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So I just checked and it's supposed to get down to 70 tonight in Honolulu. 66 in Hilo. Yes, that is COLD to us. I sure am glad I didn't donate my winter clothing when I moved here from Fort Lauderdale (which has very cold winters, btw).
You can find nice jackets at the thrift stores since many mainland folks bring cold weather stuff with them. The clothing stores don't usually sell really warm stuff, although a flannel shirt should be available somewhere.
Upper elevations you can get down to the forties during the winter. If you go high enough, you can find snow on the mountaintops.
What many mainland folks don't catch on to when we complain about cold is that there aren't any heaters in very many of the houses here. When it gets cold, it's cold in the house as well as outside. Up mountain, the folks will frequently have a wood stove to heat with. Electric rates are too expensive to put in electric heaters other than electric blankets. No natural gas in Hawaii, so no natural gas heat and propane is just about as expensive as electric. So, no inexpensive heating sources here.
This is just part of being in a service economy, too. Folks don't make enough money working service jobs to pay for much more than the high rent and food costs. It's nice here so folks from areas with higher incomes and lower costs of living have a second house here or move over here with a large bankroll and are able to pay more for houses or rent (at least initially) which drives up the cost of housing for the folks already here. So they can't afford the extra to heat houses.
So I just checked and it's supposed to get down to 70 tonight in Honolulu. 66 in Hilo. Yes, that is COLD to us. I sure am glad I didn't donate my winter clothing when I moved here from Fort Lauderdale (which has very cold winters, btw).
I once asked someone at K-mart where they keep their jackets. She just laughed at me. My uncle turned and said, "Are you gonna embarrass us everywhere we take you?"
I also get cold below 70 degrees, especially if there is a light breeze blowing. So, I ended up waiting till I got back to Waikiki and bought a hoodie at one of the surf shops.
Two things I'm shipping are my electric blanket and my electric room heater. Electricity is much more expensive here than there, and we can afford it, so not to worry. I actually don't know if there is heat in the house we're renting, but it's a beautiful fairly new home so maybe there is...we didn't ask as we love the location and layout so much that it wouldn't make a difference. We are not moving to a high elevation. SNOW? OMG, haven't seen it since about 1980, but we were obviously aware of it's presence on B.I.
And yes, I'm shipping my high quality winter clothing that coordinates and fits me rather than buying used crap at the thrift shop. It will be cheaper to parcel post those items than replacing them with god only knows what. And who wants to waste a day of fun trying on clothes? I detest shopping. We can easily afford the cost of a parcel post box.
Last edited by HiloDiver; 04-26-2012 at 01:48 PM..
I also get cold below 70 degrees, especially if there is a light breeze blowing. So, I ended up waiting till I got back to Waikiki and bought a hoodie at one of the surf shops.
Before people start bring their parka to Waikiki - I can state the entire winter in Honolulu I haven't been exposed to sub 70 degree weather I'm not up at 3am when it might hit that.
Two things I'm shipping are my electric blanket and my electric room heater.
The blanket, OK, they're very good for cool evenings, but the heater? Seems strange to me, especially since they are easy to find for cheap at garage sales and thrift stores.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DebbyDiver
And yes, I'm shipping my high quality winter clothing that coordinates and fits me rather than buying used crap at the thrift shop.
You may be surprised to find how productive shopping at garage sales and thrift shops can be in Hawai'i. Because so many people are constantly moving back to the mainland, you can find almost anything used and inexpensive. I found a $200 Nordiktrak exerciser for $5 at a thrift store downtown on Keawe Street, and an oil-filled electric radiator for $2.50 at another place. Of course, I'm still waiting on a 2nd mortgage to be able to afford to plug it in, but that's my problem.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DebbyDiver
It will be cheaper to parcel post those items than replacing them with god only knows what. And who wants to waste a day of fun trying on clothes? I detest shopping. We can easily afford the cost of a parcel post box.
I think you are probably better prepared for life in Hilo than almost anyone else who has come along on this forum in a while, but be prepared for some surprises. Sometimes it's the tiniest little things...
Ewwwwww, I don't do garage sales and thrift shops. Shopping for new stuff is a sucky enough chore, but garage sales? Not just no but hell no, that's a thousand times worse and who has the time, anyway? I donated everything I couldn't sell to friends and co-workers before I moved to America's Third World rather than having one, I hate garage sales that much.
You must be mistaking me for someone who can't afford parcel post. I'm wondering why everyone says I should buy used stuff instead of mailing a few boxes to myself. No, we are not wealthy, but we can easily afford our new life so please stop worrying so much about a little bit of postage. This move is going to cost me a fraction of the move from Florida to USVI. I couldn't believe that it was recommended that I go to thrift shops for used clothing rather than shipping a box of my own good stuff to myself. In addition to being gross and extremely time-consuming, that doesn't make economic sense. There sure is a lot of bizarre advice on this forum.
I need the room heater for the bathroom especially. If it gets much below 75 degrees in there, I will suffer. I wish I was joking; I'm not. I have a really nice one with a remote control and I sure as hell don't feel like driving all over B.I. trying to find a used one to replace it (waste of the oh so expensive gas everyone whines about, right?) To repeat: There sure is a lot of bizarre advice on this forum.
I'm looking forward to the surprises! We've pretty much researched it to death though, we've lots of friends who live or have lived in HI, we've read many books, read lots of forum posts, hell, I'll be disappointed if we are NOT surprised...how boring would that be?
Ah, but who said it was all used stuff? Some of it is brand new and high end, at that. OpenD and I will be at those "Ewwww! Gross!" yard sales but I guess we won't be inviting you to go along.
Frequently it's more of a social event than an acquisition of stuff event anyway. You can meet all sorts of interesting people at yard sales. A lot of times you can find stuff at yard sales (which are superior to thrift shops, IMHO) which isn't available new in stores anyway. Antiques come to mind. But, to each his own and have fun paying retail as well as having to make do with the meager offerings at the retail shops. If buying retail is your major source of supply, no wonder you aren't fond of shopping. Ick on retail!
Okay, now we've "icked" each others methods of shopping. Somehow I find this highly amusing, I haven't a clue why.
Hmm, are there places which sell bathroom heaters? There must be somewhere, although the kerosene heater we have is from a yard sale and they brought it over from the mainland. But there must be somewhere on island to buy one? I've never looked. But you've already got one, so bring it along it will be easier than trying to hunt one down around here.
The bread dough is climbing out of the bowl, I'd better get back to the real world. A hui hou!
It occurred to me that the Hilton doesn't buy new beds between guests. Nor do fine dining establishments buy new cutlery and dishes between serving guests. So why is it okay to sleep on or eat with "used" stuff yet not own used things?
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I'm not up at 3am when it might hit that.
