Moving to Hawaii to get off the grid somewhat..REALISTIC ADVICE? (good, mountain)

[lsdalicex99]

Im a 32 year old woman who has had this survialist/minimalist attutide since I was a young teenager. I have lived poor, but in cities all of my adult life, have had great times, met great people, and wouldnt change those learning experiences for the world.
I have always had the naive dream of living off the land, having all my close friends around with like ideals and making a go of getting out of the tangled web, if not off the entire grid completely.

I have also had a magical, undenieable pull to the ocean.. I love the tropics, I love the ocean.. I have lived in california bummin it at the beach a few times, and those have been the happiest times of my life.

I live in AZ currently, and have lived in MIchigan, Minnesota.. so I have had my fill of the cold and the dry!!
Anyways I would love Costa Rica, but it is hard to gain citizenship and gain employment.. last year I decided on Hawaii because it is US and there are some jobs even if they are not plentiful.. Although my eventual goal is to not work. I would like to build, farm, maintain property and enjoy nature.

I now have a seven year old daughter who is very much like me, I have a very close female friend who is eager to come with me and help .. I also have a few male friends who would share the load if I could make something happen.
Next summer, I may have 10,000 saved and will be ready to go. I want to move to Hawaii, and I know I could money down on land near Puna, but I do not like the Big isalnd much, it seems thats where all the hippies and communes are though.

I am in love with Kauai, yet it doesnt seem that there is as much of an opportunity to move there and find a cheap, sustainable living situation out in nature.
Can some one please give me advice?>!??
As it is, I may just take my money, move to Kauai with my daughter and roomate, pay rent in a 1000$ studio for 6 months and maybe hopefully find work in Lihue or Kapaa.. We both have hospitality, server exp. I have health insurance lisense.. But then I would blow through my savings and be back on the grind!!!
Is that even realistic either??? I know there are a few jobs, as I am on CL job listings for HAwaii, but if anyone who lives there..could let me know the real scoop.

What I would really like is to find an established community and move there with money build a little place and be free.. where could I do that?

As long as its tropical .. Im good.. beaches.. yes

[FreedomThroughAnarchism]

I'm sure some of the so-called realists who sometimes post in here might urge you to rent instead of own.... I think that's a bad idea. Renting accomplishes one thing really good for many people (especially those who don't have a lot to begin with), which is pissing away hard earned savings.

Renting short term while one sets up a "base of operations" so you can explore your options and see what the state and local area really has to offer, is not a problem. However, I wouldn't fall into the trap that so many do.... which is to move to a state with a plan... only to have that plan go to hell, and you end up being just another long-term renter.

I don't know enough about the land market or the various off-grid communities in the state to be of much help.... Sorry.

You should post a message in the Hawaii forum specifically inquiring if any locals are familiar with any such communities (or also if they know if there is any inexpensive land to be had) on Kauai.


A web search of "off-grid communities in Hawaii" certainly turns up some interesting results (and nice photos of peoples homesteads in-progress up in the steep mountains). I think the opportunity is there.... just save your money, and if you manage to find a piece of property within your budget.... even if its not really all you ever dreamed of (reduce your expectations just a tad), then seize the opportunity.

[lsdalicex99]

Thank you. I do frequent the Hawaii forum.. I only just recently became aware of this wonderful message board.. I will be there as well asking advice, but it seems that board is mostly locals/vistors in the matrix.. not really many people in the know about how to get out of the rat race besides going to the puna/pahoa area.. But thank you for your advice. !! have a good weekend

[lifelongMOgal]

I'm going to suggest the OP really do her homework well. Hawaii is a very expensive place to live and the economic downturn has produced not only a high unemployment rate but also a significant homeless population. I wouldn't recommend jumping our of the frying pan into the fire with a daughter to support unless you have a job/housing before you relocate permanently.

[ChrisC]

Also, if you are set on a "tropical paradise," you may look into some of the US Territories rather than Hawaii.

[FreedomThroughAnarchism]

Originally Posted by ChrisC

Also, if you are set on a "tropical paradise," you may look into some of the US Territories rather than Hawaii.

The gun laws are pretty obnoxious in some of our territories.... though I doubt that is a concern of hers. Just mentioned it because I also explored the possibility of various territory islands.... that was a bit of a sticking point with me.

[joe from dayton]

$10,000 won't last long in Hawaii, and you can forget about buying property. So no, I don't think your plan is feasable. The terms Hawaii and cheap living don't go together. I see you quickly being broke and working long hours at menial jobs just to get by.

I don't know anything about your interests or abilities, but you may want to look at starting a business in Panama. I'm not sure what the minimum cash amount is to do this, but it will enable you to be self employed as a foreigner. Panama is also only 2.5 hours from the states in case you need to get back here for some reason.

[Aptor hours]

You are going to need boatloads more money especially if you plan on not working in the near future. How exactly do you plan on supporting yourself, a daughter, buying and maintaining property and not working with $10,000. Hawaii is very very expensive to buy and live. You really need to rethink the financial end of this plan and I knew it sounds fun, but, you would probably use up most of your $10,000 just getting yourself, family and belonging to Hawaii. You also need to find a place with a good school system for your daughter so you can't just find any old cheapo town.

[SCGranny]

When my DH grew up on the island, he couldn't wait to get off of it. As beautiful as it was, and as much fun as he had (he still does a great interpretative hula and plays a mean ukelele!) it was outrageously expensive to live there even then. Beer and milk were both powdered and shipped in to be reconsitituted. That probably has changed, but much of what Hawaii has to eat and drink is brought in, not made locally. His Dad was in the military which gave them housing and PX shopping, which cut their expenses a lot; but most of the kids he grew up with were poor and hardscrabble if they weren't on base.

Our daughter makes 6 figures and she and her fiancee are going to Hawaii for a week. THOSE are the types of people Hawaii welcomes, the ones who bring cash and are there to enjoy the beauty, n add to, not be dependent on, the economy. $10,000 is a drop in the bucket to start ANY type of lifestyle, ANYwhere, much less in this economy. So good luck with that - but bringing a daughter into the mix might prove to be really sad for both of you.

[NYChistorygal]

My cousin lived in Hawaii for 3 years and hated it! It was fun for the first few months, and that's all. Her husband was in the military and stationed there. It was really, really expensive. The humidity played a huge role as well. She's diabetic and ended up losing a few toes to fungal infections from the constant moisture. Her son was born there and had lots of respiratory problems. When they moved back to the mainland, his problems stopped very quickly. She said a 6 month stay would have been great. More than that, no.