Moving to Hawaii

Well slowly starting to get settled in. I asked hubby when we are moving back to Hawaii because BURR it is starting to get cold here now, like really cold. The print on the hoodie came out good and our logo although small shows clear. It is pretty warm too. For now I have decided to keep this lens going after all. I keep thinking it might help some people that are wanting to move to Hawaii to avoid some pitfalls along the way. If you like this lens let me know :). Right now we are re-arranging furniture and what not to make place for an art table. That way I can work some more on my art. The kids loved their t-shirts we ordered for them. If you do order kid's shirts from Cafepress though, keep in mind those kid sizes are pretty big. The kids refused to exchange the t-shirts for smaller sizes though, they loved them just the way they were.

Well... after about a year and a half of struggling financially (thank you mom for helping out), we have decided that we are moving back to the mainland. I don't have many people visiting this lens, but there are a few, so I still wanted to add an explanation before I close this lens (unless I forget to close it with the moving and all, in case it will be closed after we return to the mainland). It was a very difficult decision and we really don't want to leave. However, it appears to be in our family's best interest to move back. Plus we have these particular neighbors (Caucasian just like us, just for the record) that we can't stand and they can't stand us. They hate kids, the lady (first name Sue) rarely ever leaves the building, snoops into what neighbors are doing and well, is a total utterly and royal pita. She calls and complains because the kids are playing and having fun, she makes fun of them if they roar when they play and well her husband is of the same quality, he just seems to be out and about more. They have a car (no idea why), it never leaves the building and if they bother us again before we leave they will be reported for harrassment.

The only thing I guess is good is that they are stuck in this apartment building as well. It isn't the greatest, the landlord sucks and the only reason people usually stay here is because it is one of the few buildings that allow pets.

With all this... Hawaii isn't what it used to be. We shouldn't have to have neighbors like this. There are so many nice people on Oahu, locals and non-locals alike, but these neighbors are so bad they overshine the rest. We can't afford anything bigger than a one bedroom here and it simply isn't big enough with two little kids. They need room to run and play so we are moving back to the mainland where we can afford a bigger place to live. Hopefully my artwork gets started more (especially since I will have more time to work on my drawing) and am looking into learning airbrushing as well when we get back. However, people like the nieghbors I mentioned are making me want to enlist in the Army. Our kids are loud and rambunctious, but they are happy and healthy and if anyone is surprised, they really don't like Sue and her family either.

If you have been referring to this lens and need advice/help with moving, send me an email through one of my other lenses and I will try to answer your question.

As difficult as it is, try to arrange for a job ahead of coming to the islands. If you are single, staying at a hotel for a while won't cost too much, but if you have a family with small kids, do arrange for a job first if at all possible. We weren't able to, but we had saved up money to have money to start with when we got to Hawaii. We did have a little bit saved up, but if we had been able to find a job from the mainland already, our savings wouldn't have been dipped into as much.

If at all able to, here is a great tip: transfer from your current company to Hawaii. Even if they don't pay for relocation you have a job set up. For professions such as nurses and doctors, most often relocation assistance is offered. If the company you work for isn't located in Hawaii, consider applying for one that has a branch on the islands. Thinking long term when planning can really make a difference.

Honolulu Prince is a great little hotel. If you need to stay at a hotel I can definitely recommend it.

From a financial point of view though, stay away from hotels if possible, vacation rentals are much cheaper. A hotel will quickly and deeply dig into your budget. We found a vacation rental but since it wasn't available right away we did spend some time at a hotel (great hotel by the way, Honolulu Prince). I am not affiliated with that hotel in any way, it is just a great little hotel (pool is 3 blocks away though) with friendly and courteous staff. Search the internet for vacation rentals and invest your money in that if you don't have friends or relatives to stay with in Hawaii. That would be the best thing, they would probably charge you nominal rent and ask you to pitch in for food, and might even refer you to an employer.

One thing to keep in mind for vacation rentals is that they have to have 30 days minimum or special permits. There has been a number of crackdowns on places in Kailua because some people did not properly register with the state.

While you are in a hotel or vacation rental you could arrange for more permanent housing. Many landlords won't let you arrange for rental if you are not in Hawaii. Then of course there is the whole thing with having a rental history, references (how you supposed to know people in Hawaii if you just moved here?) and having an income. There are many property managers/landlords that require 2.5-3 times the income compared to the rent. Although that ratio could be understandable, it is at the same time outrageous. We could have afforded a bigger place than we have now if only more people could understand that it isn't just about how much money you make it is also about your spending habits.

Please also keep in mind that many won't even let you rent a one bedroom if you are more than two people. Some of this has to do with fire regulations, for example for studios, which often have max occupancy of two. I have seen people post about this on Craigslist where they wonder about how are they supposed to afford a two bedroom, but no landlord will rent them a one bedroom.

No, I did not forget about this lens. However, it is taking me much longer than I wanted to move back to Hawaii, but the plans are still there and I will keep updating this lens.

If you are bringing your pet, keep in mind that besides the quarantine laws, the landlords in Hawaii have some rules of their own. Many of them do not allow pets, not even fish. It is very frustrating trying to find a rental that a) is affordable enough, b) will let you rent one you can afford (there is often a max of tenants to a certain size apartment) and c) will allow pets (we have a cat, and even with an older indoor cat it is still very difficult finding a place).

If you move from a house to an apartment, DO remember that it is more cramped and that rooms and apartments tend to be smaller in Hawaii. Not a big thing perhaps, you can enjoy the outdoors so much there.

There are landlords out there too that don't care if your apartment get bugs. This is Hawaii after all, there are bugs here and ant and roach traps are available at most stores. There are worse bugs out there though and they give ya a can of spray to get rid of the bugs which wouldn't help anyways. They don't want to have to pay for an exterminator.

Up on the leeward (west) side of the island of Oahu there are many homeless and so called tent cities. Many of these people have families AND work two or more jobs.

If you can dish out 2 grand plus a month in rent, you can find yourself a nice place, but if not, save up and find a better job or more jobs. If you are single, you can probably find a nice apartment for around 1,200 or so, especially if you have a car and don't mind the drive. Rental prices vary of course, so prices I said here are merely an estimate of the current rental market.

I've heard good things and not so good things. Overall it seems like the public schools are pretty good. Our one son is starting kindergarten here today (yikes!) and the amount of supplies we need to get for him is crazy. I'm not sure you have to buy all this stuff on the mainland, you might not, you might have to. Paper towels, gallon size bags, crayons galore, pencils, notebooks, folders, pencil boxes (and the list goes on). How is the kid supposed to fit all this in a backpack? Or how is one supposed to get the stuff to the school without a car?