extremely rad.
We make it down to the docks in time to watch a hobo-fight. I’ve been pretty thoroughly trained in de-escalation techniques from my past involvement in political advocacy and want to break them up, but one of the bridesmaids tells me to leave it and I don’t want to derail the party. Another of the bridesmaids calls the cops, which I’m a little morally opposed to, but I drop it and we board the boat.
Someone produces charcuterie and there are waterproof beanbags and I’m in heaven. The drinking starts and my anxiety is further soothed to see everyone being moderate. The bride has a great time and it’s always lovely to be out on the ocean.
8:00 pm-
We roll into the MoH’s hotel room for our final outfit change. One of the mainland bridesmaids has hand crafted extremely beautiful Sailor Fuku. I lose my g-d mind. The bride gets the full Sailor Moon treatment and cries a little. It’s great. We all dress up and walk down to get the car and the seamstress-bridesmaid is beaming at the various comments of “Sugoi!” and “Kawaii!” from the Japanese tourists. We also get a lot of thumbs up from the English-speaking tourists of Sailor Moon-watching age. It’s pretty cool.
9:30 pm-
If you’ve never rolled into a gay karaoke bar in full SM-costume, I’d recommend it highly. The costumes get a lot of “Yas queens!” It’s pretty touching. The bride is with another bridesmaid getting valet, so we mosey onto the private room and do some lightening quick setup. We’re late and all of the other guests have arrived and I’m super relieved to see that I know a ton of them from my roller derby days! The rest of my anxiety melts. A couple of the girls have done their own costumes and we actually turn out with the full set of Sailor Scouts.
The bride comes in and is floored. Everyone is having a great time. The bar staff is super sweet and even though they’re slammed they make sure to look after us. At one point we’re visited by one of the chefs who beautifully belts out the original Moonlight Densetsu in Japanese and everyone is pumped. We have one drunk guy break into the private room to very respectfully tell us he loves Sailor Moon so we find him in the main room and take a photo.
It’s a great night with great people and I’m blessed to be there.
12:00am-
I pick up a Lyft on my husband’s account and glide into the night.
Weekly Totals:
Spent: - $505.43
Earned: + $1,149.50
Total: + $644.07
My spending for this week was uncharacteristically high. This is usually what I spend in about two weeks, however all of the over-and-above spending was due to the upcoming wedding (... and needing conditioner and new shoes) and my husband has promised to help me cover those costs at the end of the month. It also helps that I’ll be reimbursed for the OT I’m owed.
2019.05.22 04:04 pearsoverpeas Needing advice for our move.
First off, I (30/F) would like to say that I've been nervous to ask for advice from this subreddit after reading some of the replies to others asking the same question, but I think my SO (33/M) and I have a good plan. I have done extensive research and read the sidebar about moving to Hawaii. We're not moving here on a whim or unrealistic about whats to come. I'm here for honest advice and help for the questions I can't seem to find the answers for on my own.
I never thought that I would ever visit Hawaii, let alone want to live there, but my SO's job will be relocating him to Honolulu the beginning of next year (April 2020) so our dreams are happening a lot sooner than we anticipated.
I know per the advice of this subreddit, visiting is a must so no worries there. We've been lucky enough to travel to Honolulu three times because of his work and once to Maui on our own for vacation. As beautiful as Maui is, we know that it is not the island for us as it is too quiet for our taste and I feel like I would get island fever there. I can't say the same for Oahu because we very much love it there. We've been to almost every part of the island except the west side. We plan to visit the next time we are in Hawaii (this November).
My SO will have a job when we arrive but I will not. He is a biomedical engineer who mainly works from home. The machine he maintains is in a lab on Oahu. His company no longer wants to send someone there every month for maintenance because of the travel expenses. It is cheaper to keep someone on the island and have him focus on calls/work primarily from home, etc. We plan to rent an airbnb for a month while we find permanent housing and I find a job. Is that realistic time frame or should we expect to live in an airbnb for two months? Is an airbnb the right choice? Are there other long-term rental options? His company is giving us a moving allowance and since they know Hawaii is expensive, they want to properly assist us in our move. I know we are very lucky to have this type of help because this isn't the norm, but we want to make sure we make a good decision and smartly use the allowance.
As for a job for me, I currently bartend and hope to continue that in Hawaii(for the time being). I know that people say its hard to get a job in Hawaii, but I feel like with bartending, that shouldn't be an issue. The service industry always seems to be hiring. I don't know if thats the same in Hawaii and I don't want to be naive about it. I have 10 years experience, I'm a member of USBG(United States Bartenders Guild), actively participate in bartending competitions, and currently manage the bar at my current place of employment. Here in Atlanta, I'm making around $1k/week working 2-3 days a week. I know that won't be a possibility in Hawaii, but will it be hard for me to land a bartending position with my skills? I would like to make $800/week, if possible.
With that being said, we are wanting to stay in or around Waikiki. I think I will have the best chances of getting a bartending job there because its so touristy. We think if we choose to stay in Waikiki, this will also eliminate our need for a car right away. If he works from home and I work close enough that would allow me to ride a bike, walk, or take the bus. We currently share a car here in Atlanta, but barely use it as I live a mile from work and he works from home. We plan on selling our car and putting the money into our savings. Would living in Waikiki be best, if not, what areas close to Waikiki would you recommend that would allow us to not need a car? Is Waikiki a good place for me the find a bartending job? Keep in mind we do plan on getting a car, its just not an immediate need for us and we think if we plan properly, we can make do without one for a few months. Plus I don't want to be rushed into buying a car I might not like. We currently pay $1900 for a 2bd/2bth, 1,100sqft apartment. I know housing will be more expensive in Hawaii, especially if we want to live in Waikiki but I have found some apartments in/around Waikiki for $2300-$2700. I've been using rental apps such as zillow, trulia, apartment lists, etc. Are those reliable? I'm hesitant to use craigslist because I've heard some of the listings are scams and to be honest, they seem like it.
Here is where our situation gets interesting and I think it could work to our advantage. Our current roommate would like to move with us. He has been once and loved it(who wouldn't?). He has always wanted to live in another state and he thinks this is the perfect opportunity for him to finally do it. I think it's a great idea as well. I'm a big advocate of people living in a different state then the one they grew up in. Personal growth, ya know? He'll have the benefit and support of moving with someone he knows and we'll have the benefit of being able to afford a decent place in Hawaii. We are aware the apartments are smaller in Hawaii and are okay with it even with three of us living together. Every time we've been, we've never spent much time inside. Plus, we prefer a minimalist, simple lifestyle. Less space = less useless crap. He works in the service industry as well and plans to find a serving job. Is it a smart idea for him to move with us? He wants to stay for at least two years and I think it would be a huge benefit for my SO and I to have a roommate. We plan on staying on the island indefinitely and I think it would allow us to save more money for whatever may come. And no we do not plan on having kids.
Everyone's current financial situation:
I have around $7k in savings and no debt. Our car is payed off and my schooling has been long paid off(again lucky, but I busted my ass for that). I make around $4k/month and my bills are around $1k/month. We travel/eat out/go out a lot so most of my income has been going to that but that has recently changed. I've taken on a second job since finding out that we are moving so that I can save more money. I want to be comfortable when I arrive on the island and do not want to have to worry about finding a job. My goal is to save $3k/month and last month I was able to achieve that. I know that won't be the case every month but I have 11 months until we move and I believe I can save that amount for at least 8 of those months. That should put me around $24,000. I think that is more than enough for us to be safe and have funds in case we need to move back (unlikely) or if we need to go back to the mainland for family emergencies (more likely).
My SO has about the same as me in savings but more financial obligations. He owns a home, has student and cc debt. His company pays for his school loans so that's not a big issue. He has about $2k in cc debt right now and he can pay that off before Hawaii. He has cut back on misc. spending and is able to save a little over $1k/month. The house is currently being used as an income property and we hope to continue that while we live in Hawaii. After the current tenants lease is up, our friend will be moving in. This will give us peace of mind not only about the mortgage but also peace of mind knowing someone will be taking care of our home. He has no intentions of moving from our home and it will most likely be "his" for the next coming years.
Our roommate has about $2k in savings and has also taken a second job so that he can bulk up his savings for Hawaii. He's lived with us for years and always pays his bills on time so I trust him financially. If he is able to find a job in Hawaii and has a substantial savings for emergencies, I do not see why he couldn't move and be successful there for a few years. He plans on selling his car and belongings as well.
We do have pets and this part is actually going a lot smoother than I anticipated. We recently took them to the vet to get examined and help with their move to the island. They both will be getting their titer test done soon and all of their files are up to date. Our vet has an outline of the tests and the dates for everything we need. We have a time table of all the paperwork/tests we need and know most of it will happen closer to our move date. I'm more concerned about finding a place to live because we have two dogs. It seems like our inventory is limited but we're willing to sacrifice amenities or location because of our dogs. One is a ten year old chorgi mix and weighs 9lbs, the other is a mutt who is one year old and weighs 35lbs. How hard will it be for us with the dogs? We have considered leaving our bigger dog behind with our friend who will be living in our house but we'd love to bring her with us.
We're very excited for this move and I honestly can't wait. We know the hurdles ahead and we think we're on the right path.
submitted by pearsoverpeas to Hawaii [link] [comments]
I never thought that I would ever visit Hawaii, let alone want to live there, but my SO's job will be relocating him to Honolulu the beginning of next year (April 2020) so our dreams are happening a lot sooner than we anticipated.
I know per the advice of this subreddit, visiting is a must so no worries there. We've been lucky enough to travel to Honolulu three times because of his work and once to Maui on our own for vacation. As beautiful as Maui is, we know that it is not the island for us as it is too quiet for our taste and I feel like I would get island fever there. I can't say the same for Oahu because we very much love it there. We've been to almost every part of the island except the west side. We plan to visit the next time we are in Hawaii (this November).
My SO will have a job when we arrive but I will not. He is a biomedical engineer who mainly works from home. The machine he maintains is in a lab on Oahu. His company no longer wants to send someone there every month for maintenance because of the travel expenses. It is cheaper to keep someone on the island and have him focus on calls/work primarily from home, etc. We plan to rent an airbnb for a month while we find permanent housing and I find a job. Is that realistic time frame or should we expect to live in an airbnb for two months? Is an airbnb the right choice? Are there other long-term rental options? His company is giving us a moving allowance and since they know Hawaii is expensive, they want to properly assist us in our move. I know we are very lucky to have this type of help because this isn't the norm, but we want to make sure we make a good decision and smartly use the allowance.
As for a job for me, I currently bartend and hope to continue that in Hawaii(for the time being). I know that people say its hard to get a job in Hawaii, but I feel like with bartending, that shouldn't be an issue. The service industry always seems to be hiring. I don't know if thats the same in Hawaii and I don't want to be naive about it. I have 10 years experience, I'm a member of USBG(United States Bartenders Guild), actively participate in bartending competitions, and currently manage the bar at my current place of employment. Here in Atlanta, I'm making around $1k/week working 2-3 days a week. I know that won't be a possibility in Hawaii, but will it be hard for me to land a bartending position with my skills? I would like to make $800/week, if possible.
With that being said, we are wanting to stay in or around Waikiki. I think I will have the best chances of getting a bartending job there because its so touristy. We think if we choose to stay in Waikiki, this will also eliminate our need for a car right away. If he works from home and I work close enough that would allow me to ride a bike, walk, or take the bus. We currently share a car here in Atlanta, but barely use it as I live a mile from work and he works from home. We plan on selling our car and putting the money into our savings. Would living in Waikiki be best, if not, what areas close to Waikiki would you recommend that would allow us to not need a car? Is Waikiki a good place for me the find a bartending job? Keep in mind we do plan on getting a car, its just not an immediate need for us and we think if we plan properly, we can make do without one for a few months. Plus I don't want to be rushed into buying a car I might not like. We currently pay $1900 for a 2bd/2bth, 1,100sqft apartment. I know housing will be more expensive in Hawaii, especially if we want to live in Waikiki but I have found some apartments in/around Waikiki for $2300-$2700. I've been using rental apps such as zillow, trulia, apartment lists, etc. Are those reliable? I'm hesitant to use craigslist because I've heard some of the listings are scams and to be honest, they seem like it.
Here is where our situation gets interesting and I think it could work to our advantage. Our current roommate would like to move with us. He has been once and loved it(who wouldn't?). He has always wanted to live in another state and he thinks this is the perfect opportunity for him to finally do it. I think it's a great idea as well. I'm a big advocate of people living in a different state then the one they grew up in. Personal growth, ya know? He'll have the benefit and support of moving with someone he knows and we'll have the benefit of being able to afford a decent place in Hawaii. We are aware the apartments are smaller in Hawaii and are okay with it even with three of us living together. Every time we've been, we've never spent much time inside. Plus, we prefer a minimalist, simple lifestyle. Less space = less useless crap. He works in the service industry as well and plans to find a serving job. Is it a smart idea for him to move with us? He wants to stay for at least two years and I think it would be a huge benefit for my SO and I to have a roommate. We plan on staying on the island indefinitely and I think it would allow us to save more money for whatever may come. And no we do not plan on having kids.
Everyone's current financial situation:
I have around $7k in savings and no debt. Our car is payed off and my schooling has been long paid off(again lucky, but I busted my ass for that). I make around $4k/month and my bills are around $1k/month. We travel/eat out/go out a lot so most of my income has been going to that but that has recently changed. I've taken on a second job since finding out that we are moving so that I can save more money. I want to be comfortable when I arrive on the island and do not want to have to worry about finding a job. My goal is to save $3k/month and last month I was able to achieve that. I know that won't be the case every month but I have 11 months until we move and I believe I can save that amount for at least 8 of those months. That should put me around $24,000. I think that is more than enough for us to be safe and have funds in case we need to move back (unlikely) or if we need to go back to the mainland for family emergencies (more likely).
My SO has about the same as me in savings but more financial obligations. He owns a home, has student and cc debt. His company pays for his school loans so that's not a big issue. He has about $2k in cc debt right now and he can pay that off before Hawaii. He has cut back on misc. spending and is able to save a little over $1k/month. The house is currently being used as an income property and we hope to continue that while we live in Hawaii. After the current tenants lease is up, our friend will be moving in. This will give us peace of mind not only about the mortgage but also peace of mind knowing someone will be taking care of our home. He has no intentions of moving from our home and it will most likely be "his" for the next coming years.
Our roommate has about $2k in savings and has also taken a second job so that he can bulk up his savings for Hawaii. He's lived with us for years and always pays his bills on time so I trust him financially. If he is able to find a job in Hawaii and has a substantial savings for emergencies, I do not see why he couldn't move and be successful there for a few years. He plans on selling his car and belongings as well.
We do have pets and this part is actually going a lot smoother than I anticipated. We recently took them to the vet to get examined and help with their move to the island. They both will be getting their titer test done soon and all of their files are up to date. Our vet has an outline of the tests and the dates for everything we need. We have a time table of all the paperwork/tests we need and know most of it will happen closer to our move date. I'm more concerned about finding a place to live because we have two dogs. It seems like our inventory is limited but we're willing to sacrifice amenities or location because of our dogs. One is a ten year old chorgi mix and weighs 9lbs, the other is a mutt who is one year old and weighs 35lbs. How hard will it be for us with the dogs? We have considered leaving our bigger dog behind with our friend who will be living in our house but we'd love to bring her with us.
We're very excited for this move and I honestly can't wait. We know the hurdles ahead and we think we're on the right path.
- Yes, we're okay with the traffic. We live in Atlanta. I sat on a 13 lane highway,standstill, for over an hour the other day. Come on.
- I love the culture and how I feel when I'm there. We went for two weeks in April for my birthday and to see if this is something that we really want and it is. I get the simple, slow paced lifestyle I've always wanted and my SO gets to be in the water and hike. Its a great compromise for both of us. We don't come from tight knit families so only going home once a year or every other isn't a big deal.
- We want a quieter lifestyle. We have an opportunity to move to a beautiful place so I want to be smart about it. I think we've done a decent job at mapping out a plan. If all else fails, we come back to Atlanta and go from there :)
- We do not plan on bringing anything outside of our clothes and some household things. We plan on fitting most of what we want to bring in our suitcases and shipping the rest in a few boxes to Hawaii. We're trying to keep those costs to a minimum.
2019.01.22 03:06 Chernzobog [Vent] Pet-friendly apartments do not exist
Sorry for venting but what is it with Hawaii and pets? Grew up in parents' home on Oahu and worked for a while on mainland before coming back for a new job on island. I never realized how hard it is to find an apartment that will let you keep dogs until I started apartment shopping.
I don't get it- even the ones advertised as 'pet-friendl-dogs' say the owners do not allow dogs which blows my mind because they're all listed under pet filter on zillow, trulia, apartments.com, etc.
I was so excited to finally be able to have a home with my rescued poi dog now that I'm back on island. I was so happy I could live with him because he's getting older and my parents have been watching him for me for the last 3-4 years. Now it looks like I'll have to settle for home visits because I cannot, cannot, cannot, find a place that will take him.
Sorry. Just venting. If anyone has suggestions, please let me know. :(
submitted by Chernzobog to Hawaii [link] [comments]
I don't get it- even the ones advertised as 'pet-friendl-dogs' say the owners do not allow dogs which blows my mind because they're all listed under pet filter on zillow, trulia, apartments.com, etc.
I was so excited to finally be able to have a home with my rescued poi dog now that I'm back on island. I was so happy I could live with him because he's getting older and my parents have been watching him for me for the last 3-4 years. Now it looks like I'll have to settle for home visits because I cannot, cannot, cannot, find a place that will take him.
Sorry. Just venting. If anyone has suggestions, please let me know. :(
2015.07.23 06:59 lenninscjay Having trouble finding pet rentals
[Oahu] Have lived here for 2 years. Current neighborhood is not the best. Getting desperate to find a new unit but being kind of picky about it. Just thought I'd post here to see if anyone had any inside info.
Looking for a pet friendly (cat) high-rise in the salt-lake area with 24/7 security. Preferably a 1br. Budget is no more than 1,600/mo base rent.
I'm constantly looking at Craiglist, Trulia, HICentral, Rent.com, apartment.com, zillow.com... But if anyone has anything to add suggestions are welcome!
Thanks!
submitted by lenninscjay to Hawaii [link] [comments]
Looking for a pet friendly (cat) high-rise in the salt-lake area with 24/7 security. Preferably a 1br. Budget is no more than 1,600/mo base rent.
I'm constantly looking at Craiglist, Trulia, HICentral, Rent.com, apartment.com, zillow.com... But if anyone has anything to add suggestions are welcome!
Thanks!