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OpenD
"I found a genuine NordicTrak exerciser in great condition at a thrift shop in Hilo, a $200+ value for $5."
Just curious what would you say about bringing vs buying a mid level treadmills?
and how does one do those partial quotes I am reading some stuff in the about city data section but I have not found it yet.
Last edited by lanormun; 03-04-2013 at 07:00 PM..
Reason: typos
how does one do those partial quotes I am reading some stuff in the about city data section but I have not found it yet.
For everyone else, quote the original, then delete everything that is not pertinent or needed for identification of the reference, between the QUOTE and /QUOTE tags, but remember to include the beginning and ending tags and their surrounding square brackets.
You can also select sections of text and then click the "word balloon" icon above (next to Show/Hide) to surround the text with quotes.
Thank you for expanding your skills, and your courtesy... quoting an entire 60 line post just to add a one-liner response is lazy and rude, so slowing down to do a trim is much appreciated.
We moved here with two suitcases and two dogs each, and we used USPS to mail some things. Tools, dive gear, kitchen stuff, and we media mailed some books, music and movies. Not much else.
We miss NOTHING. Not a thing. And we saved a fortune on shipping.
Not only saved a fortune on shipping but a huge hassle of what to do with all the stuff afterwards.
However, if one did have extra room in the container, filling it with firebrick and refractory cement, stoneware clays and such might be worthwhile sales items. You could ask on Craig's List how many folks wanted firebricks, cement and clay, and then bring the stuff over and have it presold before you packed it. Find a great deal on clay, bricks, cement, whatever on the mainland, then post it on Craig's list as to what you'd be bringing and ask folks to sign up for however much they wanted. If folks flaked out, there'd be others who would want it, I'd expect.
Agreed. Think of moving to Hawai'i as an opportunity to change your lifestyle... which it will be, like it or not... and getting rid of everything non-essential as preparation for that change.
Houses are smaller, dress is more casual, humidity and mildew ruin a lot of things that were fine on the mainland.
I'll add that new appliances are shipped to Hawai'i with all kinds of protective packing around sensitive elements, none of which are there when you move a used one. So many appliances suffer fatal damage in long-haul shipping, even just trucking cross-country. So what do you think are the chances of them making it all the way from the mainland in a steel box that is not handled gently? Hints: the odds are high that you'll have to replace something.
As for furniture, unless your taste runs to high-end stuff, everything is readily available used in the islands, because so many people ship stuff here, then they don't last, and they can't afford to ship it back when they leave. Buy mattresses new, but everything else you need or want can be acquired at garage sales and thrift stores, and sometimes at astonishing prices. I found a genuine NordicTrak exerciser in great condition at a thrift shop in Hilo, a $200+ value for $5.
And yes, yes, you'll have to invest some time in shopping for replacements, but on an hourly basis you'll be highly paid for for your efforts.
As to building materials, a container FULL of lumber from the Northwest can be less expensive than buying locally, if you have an accurate bill of materials for whatever you'll need to build here.
The only material I have specifically heard that cannot be bought locally is firebrick and refractory cement, for building kilns and fireplaces and woodfired ovens. My neighbors the potters all had to buy theirs in California and have it shipped.
I'm not the right guy to ask or answer anything about building materials. But I did see pallets of firebrick (their description, not mine) for sale at Home Depot in Hilo a few days ago. You have to walk around it to get into the front door. They had signs on it like it was a big thing. I don't know what it is- maybe its what you are looking for.
I did a pallet because I needed to ship a new wallbed that I could not buy on island. Got a great mainland deal on a washer and dryer that was about $500 cheaper than what I could find in Honolulu. Filled in the space with a bunch of new Costco stuff that i saved $3-25 per box. The washer/dryer more than paid for the pallet. Be sure they charge you for new stuff because it's LESS than old junk.
Electrical items like dimmers are way cheaper on the mainland and I bring some in the suitcase on each trip. My bag always gets inspected. If you're just filling space have you thought about canned goods and cereal?
Also, do not forget that if you buy energy star appliances, you can qualify for a rebate check from Hawaii. Always check here Hawaii Energy, Conservation and Efficiency Program | Rebates before buying anything. Sometimes the more expensive (but lower energy consuming) appliance is actually cheaper after the rebate. Then you continue saving every month. I don't know if the rebate program works trying to submit mainland receipts.
The only material I have specifically heard that cannot be bought locally is firebrick and refractory cement, for building kilns and fireplaces and woodfired ovens. My neighbors the potters all had to buy theirs in California and have it shipped.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OpenD
For everyone else, quote the original, then delete everything that is not pertinent or needed for identification of the reference, between the QUOTE and /QUOTE tags, but remember to include the beginning and ending tags and their surrounding square brackets.
Quote:
Originally Posted by terracore
I did see pallets of firebrick (their description, not mine) for sale at Home Depot in Hilo a few days ago. You have to walk around it to get into the front door. They had signs on it like it was a big thing. I don't know what it is- maybe its what you are looking for.
Thanks. Not what I am looking for, just something others have mentioned, but I appreciate it.
Meanwhile, notice how much nicer it is to see a quote edited down to only what is pertinent? That's what I was talking about...
Good ideas here as the things you have mentioned will always come in handy over here.
However I think you are going to save the most money hitting up flea markets and garage sales for items like this. $5 bucks for a bucket of nails is a dam good deal.
Consider strongly: paint in 5 gal buckets - cement blocks - bags of cement big $$ here - chain link fencing - wood shop tools and machines - interior and exterior lighting (dime a dozen there) - plumbing supplies and if you plan on having a green yard all the power tools needed, especially if you already have them.
As far as packing to avoid damage to your household items the packing order is something you should give as much thought to as your entire trip plan combined.
Wasted space and being somewhat disorganized in my first load still haunts me.
Not because of any damage the container was just not completely utilized.
As for the furniture, etc.. my advice is based on you renting a 40ft container - if it works for you there bring whatever you can because chances are you'll wish you had.
our thrift stores are small and have little in the way of furniture here on the big island. I mean an old couch despite how it may look is just as nasty to me as buying a bed from CL or your neighbor - it's just not something I like to buy used.
You have the option of container sizes ranging from 20ft - 40ft and even 45ft. Have you ever been inside of a 40ft. container? these things are massive and can easily hold every personal item a family of 4 has and still have room if packed correctly.
As mentioned the one thing I did not do the first go around was map out my packing order in the container and it was very disorganized, the second go around my mapping order made it so much nicer to manage and I still had room!
As for the materials you described that someone had to have shipped in that's ridiculous as your acquaintances must have never heard of the "Pro Desk" at home depot, its right when you walk in any home depot and usually has a big counter around it and one or more people stationed there at all times.
What you see in HD stores is less than a tenth of what they have available to buy and the good thing is they do not make you pay extra for special orders - their theory is it will be scheduled to fit in an inbound container heading to one of their stores here anyways and they do not add an extra charge.
This is what the pro desk is all about, keeping your satisfaction and dollar returning to their store. Next time you are in a HD go to the pro desk with some questions, their stores use the same protocol here as they do there. Many people have no clue about the pro desk in HD.
Hope it all works out for you!
Aloha!
Kokua
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Food for thought - been there
