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Old 05-12-2011, 04:28 AM
 
Location: Southwest France
1,413 posts, read 3,219,478 times
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Study says many Hawaii County residents can't afford the rent | West Hawaii Today

Interesting article. Thanks for giving me the name of the newspaper. They say the mind is the first thing to go!
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Old 05-13-2011, 03:36 PM
 
Location: Maui County, HI
4,131 posts, read 7,406,693 times
Reputation: 3391
Quote:
Originally Posted by McFrostyJ View Post
Wink, I have family and friends who live in Hawaii, make WAY less than $60K a year, are VERY happy and wouldn't live anywhere else.
Maybe if they're in dual income households they're very happy making $40k each.

There's a lot of cognitive dissonance in Hawaii, more than other places. I know people who also struggle and use credit card debt to get by, and they seem to be happy, but that is a miserable way to live. If you're working 80 hours a week to pay the rent, and stressed another 80 hours, when exactly do you get to enjoy living in Hawaii?
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Old 05-13-2011, 03:47 PM
 
1,489 posts, read 3,587,474 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by winkosmosis View Post
Maybe if they're in dual income households they're very happy making $40k each.

There's a lot of cognitive dissonance in Hawaii, more than other places. I know people who also struggle and use credit card debt to get by, and they seem to be happy, but that is a miserable way to live. If you're working 80 hours a week to pay the rent, and stressed another 80 hours, when exactly do you get to enjoy living in Hawaii?
Maybe it's miserable for you, but for some, it's just finances...there are a lot more important things in life, as some people see it.
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Old 05-13-2011, 03:57 PM
 
Location: Maui County, HI
4,131 posts, read 7,406,693 times
Reputation: 3391
Quote:
Originally Posted by AlohaHuey View Post
Maybe it's miserable for you, but for some, it's just finances...there are a lot more important things in life, as some people see it.
So what happens when they run out of credit? I ran out of credit, took all the money ($4500) out of my retirement account from my last job, and now I borrow money from my parents, which is hard to do. I guess some people have no problem doing that either. Do they not realize that they are going to have to leave or will end up living in one of those tent cities?
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Old 05-13-2011, 04:25 PM
 
Location: Waianae, Hi
285 posts, read 1,079,185 times
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Wink, you are a very negative person. I am very sorry Hawaii has not been like the dream you thought it would be. But, honestly have you even tried to adjust to a Hawaii life? I dont think so. If life is truely miserable here for you why dont you just pack it up and go back to where you came from. It does not take a million dollars to live here as you seem to think. If you are having to borrow from parents just to get by then scale back, or go back! There are several people here who have very meger incomes and live very well I am one of them, own a home, drive a Jaguar, come and go as I please, and dont have to borrow from anyone and credit cards are not maxed out. If I cant buy it this week I wait to next week. My friend, try to change your wants, wishes, and needs and get some kind of better priority system in place, and you will be ok.
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Old 05-13-2011, 04:50 PM
 
Location: Honolulu, Makiki
351 posts, read 583,303 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by winkosmosis View Post
So what happens when they run out of credit? I ran out of credit, took all the money ($4500) out of my retirement account from my last job, and now I borrow money from my parents, which is hard to do. I guess some people have no problem doing that either. Do they not realize that they are going to have to leave or will end up living in one of those tent cities?
Wow. Winkomosis, is it possible for you to move back to your parent's home temporarily to regroup and pay off your credit debt?

When I was 30 yrs. old I incurred about $16,000.00 in debt total from 3 different credit cards. Although I wasn't living at home and haven't since my 20's, somehow my parents found out. I think they found out because we both do banking at this small credit union that I originally joined because my mother was a public high school teacher. Probably one of the tellers there told them.

Anyway they paid off my debt with the understanding that I would get rid of 2 credit cards and that I would eventually pay them back. It took me about 2 years to pay them back. Sometimes I paid them $500 a month, and sometimes $800 depending on my finances that month.

What a relief it was to not have any credit card debt anymore! Since then, I always pay my credit cards off every month and have never been in debt again.

You mentioned in another post that you don't have the money to go out to eat, and you've had to use your credit card to make ends meet each month. I couldn't imagine myself living that way.

The worse financial situation I ever was in, was living paycheck to paycheck while trying to pay off my 3 credit cards before my parents loaned me the money. But I still didn't have to use credit to get by each month.

The things I bought with my credit cards that got me into debt was "stupid" kine stuff. Like eating at expensive restaurants really often, buying myself expensive jewelry that I hardly ever wear anymore even when I go out to someplace nice, partying, etc., etc..

Maybe you could regroup, pay off your debt and build some savings, and then come back to Maui if you still want to.

Last edited by Honolulu21; 05-13-2011 at 05:05 PM..
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Old 05-13-2011, 05:24 PM
 
9,296 posts, read 16,584,604 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by winkosmosis View Post
I looked around a little more on Zillow. Average house price in Kihei is $468k. At the height of the bubble it was almost $800k. How do all these people afford houses? The average Hawaii household income is only $66k. And yet I see plenty of homeowners. What is their secret?
Many people have owned homes in HI for years, bought very low and traded up as they were able. We know of several people who bought condos in Wailea in the early 70's very, very low. Those people rent the condos most of the year. So if you paid $80K in the 70's and now it is worth $1.3M, that's how they afford to trade up.
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Old 05-13-2011, 05:46 PM
 
7,492 posts, read 11,778,816 times
Reputation: 7394
What about the COL in Hilo?
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Old 05-13-2011, 06:04 PM
 
Location: The High Seas
7,373 posts, read 15,942,760 times
Reputation: 11865
What's a comfortable income?
A zillion dollars........a day!

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Old 05-13-2011, 06:37 PM
 
Location: Maui County, HI
4,131 posts, read 7,406,693 times
Reputation: 3391
Quote:
Originally Posted by timbo31958 View Post
Wink, you are a very negative person. I am very sorry Hawaii has not been like the dream you thought it would be. But, honestly have you even tried to adjust to a Hawaii life? I dont think so. If life is truely miserable here for you why dont you just pack it up and go back to where you came from. It does not take a million dollars to live here as you seem to think. If you are having to borrow from parents just to get by then scale back, or go back! There are several people here who have very meger incomes and live very well I am one of them, own a home, drive a Jaguar, come and go as I please, and dont have to borrow from anyone and credit cards are not maxed out. If I cant buy it this week I wait to next week. My friend, try to change your wants, wishes, and needs and get some kind of better priority system in place, and you will be ok.

I didn't think Hawaii would be a "dream". What made you assume that? I expected that I'd be able to live my normal frugal life working as a technician and get to enjoy Maui's natural assets like the beaches and such... Which I do enjoy but has nothing to do with "paradise" or whatever.

I can't scale back any more. I moved to Kihei for lower rent ($1150 down to $850) even though it means I can't walk to work any more. I don't have any other expenses to get rid of-- I have no car payment, no smart phone bill, etc.

That's my whole point. People think that they can live a basic life comfortably with a low income. I AM living a basic life and I can't afford it.

You say you own a home, drive a Jaguar, and come and go as you please... I'm guessing you're not doing it on $1960 per month.
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