33k in nome and bethel

[warptman]

GreatLander

[keyman51]

If you are familiar with the Mat-su area, there is a store called 3 bears that will ship items to the bush and only charge for the shipping, and will do parcel post. You need to have a credit card and they do not carry a lot, but many people here like it. They do not charge a 10% fee for the shipping like Wal-mart does. I have talked to people here and they have also ordered from Wal-mart on line and have gotten free shipping, but that may not last. The flat rate boxes are fine but small, and you can't put a lot in them, but with parcel post, you can get up to 70 lbs for about 25.00 or less. Don't know how long this will last with the post office having problems, but it is great now.

[warptman]

8 8 8 $8 foot longs! Subway, eat almost fresh here.

[starlite9]

Originally Posted by warptman

Shopping in Bethel, Alaska - YouTube

Good post Warp!

[belowzeroinak]

I live in Nome and I use Amazon.com, Drugstore.com, Petco.com, and Kohls.com all the time.

Amazon and Drugstore honor their free shipping here most of the time, for Amazon you have to make sure it's them and not a third-party seller. If I can't get an item at one place, I go to the other. I get 90% of my household stuff from Amazon. I also don't drink regular milk (not only because of the price but other personal reasons), so I order almond milk via Amazon. Again, free shipping.

I get my dog food through Petco. They use FedEx and since we don't have an agent here they (FedEx) just deliver it to the post office and it gets mailed here parcel post. It takes a while, but if you plan ahead it works out great. You also have to "trick" their system by putting your address in (we only have PO Boxes) and NOT checking their box that says that you're using a PO Box.

I like Kohls since they have great prices and most of their stuff ships here no problem. Once in a while there will be things that won't ship for whatever reason, and you have to call customer service to find out which items aren't allowing the order to go through. One time it wouldn't let me buy cutting boards but another time I ordered a whole set of pots and pans and got my free shipping.

Oh, and before I forget....I get most of my fruit and veggies via Full Circle Farms. It's organic, and cheaper than buying the same things locally (if you could even get those same items).

Ultimately, you just have to be smart about it, stock up when you can, and plan way ahead so you don't run out of things you need (like dog food).

As for the question about $33k a year....If you can find a place and share it with roommates you could probably do it. You CAN get around without a vehicle here, and if you are careful with your money and share the costs with another person or two you'd come out ahead. Plus, if you wanted a second job you could find on easily enough. The real problem would be actually finding housing. We bought a house that the garage was converted to an efficiency apartment which rents for $1200 a month.

[gobrien]

I think the problem with shipping some items is the risk of freezing and subsequent bursting, but I don't have personal experience with that.

[belowzeroinak]

Like what kind of items are you talking about? I've never had that happen for anything I've ordered online or brought back with me from Anchorage in my luggage.

Originally Posted by gobrien

I think the problem with shipping some items is the risk of freezing and subsequent bursting, but I don't have personal experience with that.

[gobrien]

Originally Posted by belowzeroinak

Like what kind of items are you talking about? I've never had that happen for anything I've ordered online or brought back with me from Anchorage in my luggage.

That's just what some online retailers said when asked why they don't ship using USPS but I don't know if it's true, it could just be their excuse for using higher priced shipping methods.

[Metlakatla]

It's true.