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Old 07-23-2008, 05:07 PM
 
9 posts, read 35,393 times
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My husband and I are moving to Oahu in a few months and we're trying to decide what's worth bringing. We've already decided not to bother with the furniture and a most of the other stuff we own, but we're still struggling with a few things and I'm hoping you all can help. We're planning on just shipping a few boxes of stuff and not getting a shipping container so we really need to think about every bit we take. I know similar questions have been asked in the past, but I can't seem to find a concensus on what to do about the following:

Shoes: I keep hearing that leather molds fairly quickly, but I know I'm not going to be lucky enough to be able to wear slippers to work every day. So what kind of shoes should I be bringing? What do women wear to work there? I'll be working with a large professional services / consulting firm with lots of face-to-face interaction with clients, so I can't imagine what kind of shoes would be appropriate (or clothes for that matter, but I'm hoping I can work that one out before packing)

I suppose the same question applies to other leather goods (purses, wallets, belts, ...?)

Hubby's big TV (52" DLP): I think packing/shipping will be more effort than it's worth, but he seems to be a bit attached to it. Any advice on this one?

Computer (w/ flat screen monitor) + printer: I'm really the laptop-type, but he's a techie and prefers desktops, although it seems that this might be more trouble/cost to ship than it's worth.

Kitchen Stuff - I'm planning on shipping all of this. Is there any reason I shouldn't?:
-A Cookware set (All-Clad stainless steel - expensive to replace)
- Set of Wustoff knives (also expensive to replace)
- Kitchenaid mixer (heavy & takes up counter space but I love it)
- Other appliances (coffee maker, toaster oven, blender, food processor, ice cream maker, etc.)
- Ceramic casserole dishes, etc.
- Not bringing dinnerware, glasses, flatware - I'll just buy a cheap set at Target when I get there if I need to
- Cookbooks (maybe just one or two...)

Any other advice you all want to throw in will be gladly accepted and appreciated.

I hope my questions don't seem too basic. I've never paid attention to these things when I was in Hawaii and now that it's come down to doing the packing, for the life of me, I just can't decide what to do.

Thanks!!!

Last edited by 7th generation; 07-24-2008 at 02:29 PM.. Reason: language
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Old 07-23-2008, 06:12 PM
 
Location: not sure, but there's a hell of a lot of water around here!
2,682 posts, read 7,544,702 times
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For every person or family moving to Hawaii, there always seems to be some people leaving, and they're faced with the same dilemma. What do they normally do??????? HAVE A GARAGE SALE!! There's nothing you've listed that can't be had at a garage sale over here.. You will need some good rubber slippers, (if the company you're working for won't allow them I'ld seek employment elsewhere), some Avanti silk Aloha shirts and blouses, some really good opihi pickers, (board shorts), and a suitable dose of the Aloha spirit, and you'll be ono for hele, good to go!!! Best of luck.

Aloha and okolemaluna
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Old 07-23-2008, 06:28 PM
 
1,046 posts, read 4,884,226 times
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Default Huh?

No offense, but we do wear rather nice leather shoes and I don't know a thing about leather molding. (?) I mean, maybe -- in some areas -- and some houses, but Waikiki is somewhat like Rodeo Drive in terms of luxury goods, and it doesn't all leave the islands as souvenirs. We've lived on laid-back Maui for so long that I am always shocked when I get to Honolulu and feel underdressed. Don't throw out your Jimmy Choos!

There's a whole thread here about shipping flatscreen TVs, so a simple search will give you the collected thoughts on that. It is also somewhat applicable, I presume, to the computer.

Your kitchen list looks pretty much like the things we've bought or brought. Whether or not to ship toaster, coffeemaker, etc. (for me) would depend upon how old they are and how much you love them. And how much shipping space you've got. Honolulu has better options than Maui for replacing them if they're not dear to you.

One thought about the dinnerware, though -- we did the cheap set route and really regretted it. It chipped and discolored in the DW and got hot in the micro. We ended up getting our guests to bring us Fiestaware (free shipping anywhere on the mainland) as "hostess gifts" every time they came to stay. Again, Honolulu has more shopping options than Maui, but we wished we'd not bought the first cheap set. Or the three "trial place settings" from Pier One that followed. (Although we use them to mix in and for serving.)

It sounds like you really cook, so I'd definitely second the KitchenAid, the knives, and the cookware. There's a Williams-Sonoma at Ala Moana, and another nice chef store in town, too.
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Old 07-23-2008, 07:51 PM
 
Location: Big Island of Hawaii
1,375 posts, read 6,288,600 times
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Regarding work clothes--if you will be working inside a building with AC, bring whatever you have and then adjust. You might be surprised at how cold you feel at work after you have been here for a while and you've gotten used to the mild outdoor temps.

Even here on the Big Island, I dress differently if I know my day will be mostly spent in the office as opposed to out showing property. When I'm in the office for most of the day, you can sometimes catch me in covered heels, wool-blend pants and a jacket. (My "neighbor" on my side of the office likes to keep the AC at the lowest setting--after about two hours, I'm finding a reason to go outside to make a phone call and stand in the sun.)

As for the rest...my thought on the kitchen items: if it will make you feel at home, if it matches the decor of your new place, and if it is in fairly good shape--bring it. Save yourself the extra errands. Time is money too.
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Old 07-23-2008, 10:11 PM
 
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whynot has you covered, I'll just chime in -

Shoes - Yes, you need more than slippers, especially for an office/professional job. Mold? Haven't heard of that for shoes that are in use. If you have several pairs that are not used, they will get stiff & dry where we are. You can always keep them in shoe boxes with some desiccant packets to absorb any moisture. When you take them off, let them air dry a little while before putting them into anything like a plastic box.

One big thing to consider is that your feet will be larger here. Yup, they swell. I travel to the mainland and the shoes I wear there for business I could not comfortably wear here on Maui. But my feet are smaller on the mainland. So bring some of your shoes, but be prepared to buy a few new ones too.

My purses and belts are fine.

Computer - If you have all the software CDs to reinstall everything you need, then you can get another computer here. But if you will have to buy all the software again, you might want to consider bringing what you have until you get a new one. It depends on how much you need a computer. Printer I think you can buy on Oahu easily. Not so easy on Maui. If your printer is older, consider whether you can find the ink you need on the island. DON'T pack up all the extra cables and old modems and other crap that techies tend to accumulate, unless you really think you will need them.


Kitchen Stuff -
YES ON THESE for exactly the reasons you list
-A Cookware set (All-Clad stainless steel - expensive to replace)
- Set of Wustoff knives (also expensive to replace)
- Kitchenaid mixer (heavy & takes up counter space but I love it)
- Cookbooks (maybe just one or two...) If you use them, bring them.

NO ON THESE *
- Other appliances (coffee maker, toaster oven, blender, food processor, ice cream maker, etc.)
- Ceramic casserole dishes, etc.
- Not bringing dinnerware, glasses, flatware - I'll just buy a cheap set at Target when I get there if I need to

* Most of these are too small to bother shipping, and as WHYNOT said, you can buy a new coffeemaker at any place like Walmart. I packed over my china, and NEVER use it, mistake. But I brought over IKEA every day stuff and am happy I did...but again we're on Maui and don't have as many choices as you will on Oahu.

Just remember that each item you replace will cost you more than what you paid for what you leave behind. That's because things cost more these days (cost of living) and also because even on Oahu some things are more than where ever you are coming from (that's shipping). But before you get cranky about $7-10 more for a toaster oven, think of what it would have cost you to ship over the old dirty one.
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Old 07-24-2008, 12:04 PM
 
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Do you have someone paying you for relocation? My husband & I just did the same thing. We maxed our our relo money (not nearly enough to bring a household, especially from the east coast), and then sold & gave away the rest.

We didn't bring any bedroom furniture. We've furnished the whole place via Craigslist in pretty nice, not very old stuff, for about $1000. It can be done, if you're not super picky about style and are willing to take a good deal when it comes along.

We didn't bring the big TV. There are lots of pretty new ones for sale on Craigslist (check out the listings and see what you think). We brought computers, but they were both laptops. We brought stuff with sentimental value and not stuff that was easily replaced.

Also, there are options between full shipping containers and just mailing boxes. We went with a U-Pack cube. It was a lot cheaper than a full container, but let us bring a few of the bigger items that we really wanted to keep.

Good luck!
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Old 07-24-2008, 01:07 PM
 
Location: Philly, PA
156 posts, read 803,932 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by newUHprof View Post
... We went with a U-Pack cube. It was a lot cheaper than a full container, but let us bring a few of the bigger items that we really wanted to keep.
Hmmm... How you get U-Pack cube to Hawaii? According to their web site they don't service HI. How much you paid?
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Old 07-24-2008, 02:30 PM
 
682 posts, read 2,787,934 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MadRussian View Post
Hmmm... How you get U-Pack cube to Hawaii? According to their web site they don't service HI. How much you paid?
We paid about $4500 for a single cube from the East Coast to Honolulu, door-to-door. It took a bit over two weeks, and everything went perfectly. (As I was out walking my dog this morning, I saw some neighbors unloading one down the street.) Check this out:
Move with the Truck Rental Alternative - ABF U-Pack Moving

The other nice thing about U-Pack is that they'll deliver as many cubes as you want, and then only charge you for the ones you actually use. So we had two cubes delivered, but managed to sell & give enough away that we could pack everything we were keeping into one of them. It was just nice to have the option to bring more. And it was way cheaper than any container quotes we got.
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Old 07-24-2008, 08:19 PM
 
9 posts, read 35,393 times
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Wow! Thank you all so much for providing such detailed advice! I felt a bit silly asking, but I kept getting such conflicting information that I needed to find out what you all had to say. I really appreciate the time you all spent in responding.

newUHprof, thank you for the tip on U-Pack. I already requested a quote. I'm also coming from the East Coast and from everything I heard previously it was going to cost at least $5k after we got it all to the west coast. (BTW, nobody is covering the relo so we're trying to be really mindful of costs.) U-Pack looks like a really viable option. Also solves another dilemma - we've sold our house and are homeless on August 21st but not actually leaving the DC area until mid-September (probably staying with friends or in a hotel in the meantime), and then visiting relatives before finally getting to Honolulu. We were trying to figure out what we do with the stuff for that time but it looks like U-Pack can store your things for under $200/mo so that will be a great relief.

Now the only thing I need to figure out is what receiving address we give them. We don't have an address in Hawaii yet, and probably won't until a few weeks after we arrive (taking the advice on getting a hotel/vac rental for a few weeks before committing to something longer term). Hopefully U-Pack can hold our things until we figure it all out, but did anyone else have this issue? I'm thinking it's going to mean we're in Hawaii for a few months before we finally have our things. Do any of you have suggestions on another way of dealing with this? Perhaps setting up something like a Mail Boxes Etc. address but for receiving larger shipments?
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Old 07-24-2008, 09:22 PM
 
820 posts, read 3,026,501 times
Reputation: 648
The storage facilities will receive shipments and put them in a rented storage unit for you.
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