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we are in wailuku, if you drive to Wailea, Makena, or Lahaina, it is exactly 10 bucks round trip in gas. We met a lady, she lives in Kihei, her husband works in Kahului, he spends $10 a day on gas going to and from work.
as for wonderful Maui bus-it goes ones an hour, very efficient!
For you people who moved from California or anywhere else, it is not a big adjustment-because you drove everywhere too. But for us- I am still in shock that i have to drive to get to the freaking bank, or to buy bread! it makes me sick! I miss walking around on the streets, not having to think how much gas i spend! not having to worry about car payments, insurance, gas. For 3 years i walked to work, and i miss it. the freedom of just getting out of the house and having everything whithing a 10 minutes walk-best restaurants, stores, movie theaters, coffee shops, my doctor.
There are 3 of us here, it means we need at least 2 cars-when my husband is at work, we are stuck at home. this is just a waste of money, why would i want to buy 2 cars, if i dont need them in NY at all?
Oh, and guess what? In NY, we actually had air conditioning, and did not have to sweat and take a shower every 3 hours!
I can see how stressed you are and from what I read, it wasn't really your choice to move there, since your husband took a job there. I think that is probably part of the problem...what I mean is, when you move somewhere, anywhere really but especially when there is a drastic cultural/environmental/economical difference like when moving to Hawaii, a bit of shock and adjustment time is expected and normal...some people are really good with change, and open to the huge differences - its easy for them to adjust to any situation - but not everyone can do this..
Now, when you move somewhere like this and it wasn't your choice, well ..you end up resisting the diffferences, looking for the negatives as to say "see, I knew we shouldn't have came!" - and when you look for that, you find it!
Just reading your posts, I got that feeling... you were not very happy about the move anyway, so then you saw lots of negatives, which produced more negatives, and it got the ball rolling...on top of that you have health issues and that just makes things worse.
If you decide to stay (or if you have to stay) maybe you could start by looking for some positives every day, and find creative alternate ways to get things done that wont cost as much money. Just as looking for negatives you find negatives, the same goes the other way....I dont mean to sound condescending or offend you...its just that I can see your frustration and I want to give you ideas as to how to make it better for yourself...
Hawaiibound, i am not being negative. I had all my life in New York-i lived in Manhattan, had a great job, which i loved, great friends, i was doing something every day, and i loved it there, every day i loved my life. i am a very outgoing person. i love getting dressed and going to places with my friends. I love my cat, i loved paying $20 for a mani/pedi, not $45 like it is here.
whats positive over here? i am a housewife, i clean, i cook, i do laundry, thats it--no life of my own, no career, nowhere to go.
It depends on what kind of person you are-if you love nature and beach, and being alone-this life is for you. if you are outgoing and career orinented, like me-not really.
my husband is happy here, he dives, he kyte surfs, he socializes at work. As for me-there is really nothing.
it is not about being negative-it is just i dont have a life of my own here, and never will. Going to Costco and walmart-thats all i have
foe any of yall who are thinking about moving to the State of Hawaii, read JuliaHuff's post carefully....think about it, this is a physician's wife, and even on that salary, they have to watch their budget there.
i was an Emergency Room Registered Nurse there. for a very short time. it was the ONLY time in my life that I had to actually THINK about whether it was REALLY worth paying 7 bucks for that bag of salad lettuce so i could make myself a salad, and worry about how much i was putting in my shopping cart.
here in Texas (or anywhere on the mainland, outside of large metro cities that are expensive), i can buy whatever i want at the grocery store. i dont have to worry about it.
and i still have the realistic dream of home and land ownership...something even 35-40 bucks an hour in Hawaii plus working my a** off in overtime would have bought me.
there is a big price to pay for living in paradise. people think its worth it, until the reality hits them. then it aint as much fun or glamorous as they thought.
oh and regarding medical care, my family member has to fly to Oahu once a month from Kauai to see a pain management specialist, because there is none her island. thank God she's on welfare and the State of Hawaii picks up the tab. she also gets food stamps, HUD housing etc, so she's doing ok...after many years of living in a tent on the beach. she's 41 years old and has lived there for 22 years.
whats positive over here? i am a housewife, i clean, i cook, i do laundry, thats it--no life of my own, no career, nowhere to go.
It depends on what kind of person you are-if you love nature and beach, and being alone-this life is for you. if you are outgoing and career orinented, like me-not really.
my husband is happy here, he dives, he kyte surfs, he socializes at work. As for me-there is really nothing.
it is not about being negative-it is just i dont have a life of my own here, and never will. Going to Costco and walmart-thats all i have
But that's what I'm saying. It's all in how you look/approach things.
As for career - I understand, the job market is very slim - is there something hyou are interested in that you could start a business of your own? Try to think creatively about what you could do to fulfill this part of your life. Same goes for recreational things - you say your husband is happy - he has many things he participates in socially - look around and see if you can find some things to get involved in! When you have people around that you have something in common with/can enjoy activities with, you will be happier. I'm not saying its going to be easy to find things, but it would be well worth your sanity.
I didn't mean to say you are a negative person...thats not it at all..but you are in a new place where you dont want to be...and feel alone in it all. All I'm saying is look hard for some things that you can see positively and can add some joy to your life. It will make your stay there a whole lot more bearable!
everything looks better in Hawaii when you come with money, which you obviously did, if you just moved there and bought a house already!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Frangi914
Julia:
I am also from New York and my husband and I just moved to Maui and it's amazing how differently we are viewing life here. We have met such wonderful people here from our real estate agent to a sweet 92 year old women in a local market. People are friendly, helpful, just wonderful. We are renting in a place with lots of dogs who just bark, bark, bark and chickens and you know what who cares! - I'm in Maui, life is beautiful and I'm greatful to have found this place because I have three cats! We left a leather day planer in Costco and we went back to the store about two hours later and someone actually turned it in (never would happen in NY) We are in Pukalani and I don't know if that makes any difference but I just love this area. Prices I find are VERY similiar to New York (we come from Westchester) so I find it a bit odd you are saying how high the prices are here and you seem shocked and surprised. You just have to shop around, like you would in New York. We also found a house in this area and we close next month and I am so looking forward to moving in and living here. We got health care and the local folks we spoke to said it was fine (now I guess this is dependent on what one needs) we looked into car insurance and home insurance and these are much lower than what we were paying in NY. Of course the yearly tax savings (on the home) are much, much lower here. Honestly from the moment we got off the plane and took the ferry over we just love, love, love it here. I guess it's also about the attitude you bring with you and you seem to have had a rocky start. I feel so totally humble and blessed to be given the chance to live here, it's been a dream for so long. I'll post again in a month or so and let you guys know our impressions.
I too think people who are considering moving to Maui should very carefully read Julia's posts.
Maui is not the place for people who like to dress up all the time, go out at night to a variety of places, who like to walk to every errand or jump in a taxi. It's expensive, and much more casual than most places. There are few choices for everything.
Kahului is only 12 miles from Kihei. 24 miles roundtrip, maybe 26 if you live somewhere deep within the city. Someone would have to get less than 11 miles per gallon for it to cost $10 roundtrip. Still, gasoline is expensive, here and everywhere. If Julia's friend had to drive to work anywhere for 24 miles roundtrip, it would cost a lot. I used to commute on the train in the city, and the monthly pass was less than driving. I am so happy to have our new bus system, and it's expanding every quarter. It's true that some lines are less frequent than others, and it wouldn't work for those who need a vehicle for their job. Lots of people here take the bus from Kihei all the way up to Lahaina (much further than Kahului) for their work at the resorts, and the cost is $4 roundtrip.
I notice that for me, it's hard not to react without some defensiveness or pride about Maui, but then I realize Julia is describing HER world very realistically. She's not describing my world. I WANTED to move here. I'd rather not dress up - did that for years and am happy to do that only for special occasions or for my client visits. I don't like a lot of excited night life - a concert, a community meeting, or a gathering of friends is much more enjoyable. I like the casual attitude, and I don't have to share a car. I do combine my trips "to town" so that I'm more efficient, but then my truck gets about 18 miles to the gallon so it only costs me about $6 roundtrip.
For those of you who are thinking about moving here, do pay attention. For those of you who are "making" your spouse move here, you should especially pay attention.
I'm happy for Julia, that she gets to go home, where she will be happy.
My niece and her husband live in Manhattan and they would not enjoy living in Hawaii at all. Not even Honolulu which is about as city-like as we can manage around here. She can walk everywhere she wants to go and see world class museums and entertainment with all kinds of dress up options. Her grocery store delivers stuff to her door. Probably the laundry does too, I didn't ask. The two worlds we live in are so far apart from each other it is probably easier to list how the two areas are alike instead of how they differ.
For many folks Hawaii is better defined by what we don't have than what we do have.
Guys,
it is not even about dressing up and stuff-this place is EXPENSIVE. I just dont see the point-desinfectant spray that costs $2 n Manhattan is $10 over here. I never had to look at prices in grocery stores, or in general. Now I do-i have to think twice before buying something. what kind of life is it? Buying a house is out of question-our neighbours bought theirs for $650K-and it is a pretty crappy house. There is no air conditioning, our house has none, because it is too expensive. So we are sitting here drenched in sweat. My mom is practically suffocating-she cant say in here room during the day at all. Our landlord advised us against using the dryer-because the electricity is so expensive, so now we hang our clothes and sheets on a rope to dry, like we are in 18th century. We have not been eating out since we got here. We made twice less money in NY, and could afford to eat out all the time, and go shopping for clothes, and have weekend trips. Now all our money is spent on groceries, household items, etc.
We bought a bottle of ketchup and a small can of pickles in Safeway the other day-it was $12 for 2 of them. Wine that i used to drink in NY, and pay $7 for i, is almost $20 over here. Fish is extremely expensive-we used to eat fish every day in NY, now we dont eat it at all, all we eat is chicken, because at $7 per chicken in Costco, thats the cheapest food.
And it is not only food-everything is much more expensive-all household items, clothes. $65 pedicure, anyone? the cheapest i found so far was $45. 45 bucks to get your nails done! you will think twice!
And i really dont understand what for? why would anyone want to move here? Yes, it is beautiful, so what-come visit. but to live here-it is not worth it. You can fly to Carribean from the mainland for $200 round trip and enjoy beautiful beach, nature, everything you want, and it will cost you 10 times less.
When we came here, my husband thought that we would save money, because he would make more, and we would have no expenses like clothes, cabs, restaurants. but instead we spend all our money on car payments, insurance, gas and groceries, there is really nothing left to save.
I just dont think it is worth it-staying here. My husband can always go to the Carribean to dive if he wants to. I just cant see our money melt away-completely not worth it. you can buy a nice place in New Jersey or Brooklyn for $250K, and spend $100 a week on groceries, not $300.
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