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Location: not sure, but there's a hell of a lot of water around here!
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Looks like you already live on Indiana's version of Lanai, Just missing the ocean and the weather. Seeing as you haven't mentioned Costco, NOT EVEN ONCE!!!!! I suspect you'll do just fine on Maui..
of course, this is coming from the cannibal guy.. But at least I'm not leaving the 'Hub of the Universe'
And you might want to rethink Kalenalea, some very strange connotations
Last edited by Jungjohann; 11-25-2013 at 08:45 PM..
Silly, I'm still shaking my head in disbelief over this. Why did you disregard my previous instructions on this point? I always tell people to bring a warm jacket and a hat to the volcano. Kilauea sits up at 4,000' altitude on a pressure ridge that usually has a wind blowing fairly strong, so you don't want to wear beach togs to VNP. And if there's a little rain it feels worse. And in case you're confused, just grab the weather forecast from the internet for Volcano, or wherever you are headed next.
I'm sorry to cause you head pain OpenD! We were going to head back to Waikoloa Village after visiting Hilo by the newly improved Saddle Road, which we drove on several times, but decided to take the south route instead. Since we were driving right by the Volcano National Park, so we stopped there, even though we weren't prepared for the weather conditions. My wife and sister in law quickly ran back to the warmth of the car, but I hung out with the group that was listening to the ranger for about 15 minutes and just toughed it out in shorts and a T-shirt. I learned my lesson! Always carry cold weather clothes, swimming suits, and beach gear in the trunk when driving around, just in case you need it! We always had umbrellas in the car and never let the car go below 1/2 a tank of gasoline.
It's good that the OP has been to Maui before. I think people are hesitant to respond to anyone where post number 1 is something like, our family of five is moving to Maui soon (or any other island). I think most people that are considering a move to Hawaii research Hawaii for years before making that type of commitment. Some decide it isn't for them. I immediately loved being on the Big Island from the very first day of my visit. We are already thinking about our next visit to the Big Island and a side trip to Kauai in about 14 months. The next visit will be much longer in the depth of winter.
No such thing. I just couldn't pass on the opportunity to poke a little fun...
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I learned my lesson! Always carry cold weather clothes, swimming suits, and beach gear in the trunk when driving around, just in case you need it!
Exactly. Tell a friend.
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I think people are hesitant to respond to anyone where post number 1 is something like, our family of five is moving to Maui soon (or any other island).
Yeah. It's not just that it's hard to know where to dig in on a post like that, but we have had a lot of questionable posts over the last year that pretty much started that same way.
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We are already thinking about our next visit to the Big Island and a side trip to Kauai in about 14 months. The next visit will be much longer in the depth of winter.
Well, OK, but be sure you clear up your food visa issues quickly, before the authorities catch up to you. I still can't believe you just ate pancakes in Hilo, birthplace of the loco moco.
with young kids you will find friends with parents and at the schools. get your kids into sports that will help too. look around to find things you are interested in and you will meet people in no time at all. zumba, yoga, volunteering. good luck
My husband was offered a contract with a large company, and financially we know there are some changes we will have to make, with his salary we will make it, fine!
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Originally Posted by kalenalea
We are from a rural town called Boswell which is about 40 minutes from Lafayette
Did you compare how far your income will go in Maui? I compared Boswell, Indiana against Kihei, Hawaii and your income will almost have to double to live a similar lifestyle in Kihei as you live in Boswell according to Sperling. For me, it would cost about 40% more to live in Kihei compared to where I live now.
I just picked Kihei for the comparison because I have no idea where you are thinking of moving on Maui. Maybe you are considering a lower cost area than Kihei. Or, maybe you will lower your lifestyle to match what you can afford. Or, maybe your husband's new job is a high income job, in the top 5%, or maybe higher than that.
Personally, I would only consider retiring in Hawaii since most jobs in Hawaii pay about 20% less even though the cost of living is much higher than average. In retirement, we will well over $1M, plus our current home, two pensions, and SSI, so retiring in Hawaii is possible for me. However, the decision hasn't been made yet because it is so expensive, even on the Big Island, where the costs are lower than Maui. So, it's more of an issue, do we want to pay that much, rather than can we afford it.
Still, you could live on Maui with much less income than if you are at or above top 5%. Many people live in Maui on far less money. Although to minimize the financial risk, you should seriously consider having enough savings to live there one year without any income at all, without touching your retirement accounts. Also, make sure there is enough extra money on top of that to move back to the mainland if things don't work out. You don't want to be trapped in Hawaii, with no means to get back to the mainland!
I hope things work out and you can live your dream. Hawaii is an amazing place and the people are unbelievably friendly. Be careful!
We have 3 boys- ages 10-7-and 2! I'm excited for the adventure and think it is going to be a great move for our family! <snip> I worry about the loneliness of no family or friends! Thanks so much for reading this and hoping to hear from a friendly soul - looking to make some great friends!
Aloha Kalenalea,
Once your kids are involved with sports, you'll meet the other kids' parents and should make a few friends there. If you have interests such as quilting, knitting, etc., then there may be a local group you can meet with, too. There will probably be an orchid club somewhere, perhaps 4H or something as well. See what interest groups there are around your new home and join one of them. Then you will have something in common with the folks you meet.
As has been previously mentioned, it will take awhile before folks truly warm up to you. If you compare Hawaii to the mainland in a negative fashion, that's a terrible faux pas. Also talking about moving back to the mainland will cool down any friendly gestures folks will make. There are a lot of folks who come here for a bit and just as you get all comfortable with them and they are good friends, then they move away. Sigh! So, folks are cautious about becoming fast friends with newly arrived folks. Not that they are going to be rude or anything, they just won't be as nice as they could be. But, find a group and join in, belonging to a group is a very good way to meet people.
Personally, I would only consider retiring in Hawaii since most jobs in Hawaii pay about 20% less even though the cost of living is much higher than average. In retirement, we will well over $1M, plus our current home, two pensions, and SSI, so retiring in Hawaii is possible for me. However, the decision hasn't been made yet because it is so expensive, even on the Big Island, where the costs are lower than Maui. So, it's more of an issue, do we want to pay that much, rather than can we afford it.
Interesting observations. My wife and I came to Maui to retire but we have never looked at it as a permanent move. We call it our retirement "adventure", meaning if we get sick of the smallness of the island or the cost, we will just take our retirement adventure somewhere else. Your comments on whether living in Maui is worth the extra cost is spot on - there is always a value consideration to things like happiness. For my wife and I, right now it is very much worth it even though our money would go further living many other places. But I like ocean sports, particularly windsurfing, and there is no better place on the planet than Maui. If my wife did not have family here and I was not into ocean sports, I am not sure we would be here now.
TwoByFour, that's an interesting way to look at the move during retirement! The dilemma for us is, do we want to pay the price for living in paradise, and accept the isolation you also get by living in Hawaii. Part of the problem is that we've lived well below our means for so many years, so it becomes harder to get out of that mindset. After all, you can't take the money with you when you die, and we're not saving it up to give to a nursing home. We both believe in quality of life, not trying to maximize the number of years, even if it meant living in pain.
We did like the Big Island much more than Maui or Oahu. I don't think that was because we visited the Big Island first. From the very first day while visiting, it really felt like a place I could live for a long time. But we are proceeding carefully, with another visit a little over a year from now, for a longer time period. I think it will require several visits over the next five years to be certain. If we still like it after that, we will rent for months during the winter in retirement, to be even more certain.
I'm not sure if the OP that started this thread is real, since post 1 was, our family of 5 will be moving to Maui soon. I think if someone was serious about making that kind of life changing event, especially during the working years, that more questions would have been asked before that post, and more questions asked after. However, I think some people can make life changing decisions very quickly, like 'shooting from the hip'. I'm just more cautious about making that type of change in my life.
We are from a rural town called Boswell which is about 40 minutes from Lafayette - I am most worried about our family not being able to fit in and able to make friends - due to all I have read about locals not being to willing to befriend newcomers! I am most excited about the adventure! I am ready to step out into the world and teach my children there is a whole wide world out there - other than small town Indiana!!
Where are you from? What interests you about moving to Maui??
We are currently near Alexandria, it's also a small town, about an hour North East of Indianapolis (Do you know Muncie? Home of Ball State? 20 min from there). We are not at all settled on a location, and have never been to Maui, so of course we would want to go before we decided, but we mostly are looking to get out of Indiana and somewhere tropical. I HATE the seasons here. I have a weird issue where my body runs colder than it is supposed to, so I have trouble getting warm enough and spend all winter under a blanket indoors. I'm also a gardener, so I want to be able to garden year round. Of course, Hawaii is paradise and Maui seems like it would be more rural and Oahu more fast-paced (having never been those are wild guesses lol). Also high on the list is the adventure for our children. We have three and we all live for being outside and enjoying all kinds of activities, cycling, swimming, hiking, etc. To be able to do those things year round would be fantastic!
We are currently near Alexandria, it's also a small town, about an hour North East of Indianapolis (Do you know Muncie? Home of Ball State? 20 min from there). We are not at all settled on a location, and have never been to Maui, so of course we would want to go before we decided, but we mostly are looking to get out of Indiana and somewhere tropical.
Aloha, and welcome to the forum.
Be sure to spend time plenty of time reading through the archives here. You have serious homework to do before you will know enough to even to ask the right questions about Hawai'i.
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