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Lets put it this way, in a 1200 sqft condo, split between four people we pay an average of $1400 a month on electricity alone. We have one AC we DO NOT USE, two TV's (newer), and 3 laptops that are the main power eaters other than the lights. HECO says it is correct.... So yeaaa.... just bare that in mind
Let's put it this way, for four people I'd say you are wasting a huge amount of electricity.
Maybe you are OK paying an OUTRAGEOUS amount of money for your electric bill, but I wouldn't be. I'd want to know what is causing that giant sucking noise as the dollar bills are being slurped up by the electric company. For comparison, I know regular families of four who spend $350 a month on electricity, and they think that's high.
First place to look is at your water heater, and everything connected to it, because that typically accounts for 1/3 of the electric bill. With four adults who talk long or frequent showers, that could be even a bigger chunk. If you're OK with it, no worries. Personally, I could find a lot more fun things to do with my money than watch it float down the drain unnecessarily. Install low flow shower heads, turn down the temperature on the water heater, blow the whistle on anyone taking overlong showers... there are lots of things you could do to bring that expense category down.
Get the guide to reducing your electric bill from the company and work your way through it. Another big category of possible cost savings is anything that just gets left on all the time, out of habit or laziness. Turn lights off, tvs off, monitors off when you aren't actively using them.
Accck, I'm getting hives just thinking about wasting that much money.
That $1400 is not right. You need to call HECO and see what's going on.
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For the most part, the best way to get by is to rent a place with a kitchen (I am serious a lot of places DO NOT have kitchens),
I'm moving there in a couple months. Either Oahu or Kauai. The places that don't have kitchens, are they cheaper in rent? and do they at least have a sink? I'm asking because I can eat all raw food, blend, juice and sprout etc. But getting rid of juicer scraps is important. A garbage disposal is nice unless I can compost!?!?!?
We have so many avocados we have to give them away. There are a lot of people here with different diets and everybody is happy. If you like junky, fried, fatty foods we have that. If you like to catch pigs and chickens, turkeys and fish, all you have to do is step right outside and take your pick. My friends catch fish and pigs for free. I was a vegan when I moved here, but soon decided that I would change after finding fresh eggs under coffee trees and eating local organic goat cheese.
You can't find everything in hawaii, but there is a lot and you'll never go hungry no matter what diet you choose and you can grow your fruits and veggies all-year round if you have land. Just beware the GMO.
Thank you for your post. It's very informative. Do you know if it's easy to meet people there with too many avo's and eggs to buy from? Sometimes there are small farms or just houses with hens that can't afford a stand at the farmer's market and I like to support them too..... Maybe on Craigslist?
I'm moving there in a couple months. Either Oahu or Kauai. The places that don't have kitchens, are they cheaper in rent? and do they at least have a sink? I'm asking because I can eat all raw food, blend, juice and sprout etc. But getting rid of juicer scraps is important. A garbage disposal is nice unless I can compost!?!?!?
Of course you can compost. In fact, it's the best thing to do with vegetable scraps (unless you have pigs to feed them to). When you have very little soil like we do on the Big Island, creating good healthy soil through composting is almost a necessity. Also, it's much better than putting those scraps into the cesspool/septic tank/sewer system by using your garbage disposal.
Regarding your question about getting surplus food, it's just a matter of settling in to a place and meeting your neighbors. Sooner or later surplus food shows up at gatherings -- we bring bananas one week and the next week someone is bringing avocados or oranges or papayas or whatever. That's part of what it's about being in a small community. Also, I'm part of a community garden where we all share in the work and then share in the harvest. It's sure nice to be able to fix a meal from food that I picked that day, but I couldn't live on just the garden produce alone.
Regarding your question about eggs, again it's getting to know your neighbors. My friend with chickens sells her organic eggs for $5 a dozen at the farmer's market, but when she has eggs that are too small to sell, then she gives them to friends.
You really think you could rent a place without a kitchen? How would you keep food cold? It seems like you are planning to move to a very expensive place to live with very little money. Hope it all works out for you.
You really think you could rent a place without a kitchen? How would you keep food cold? It seems like you are planning to move to a very expensive place to live with very little money. Hope it all works out for you.
Thanks for your reply! NO, I wasn't thinking of renting a place without a kitchen but the first quote said there are a lot of places without kitchens. I was curious because I have traveled on my job a lot and lived in hotels without kitchens before and didn't mind it. I always had a fridge though and electricity for a toaster oven, things like that. I'm more curious than anything. I have been told by friends who live there that a lot of the places are very run down so I like to get other's opinions. I'm not worried about adapting (except to the cockroaches, LOL) or paying rent or else I wouldn't be going there. Thanks again. This thread has had lots of info.
I'm moving there in a couple months. Either Oahu or Kauai. The places that don't have kitchens, are they cheaper in rent? and do they at least have a sink? I'm asking because I can eat all raw food, blend, juice and sprout etc. But getting rid of juicer scraps is important. A garbage disposal is nice unless I can compost!?!?!?
I think you've slightly misunderstood the situation, which is quite easy to do, since ohana housing is unique to Hawai'i Ohana is the Hawaiian term for extended family, and the state has legal provisions for ohanas, meaning housing for family, which is subsidiary to the main residence. It means that a property zoned Single Family Residential (R-1) may have two living units on it, even two separate houses on it, subject to all the usual setbacks and square footage limits, as long as two things are true:
The ohana has no kitchen... the assumption is that family eats together
The ohana is to be occupied by family... not renters.
With a few exceptions, anyone renting an ohana is doing it illegally. Preventing illegal rentals is precisely why the "no kitchen" rule was implemented. In practice it is a very widely ignored law, but it is important to understand that it is in fact illegal and has several disadvantages over a legal rental unit... only one utility hookup is allowed per address, so you will typically have to pay some portion of a larger bill, which can cause disagreements. If you are in an area which has mail delivery... it's not available everywhere... there will only be one mailbox for both units. And more significantly to most people, the ohana is not allowed to have a full kitchen.
From a practical standpoint, a kitchen is defined as having three elements... a sink, a stove, and a refrigerator. Most commonly in an ohana there is a sink and refrigerator included, but no stove. And the most common workaround is to use a microwave or hot plate for any cooking. Since you don't care about cooking that should not be a hardship for you.
Disposing of vegetable peelings and juicer pulp could be a little more problematic than expected. First, garbage disposers are not common in ohana units, and not as common across the state as you might be accustomed to on the mainland. They can stress water supplies, as well as overloading rural sewage systems, like septic tanks, so you're not likely to see a lot of them. Second, because of the tropical climate garbage tends to rot rather more quickly than you may be used to, and insects are drawn to it, so you won't want it lurking about for long, and composting is best done at some remove from your place.
Hopefully this will be useful in shaping your expectations...
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Kitchen's in Hawaii
