Growing Old(er) in Hawaii (sale, coupons, 2014)

[PaliPatty]

Okay, I'll admit it. I would love to retire, sooner rather than later. DH is retired, lucky him. We would love to stay where we are and most likely will.
What I'd like to see here is a discussion re: practical ways to cut down on the COL of living in Hawaii, without the prospect of eating dirt and letting the pool turn green.
I think a discussion along these lines might help those who are either dreaming of coming here or newbies that are struggling with the COL. Not people on the BOTA (oh, just figure that out), but regular-kine working class people that are looking for regular-kine working class helpful hints.
Please, no "go off the grid" type stuff because that just doesn't work in suburban Oahu, for the most part.
I might dodge rocks on this but we like our cell phones, our cable TV, our internet. We're not destitute, just looking for ways to cut costs in general.
We installed a PV system a few months ago. Wow. Loving it.
HawaiianTelCom is putting their new fiber optic stuff in our neighborhood and came to our door today and offered a combo cable/internet/landline deal that blows Oceanic Cable out of the water. So we'll go with that, I think.
Any ideas from others out there, besides fill in the pool with dirt and plant a garden?
Musing on a Saturday afternoon....

[whtviper1]

Solar, a hybrid car, reverse mortgage come to mind.i just traded my 425 HP IS-F for a ES 300 hybrid that gets 40+ mpg. Big difference.

Energy efficient appliances make a huge difference

[PaliPatty]

Please do not mention the words "reverse mortgage." I am very closely involved with sorting out the intricacies of such an agreement and it is a horror. Sounds like a good idea at the time and no doubt works out well for some but if illness or disaster (think "Super Storm Sandy") come into play it can be sheer hell. I think, if push came to shove, I would sooner sell this house (which will be paid for in less than two years), buy a small condo in town, and live out my life there. LifeAlert pendant, here we come!
Solar water heating is a great suggestion, Viper, and we're going to look into it. We have gas hot water and cooking.
I was thinking about a hybrid or electric vehicle, too, but DH is concerned about the battery issue. When I retire the car/gas issue will be much less of a concern---no more commutes. I kinda like those little electric vehicles and we could plug in free behind Long's. ;-)

[whtviper1]

The battery warranty at least on the Lexus is 8 years. Solar City will put solar on the entire house and lease you power back for an immediate monthly save with no money down. Another option if you don't like reverse mortgage is re-finance, take the cash and put that money into something better than the mortgage rate of 3.5% and you get the tax deduction.

[whtviper1]

Or, rent your house and get something cheaper with positive income.

[PaliPatty]

We already have PV and will break even in less than three years. Yay tax rebates.
Just tossing the topic out there for discussion.
A Lexus would be too expensive, I think, initially.
There's always the option of a bus pass. :-)

[whtviper1]

There's always a Prius.

[Huckleberry3911948]

here is what i saw at kuai.
people even those with assets have to hustle in hawaii to make it.
the HOA is horrible. u cant sit still u gota hustle 2 or 3 jobs just to make it. now when u get old and tired that becomes unbearable. there is not slowdown. a huge gap between service class and the white elite. and maybe a small military contingency of as a rule non jughead nerd types live there. a strange way to live in a beautiful place. reminds me of japan a rich country inhabited by poor people. the strangest part of hawaii is the vacant weed grown fields that used to be sugar can and pineapples which are no longer profitable to grow thanks to global economy.

[whtviper1]

Huh Huckleberry?

[R_Cowgirl]

PaliPatty - I lived there 30 years and here's what we did to cut costs:
1. Buy in bulk and freeze what we didn't use right away
2. Put in a small garden for the things we ate every day -- my family loved salads and the kids really got into creating a neat little organic garden with lettuce, tomatoes, radishes, mint, squash, and even corn! It was a "bragging rights" thing with their friends.
3. My husband joined National Guard, so that gave us Base privileges and the BEST savings: USAA insurance. Their credit card is at 6%, their Home Equity loan is at 2%, and there has not been one offer from all the car insurance companies that beat them.
4. Hawaii IS entertainment, so we didn't go to movies much. And the kids didn't watch much TV, so we kept it all on the basic levels. We did a lot of beachgoing and family events at Magic Island. I taught the girls to cook, so each night was an adventure in alternating "chefs" making pretty interesting dishes.
5. We put in solar panels for the hot water heater.
6. We put in skylight tubes to save on lighting during the day
7. My oldest girl read the book Fast Food Nation, so going out to fast food restaurants was out (probably best for us all...) So we got in the habit of packing our own lunches and snacks and probably saved more than we know on fast food snacks and even desserts.
8. For holidays and birthdays we created a tradition of making our gifts for each other.
And we would also give gifts of coupons good for back rubs, car washes, mowed lawns, help with homework, a ride somewhere, etc.
9. We became avid recyclers. Not just taking stuff to the recycling center, but finding re-uses for things and being smarter about what we bought in the first place.
10. We all essentially learned to ask, "Do I really need this? Is my life better because of this expense? Or will this wind up on the front lawn in a garage sale in 3 months?" It's the miscellaneous spending that drains your wallet dry.