I want to Move to Hawaii and I am a single mom, am I crazy??

Question

I DESPERATELY want to move to hawaii. I plan on having $10,000 saved up before I go. I am a single mom, usually employed as a secretary. (make anywhere from 12-16 dollars an hour). Do you think I can survive there? I am not worried about the racisim towards whites that I have heard about, as I am half Filipino and most people here in the states think I am Hawaiian. I am more concerned about the cost of living. I don't mind living in a bad neighborhood. As a singlemom you get used to it, and I have never had any problems. Am I crazy? I have one child, he is 4 years old and mildy autistic. I currently live in the middle of nowhere, and I am going insane. Please I need opinions of all ages...I was planning on going in about 18 months. Thanks!!

Answer 1

I've been wanting to reply to your question for days now but I never got around to it. First you're not crazy, you sound like a very good & caring mom. Call your insurance company to find out what kind of treatments for your son is available. I know that there a lot of Serious & mild ly Autistic kids in Hawaii & as far as I know thry're getting some pretty good care. Yes, I admit, illnesses like Autism, Mental Health, & students w/ special needs are a concern everywhere, but in Hawaii there was this law called the Felix Decree, authored By Henry Felix, who is a Govt. official, (I forgot what he does now. Congressman I think)You can look this up on the internet under Felix or Henry Felix Decree. It stood in place for about 10 years to help students w/ special needs.Also go on the Hawaii Child Autism website. The cost of living, I only have a high school education, I'm 45, now I'm enrolled in Community College & the State pays for everything even part of my food & housing. I'm on SSDI (disability) Just by listening to your words, I know you can find a job & maybe even a supplementary, part time job, & still be able to spend time w/ your son, pay rent (you don't have to live in a bad part of town because we hardly have any bad parts of town, also when you move here you'll have lots of friends like me, helping you find a comfortable home,even close to the bus line, so you don't have to use your car all the time. I bicycle & ride the Bus & I can even Put my bike on the Bus rack & go all around the Island if I want for only $2.adults,monthly passes are cheaper & your son can get a 1-2 yr. disability pass for about $20. My disability pass is about $30/2yrs. (I forgot when the last time I got one)I think your cash savings is good. Ave. Studio or 1bdrm.$800-$1000/mo. +matching security deposit. They have some good cheap used cars here, just the gas is expensive that's why you catch the bus sometimes, or you might never need to buy a car, I know about your son, but you can catch the bus w/him. Hey I know you can make it work foryourself. You can e-mail me anytime@[e-mail] you in Hawaii!Remember not to fly during Dec.-until after Easter,2nd wk in Mar. or even wait til April, May, or early June. Even in April there are some events keeping the prices up. Sept.-Early Dec. is also inexpensive.Katt, got your e-mail but I can't contact you on Yahoo. You have to send me your e-mail address at [e-mail]

Answer 2

Let's presume you have a job waiting for you at $15.00 p/hr. After taxes (let's presume a 12% tax bracket + a 6% 401k contribution) that equates to approximately $2100.00 p/month. After rent, utilities, food, child education expenses (pre-school and/or baby sitting expenses), insurance, and transportation; the $2100.00 will be down to about $100 and you'll be living from paycheck to paycheck (not a good thing). I can practically guarantee you won't be able to put any cash into a savings plan nor mutual fund for future growth. The $10,000 you came in with will be slashed to $4,000 within the first month by virtue of airfare for you and your child, paying out 1st and last month's rental deposits, security (cleaning) fee, and the purchase of a used car (you'll need it, especially with having a child with special needs).
It's a grim picture but there is one thing in your favor; I don't know you and I have no idea about how determined you are. If, in fact, you have the will, the mind and vision to make this work, then by all means take the leap and don't allow the cynics and skeptics discourage you.
Aloha and good luck.
P.S. You're not crazy nor are you going insane; you seem to be seeking an intelligent and calculated solution to improve your quality of life, as is everyone else. If you find that Hawaii may not be your answer, don't quit the fight. There are other cities in the United States, each one unique in its own right that may be beckoning you.

Answer 3

Yes your crazy, why would you want to move to a rock??? I've lived there almost my whole life (minus this past year when I moved to the mainland) think you live in the middle of nowhere now wait till you live in the most isolated spot in the world! It is beautiful and it's not that racist I'm hapa haole(that means half white, some people think haole is a bad word some don't, I obviously don't) but I look haole (the other half is Japanese the looks of which my sister took). I'm almost 24 years old. What I do miss is the food, if you move their don't be afraid to dig right in! But my friend told me today the price of a gallon of milk is now $7, I thought it was $4 or 5 in washington, where I live now I can get it for $1.50 to $2 and as for how much you plan on having saved it's not that much. When my husband and I got married we got a little studio 400 sq ft max(a room separated from a regular house), that's with porch and a 2 ft sq shower (and toilet) for $1000 a month, granted that was in Kailua and that's one of the more expensive city's. But honolulu would be your best bet for jobs and living in Honolulu/Waikiki is not cheap either (I don't really think there is a cheap place to live but look online to get an idea). Good luck!

Answer 4

Here's a thought for you. Does your child receive any kind of therapies or counseling where you are presently living? That should be your prime consideration. Mildly autistic is autistic and the child will always need help. See what's available in Hawaii
before you move you and your child so far. Even mildly autistic children hate change. He will need advance preperation to make that transition. I think it is wise that you will have saved up that amount of money but it's very expensive there and you really need to do your homework before making that leap. I'm speaking from my own experience about your child. When in school, he is going to need a lot of support. There will be problems you can't even imagine right now. He's too young.

Answer 5

I'm thinking about doing the same thing. Don't get me wrong, but I'm in a much better financial position and my son's grown up already, but even I find it VERY VERY expensive for anything nice in a decent location. I looked at some condos there and a 1 BR in Honolulu in a good neighborhood goes for 350K and up. The association fees are ridiculously high. The only time when you get a better price is when the building is a leasehold which is about to expire... and that spells trouble down the road.
Also, parking can be a problem. Condos with parking spots are more difficult to come by.
I think you should go for it, but you need to have some realistic expectations about what you're getting yourself into financially.

Answer 6

The apartments for rent in Hawaii are really limited and expensive. A studio apartment would rent for at least $900/mth for most of them, and it may not be even nice or big. Check out the rental prices at http://www.craigslist.org. The apartments for rent there are just very expensive, limited and not nice. It can also be very hard to find housing because it is very limited, expensive and there can be many people waiting for just one apartment. There are not many selections and they are very limited in selections. They don't have as many jobs there as other bigger cities, so not many choices and selections. Besides, it is also just an island, and you can get kind of isolated from living on an island that is surrounded by water, instead of land as on the continental U.S. Why don't you find another cheaper state to move to instead of Hawaii where the housing is cheaper and there are more jobs such as Arizona ?? They have many jobs here and employers seem to hire people right away. The housing is also cheaper and there are many more selections. But it's rather spread-out here and most people drive. It may not be very safe now because there are 2 serial killers on the loose. But, the housing and job market here is still very good and better than Hawaii's.

Hawaii is nice for its beautiful weather, nature and great air quality, which are all better than many other states. But, the housing there for renters are just really expensive, limited and not many selections. They have lower rents, but those you have to share with others for the common areas.

Answer 7

Yea, you're crazy. But you might be able to get by, if you leave all your furniture and car in your current state. Everything is more expsenvie in Hawaii, including groceries. And the native kids always want other kids to leave Hawaii. But whether you go through with that plan or not, get married for your child's sake and have more children! I don't know what state you're in, but you'd be better off moving to Northern California, than to Hawaii.

Answer 8

As the other posts have stated, it is very expensive there, mainly because everything you need to buy has to be shipped there and then distributed out to the various islands. Most of the locals I talked to work very long hours and have two jobs. It sounds like heaven and it is if you can afford it. Frankly I think you are reaching.

Answer 9

It is better to look back on the mistakes you made in your life than to wonder how things could have been. I say if you really want something, you should work toward it.
Life rarely gives you second chances, cautiously go for it!!!

Answer 10

I'd look to make sure the pay scale matches.... (vary from state to state). I think you can survive there. But depends on how much extras you haven't figured into taking care of your kid. (Medical, etc). Groceries and gas are way expensive there.