Silly question....bring toiletries or buy in kona? Anything I should definitely bring? Not bring? Moving July 1st! (Kailua: sales, coupons)

[Zzaidoff]

Sorry for the stupid question.

Truth is I know there is no 99 cent store in kona. Do I buy and bring toothpaste, deodorant, soap, shampoo etc? Or do I buy it there once arriving?

A little more expensive is no big deal, but I really don't want to spend five to eight bucks on stuff i can get here for a buck.

We are moving from San Diego to kona on July first.

Ideas?

Anything I definitely should not bring? Anything I definitely should bring?

Much appreciated. Mahalo.

[Fredesch]

I have always heard you should get your sun tan lotion in Hawaii. That way you know it is coral friendly vs what you might bring from the mainland.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

No, not a stupid question, but one that has been answered a couple of times already. Have you spent much time reading through the many helpful, informative threads on this forum?

One thought -- are you shipping a container? If so, then stuff it full!

[OpenD]

You're not going to the moon. There's Walgreen's and CVS (Called Long's in Hawai'i) and Target and Kmart and WalMart and Costco, etc. Yeah, everything is more expensive, and I've heard a lot of women buy their makeup online, but everyday toiletries are not enough more to be worth shlepping anything more than what you've already got on hand.

But definitely pay attention to the tip about waiting to buy coral-friendly sunscreen in Hawai'i. You've probably never even thought about that before, but some brands that are popular on the mainland are dangerous to our fragile coral reefs. And if it says it has an SPF rating over 50, they're lying to you.

[leilaniguy]

Things to NOT bring- furs, leather goods, nylons..

[Zzaidoff]

Thanks a bunch.

Not shipping a container.

Three ppl, nine suitcases. That's it.

I will not buy sunscreen till I get there. And i won't trip too much othe toiletries thing. I will bring what I have that's unopened and buy the rest upon arrival.

[hotzcatz]

Not really worth using suitcase space for toiletries that you can buy in Hawaii. Since you're really limited in your packing space, bring things that are special to you, such as photos and such. By the time you've got a week's worth of clothes, shoes & sandals, basic toiletries and your personal items such as cellphones, cameras, computers, ipods and such, you'll not have room for lots of bottles of shampoo. It's better to bring small items that bring good memories instead of more off the shelf stuff.

As for what works in Hawaii, clothing made of natural fabrics are much more wearable than synthetics. But, the clothing is much more casual and you don't need the winter things. A swim suit is good!

There are a lot of folks who move to and from the islands, so on Saturday mornings you can go out to the yard sales and repopulate your house with the usual household items at a fraction of the cost of buying new. A lot of the things are not that old since many folks move to Hawaii as a "snowbird" and are only there for six months before they leave or they moved and decided to go back to the mainland. So, instead of shipping, they have a yard sale.

Oh, also, what you will want in Hawaii will be different than what you are currently using. In San Diego your humidity is very low, isn't it? So you're probably used to using lots of moisturizer? You won't be using that much in Hawaii. Lip balm isn't overly necessary, nor hand lotion for dryness. A lot of folks don't even bother with makeup since it feels so nasty in Hawaii. You can also skip a lot of the dress up clothes, especially the more formal suit types of dress up. Think "resort casual" and that's usually what we use for dress up. But clothing is easy to get in Hawaii as well as most other necessities.

If I were moving from San Diego to Hawaii, I'd pack a week's worth of casual warm weather clothes, my computer with it's MP3's & pictures (which can then be printed out at Costco and framed with frames found at yard sales for personal photos around the house). If it were me, I'd pack some of the more difficult to replace kitchen items such as the carbon steel knives I like as well as the SS French press and my favorite cast iron omelet pan. Also copies of legal documents and doctor's records. Marriage license and passport, etc. Kindle books travel well and there is a used book store in Kailua-Kona although I don't think the new book store is still there. If you have hobbies that require somewhat specialized equipment, you may want to pack that instead of extra bottles of shampoo.

[Due]

Originally Posted by hotzcatz

If it were me, I'd pack some of the more difficult to replace kitchen items such as the carbon steel knives I like as well as the SS French press and my favorite cast iron omelet pan. Also copies of legal documents and doctor's records. Marriage license and passport, etc. If you have hobbies that require somewhat specialized equipment, you may want to pack that instead of extra bottles of shampoo.

The SS French press is extremely important!

[delmioquartiere]

I have a stash of shampoo and body wash that cost about $4 each a few years back when I used coupons to buy top brands at a cost of about $1 each.

Lets just say I'd find a way of getting it there as opposed to paying HI prices which is probably close to $7 each today.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Originally Posted by delmioquartiere

I have a stash of shampoo and body wash that cost about $4 each a few years back when I used coupons to buy top brands at a cost of about $1 each.

Lets just say I'd find a way of getting it there as opposed to paying HI prices which is probably close to $7 each today.

Flat rate boxes from USPS. Happens to be one of the very few things that are not more expensive to ship to Hawaii.