Living on Kaua'i - Are we being naive? (Kapaa, Lihue: sales, renting)

[KauaiHiker]

That's great to hear about Kapaa High, usually we only hear the bad news. Very interesting that your kids rejected Island School, as a parent I would favor it too for it's smaller class size and supposedly higher academic standards--but I can also understand how the small size can be very limiting for kids looking for friends.

And it isn't so much the age of retirement that matters, it's having kids and moving to Hawaii without needing to look for work nor save for retirement while juggling jobs and kids' activities. So in that respect your situation is more of an outlier for most readers on this forum. But I still think your observations are relevant and valuable.

[rach_9667]

Originally Posted by ChezAloha

*snip* Everyone, every family is different, and has different needs and wants, but this is how it's going for us in case anyone is interested.

I, too, was glued to every word of your review - we are simple, rural, minimalist people already and I have yet to see anything that applies to us when reading about the "disparaging" conditions of living in Kauai. We have pretty lousy schools right here on the mainland and it makes me wonder just how bad ours are compared to the ones considered "lousy" by others who move to Kauai. From your assessment and your background in education, my guess is that our schools where I live now would be considered almost primitive in contrast. Also, we live the same kind of lifestyle now that you have described living on the mainland and it's good to know that it really is no different living that way there. Those were my two concerns. We don't have cable, don't eat out often, buy used or do without and are happy, well adjusted people. I was so happy to run across your post and update. Thank you so much!

[Kaua'i Jim]

Originally Posted by ChezAloha

Kapaa High School. One of our neighbors teaches at Kauai HS and has nothing but good things to say about Kapaa HS: the kids, teachers and principal. We heard good things about the school from students and parents before we moved here, and have been pleased with the classes offered and the teachers. Our girls did not want to go to Island School. My husband and I were sold on it, we toured it before our move, but it was the one thing the girls put their foot down about. They really didn't like it and were right; it wouldn't have been a good fit for them. They are happy and thriving where they are.

Also, we are older parents and actually are retirement age. We adopted our girls when we were in our late-40s/early-50s. Besides being retired military, my husband is also eligible for social security and draws a pension from the company he worked for after he left the navy. We have also lived frugally and saved. We are not one of those amazing early retirement stories.

My wife is the Special Needs coordinator and kindergarten teacher at Kapa'a Elementary and I have children there and at Kapa'a high school. We have experienced nothing but exceptional personal care. We have found that the vast majority of people that berate the schools on Kaua'i neither live here nor even have children.

[JIJISKI3733]

I'm curious to hear if Chez Aloha made the move. I'm 43 years old, from Kauai, married, with a 17-year old. Our household income is about $110k on average, with our son in public high school. We seem to get by although my husband's income is variable due to being self-employed in construction. But we budget our money - sometimes go overboard about 20% with eating out...but that's because both of us work long hours and are wiped out to cook. We own a townhouse with a mortgage payment of appx $1390/mo with aoao fees of almost $600 (DIE) but i guess if you compare it to a normal maintenance for single-dwelling homes, it works. Housing is probably the most taken out of your income, and if you can avoid financing a car, and just buying a decent used- resulting in no insane car payments - you'll be fine. There's many other variables too, but as a local from here, I want so bad to move to the mainland, build my wealth, and then retire here. Cost of living is highly disproportionate relative to income here. Everything has to be shipped in, being on an island, therefore the high costs. Kauai, of all islands, do not have the best resources, but if your lifestyle allows for simplicity, then it would work. Best part about living in such an expensive place, is of course, the Aloha Spirit of most locals, the scenery, the weather, and the laid back mentality. If you prepare well, meaning - have a nice emergency fund of 3-6 months of your monthly expenses (6-12 if you plan on being self-employed), find the jobs, have little or no debt, BUDGET your month and stick with it, and plug into the community by way of a local church, clubs and organizations, etc - you should be fine. Let's hear back from you! Aloha and God Bless.

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by JIJISKI3733

I'm curious to hear if Chez Aloha made the move.

Read the thread - you'll find the answer.

[mtnbkr5]

School supplies come up once a year; we spend about $75 - $100 total now (at Walmart, the only time I go into their store here)


Walmart in Kauai? Talk about a huge blight on a beautiful landscape. Where is my Prozac?

[Jungjohann]

Originally Posted by mtnbkr5

Walmart in Kauai? Talk about a huge blight on a beautiful landscape. Where is my Prozac?

You can get some at Walmart.


He ho'opa'a iwakaluakumamalua





(that's catch twenty,,,,,, uuurrrppp,,,, scuze me, two, in Hawaiian)

[davephan]

Originally Posted by ChezAloha

We're getting ready to celebrate our 8-month anniversary on the island this month, so thought I would check back in and let anyone who is interested know how it's been going.

Now, that this string re-surfaced again, could you post another update how things are going? The last update was after being on Kauai for 8 months. Over a year passed since your very detailed and informative update. Now, it's been about 2 years, which generally seems to be the upper limit for the majority of people who don't last in Hawaii.

Roughly, how much more income do you need to live in Kauai verses in Oregon, in terms of percentage and actual numbers if you wish to disclose them? Did the move change any of your retirement plans? Maybe living a simpler life to reduce costs. Do you have any concerns about missing your extended family and friends that are back in the mainland due to the isolation? Is the extra isolation causing you to travel less than you used to in the past? Do you miss the seasons, cold weather, and sometimes snow where you used to live?

Do you grow any of your food? Such as tomatoes, lettuce, and other things in the ground or in pots? Although, it should be very easy to reduce your food costs by growing some of your own things. Do you also shop at "Cost U Less" for groceries? We found the prices were much lower than the other groceries stores at "Cost U Less".

We stayed in Kapaa near the ocean when we visited Kauai and liked that area a lot. Although being that close to the ocean made us feel a bit uneasy because of the tsunami risks that could have been avoided staying at a higher elevation. Plus, the temperature would be a little lower and the breezes a little higher at the higher elevations.

It sounds like the move went well for you, generally improving your life with very few regrets.

[ChezAloha]

We're still here (2 years now), and thriving! Things are pretty much the same as they were, although our family will get a bit smaller this fall when our middle daughter goes off to college.

We moved to a new house last fall when our former landlord put the old house up for sale - less than a month after he had us sign another full-year's lease! Things were tense for a short while because we found another house to move to, and the former landlord accused us of breaking the lease. It turned out but he had in fact broken it first by failing to give us 30 days notice that the house was going to be sold (read and know what's in your lease!!). We worked it out though and helped him find a new renter to move in as we moved out, so no loss of income for him. And, it turned out to be a good thing because a condition of sale for the house was that the buyer wanted all tenants out before closing - we could have made things very difficult under our old lease. So, all's well that ends well. We're much happier in the new house - the location is better and the condition is nicer (and the old house was nice), and although we have to pay utilities now, our total housing expense has stayed the same as we paid at the old house.

Both daughters that remained here have said they are happy about the move; the older of the two says moving here was the best thing that could have happened to her. They attend(ed) the local public high school and have thrived. The one that graduated this year will be heading to the Ivy League (!) on a full scholarship, and another of her classmates was selected for West Point, among other good schools classmates will be attending. (BTW, for those that worry about such things, her SAT/ACT score were in the OK range, not great - test scores are about the fourth thing colleges look at when they're reading applications). We have no complaints about the school and the education she received and her sister is receiving. They've made good friends, and are involved with many school activities. The best advice they would give is to get involved with sports at school, and join clubs. And volunteer out in the community! (Our oldest daughter, who left after six months, is attending college on the mainland and lives there year-round.)

The other day my husband and I asked ourselves where we would want to go to if we had to move. Neither of us could come up with another location - we can't imagine leaving Kaua'i. It's been a very solid, positive move for us. It's been affordable for us too - we planned and budgeted well, and brought just the right amount of stuff with us. We've been able to travel off the island a few times (but being able to come home to Kaua'i is the best). We came with few expectations and just decided to see how things unfolded. We're putting down roots, making friends . . . it's home now.

[bluepacifica]

Hi Dave: Thought I'd jump in with our experience. (Chez Aloha is a friend of mine) We sold our house furnished back on San Juan Island, Washington in 2014 and came with few personal belongings. We stayed in a studio for 5 months and lucked out getting the 1 bedroom apartment in the same cottage! Our move was 6 feet down the hall. We live in Princeville on a closed, for now, golf course. It's just us, no kids, no grandkids, etc. Life here has been simple and relaxing. Our condo has a nice pool that I enjoy. We are at Anini beach most days. Our new apartment wasn't furnished so we did have to buy all that. We went to Otsukas in Kapaa for furniture, Amazon for furnishings, and Kmart for anything breakable. We came in under budget, I had figured $15,000 for everything, and spent around $13,000 instead. Could I have done it cheaper? Yes. Did I want to? No. I'm happy with what we've got and the furnishings fit our new life here. Our living expenses every month run around $1800 for gas, food, and incidentals. That's about what we used to spend on San Juan Island. Our rent is $1352 a month and that includes electricity, cable, internet, and GET tax. The landlady is wonderful and put in new appliances, floors and kitchen countertop before we moved in. We will be getting a new bathroom this fall. No complaints. We hope to stay right where we are for the next couple of years at least. This was the best move we could have made. The climate is so tolerable. It's cooler up here on the north shore and I think it's gorgeous. It doesn't feel as crowded either. Being retired does put us in a different situation from many others. We don't have the same responsibilities. We both have very few relatives on the mainland so it wasn't an issue for us. I will say that we had spent the winter here as snowbirds before we made the permanent move. That allowed me to gather data to see if it really was possible to live here and not have to squeeze every penny. That would take the fun right out of it!! Instead we can enjoy doing what we want. We rarely go out to eat, not my idea, and we both don't drink so that does make things cheaper for us. We have no debt either. I put everything on our credit card for the record keeping and cash back rewards. Balance gets paid every month. Hope you get to live out your dream!