Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Didn't you make friends with co-workers and other folks that have vehicles in the year and a half that you've been on Maui?
Carpooling and having friends drive you around when you explore the island on weekends could save at least $100/month...
My boss is the only coworker I have who lives in Kihei and his hours are later than mine. If he wanted to carpool I think he would have mentioned it already.
I don't know anybody who likes to go to the places I do... or would want to stop everywhere and take pictures. Maybe if I was friends with Japanese tourists . Most peoples' idea of exploring is going on a hike, or maybe cliff diving.
I only have a couple friends now. One lives in Kihei and the other lives upcountry. Everybody else has moved off of Maui. I don't go out with the happy hour club anymore so I don't have a way to meet people.
Do you qualify for a hardship deferment on your student loan?
No. I did that when I had an internship, but I have a real job. I wish I didn't get conned by the university into "consolidating" my loans. Then I'd have been able to take advantage of the reduce repayment plan for government workers. It's only $12k though.
BTW I really don't run the AC, I open the windows. It's the water heater that uses the most power I guess.
If it's an electric water heater, it probably is the major culprit for making your electric bills real high. Turn it off and take cold showers? Brrr! I hate cold showers, myself. At least turn it down a little and see if the utility bill drops? Also put your electronics on a power strip where you can turn all the power off to them when they aren't in use. Every little bit helps.
I'll try contacting some companies. I doubt they'll want anybody working remotely though.
I'm not unemployed, I have a job at Maui County
Gotcha, an underpaid city worker. I was in the same boat for 3 years; college educated and making about 30k for the city and county of Honolulu. After taxes, my contribution to health care, and rent I had about 600 a month left for food, car insurance, utilities, medical bills, and fun. The sad reality is that a lower middle class person cannot live on their own out there and have any hopes of saving money or planning for emergencies... rent, food, and utilities are just too expensive.
What I did...
1) Sold my car and got a moped because you aren't required to carry insurance and you can register it like a bike (then modified it so it would actually go fast enough to climb hills and stuff). That freed up about $150 a month between gas, insurance, parking, and general maintenance costs.
2) Got a roommate to split the bills with, it sucks as an adult and roommates are a crap shoot but that cut my housing and utility costs from $1200 to about $650.
3) Got a part time job at a hotel in the evenings. Most hotels (in my experience) will cover your health insurance completely so you can drop the city plan that makes you pay 40% of the premium. In hawaii, as long as you work 20hrs/wk they have to give you coverage.
I could actually save about $600 - $800 a month at that point and have a little fun. Of course the 60hr work weeks (plus part time grad school) took their toll after a while, but by that time I was pretty serious with a local girl (eventually became my wife) and we moved in together so I was able to drop down to one job and finish grad school.
Otherwise I would say sell your stuff and move back in with family (wherever they are) for a while until you get enough saved to pay off bills and move on to a new place. Give whatever notice you need to give and devote all of your energy to making that goal of leaving.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
. Most peoples' idea of exploring is going on a hike, or maybe cliff diving.
