Any Chance on a new topic of Moving to Puna?

[dayna]

quote:

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Originally posted by Bullwinkle

How does the Alaska oil and energy dividend play into the cost of living - how many months a year must one reside in Alaska to share?

http://www.pfd.state.ak.us/appsandpaymnts/index.aspx

I see aprox 1K$ per year in disbursement - is that per person or per family - family of five or so would make out imho .... oil royalty sharing very cool....... geothermal rebates?

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It is per person. It seems like a lot but it never goes far. We put our daughters PFD into a savings account to help offset the cost of college that she'll someday have.

Dayna

www.JasonAndBlue.com
My artwork

[missydog1]

I don't see the need to "chuckle" at people who talk about high food prices here. More accurately, people who come from Alaska have very high food prices, so they may see an improvement, but many other people will have to adjust up.

*on soapbox*
The stats say that a significant number of children in Hawai'i have insecurity about their next meal. I don't remember the stat, but something like 1 in 5 or even 1 in 3. The Food Bank is in a state of crisis.

This makes me feel somewhat irritated when people are smug about being more than able to afford all they need ... well good, but that is not the case for a lot of people, so I think it is in poor taste to downplay the issues of food expense in Hawai'i.

For many people, they are relatively affluent when they arrive, but years of reduced incoming cash flow may eventually bring the high COL here into perspective. I have known many people who went to Alaska to make a lot of money in a short time, doing one gig or another. Well Hawai'i is the opposite. There is rarely if ever a supply of jobs that pay well. Most are sub-par in remuneration, and food money doesn't stretch far enough for working families.

The picture for seniors here who were not able to make a bunch of money and salt it away is not good. As an example, I'm part of an organization that helps Hawai'i veterans. The Hilo Veteran's home gave us a wish list of such a simple thing as sweaters and some hand and body lotions and some books to read. Our veterans are cold in the winter and don't even have toiletries -- so if you have a little extra due to the great produce prices, there are certainly some worthy places to donate.

In another organization I'm volunteering with, I'm learning that the kids who try to play sports in the County gyms have to play under leaking roofs and have almost no games or equipment that private parties haven't donated, not even balls, rackets, nets without holes. Then people complain when the kids turn into delinquents ...

My thought for the day for people wishing to move to Puna -- what are you prepared to give to your new community, and I don't mean just to the transplanted community from other states -- what will you give to the people whom you expect to share their home of generations? Don't come just to enjoy the better weather and the gardening ...

*off soapbox*

[dayna]

quote:

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Originally posted by mar1957

In order to get the "pfd" you must be a Alaska resident 181 days each year.And I believe you must live in Alaska 2 years before you qualify.Sounds good but when you weigh it against the cost of airfare the cost of heat food fuel etc/etc..you might not come out ahead?
But if you love eating fish then if you do it right you can fish and fill your freezers or smoke,can enough food for the winter,that's what we do.
My husband takes over 100 lbs of salmon to Hawaii each year our freezer is finally getting low . It's amaving how many good friends we now haveyou by just handing out a few fish ..

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The PFD is nice, but the best part of living in Alaska is the lack of taxes. Individual cities have taxes but the state is financed by oil revenue, so there is no state sales tax, income tax, etc. Moving from the lowest taxed state (they pay you to live here, how much cheaper can you get?) to one of the highest is going to have a real impact.

Dayna

www.JasonAndBlue.com
My artwork

[terracore]

quote:

I have known many people who went to Alaska to make a lot of money in a short time, doing one gig or another.

For the most part, those jobs have been gone about 10 years. The seafood processing jobs are now all minimum wage @ $7.75/hour. The workers are from Mexico, the Philipines, or Eastern Europe where $7.75/hour is still a lot of money. Even the jobs working under ground (think gold mining) don't pay very much, and they require a college degree. There are some good paying jobs on the North Slope, but only for skilled workers, and best for single people since you usually work 2 weeks on, 1 week off or similar schedule. The jobs themselves don't pay fantastic, its because they pay your living expenses that make them lucrative.

[terracore]

quote:

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Originally posted by dayna

quote:

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Originally posted by mary

Terracore, you said:


"There is so much cheap, wonderful healthy food in Hawaii. For what we pay for a full cicle farm box in Juneau, $40 worth of produce you can literally buy in Hawaii for $2-3 at the farmers market".

i would like to know which farmer market you go to and buy a good box worth of produce for $2-3 dollars for the box(even growing it yourself,i can't get it that cheap, or may be your box is tiny, like 5 inches all around? because I don't get out of the makuu farmesr market with a box of fruits and veggies for less then 40 dollars and the box is moderately sized, just enough for 2 people for the week. very curios as to where in the world you go to find prices like that?

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Maybe you need to shop around more?

What my husband terracore failed to mention is that our box of produce is flown in from out of town. Also that it's enough produce to last a family of three about 2 days. It's added expense but also most of that comes from the pacific northwest. I also usually add eggs to my box of produce and those are $6.80/dozen.

It was quite amazing to us how inexpensive fresh foods were on the Island. In Juneau Alaska it's $1.20/pound for bananas (the crappy large yellow kind). I pay roughly up to $3.00 for ONE large organic apple here. That's no joke, I pay on average for 3 people to have apples most days about $50/week. $6.50 for an artichoke. $4.00 for a small head of romaine lettuce. And keep in mind, this isn't lovely fresh home grown produce like you find in the FM, it's barged up, artificially ripened and ususally from South America! I buy a LOT of produce, and have spent as much as $2,000 in a month for groceries for a family of three.


Yeah a lot of stuff is way cheaper in Hawaii. People here pay roughly $300 to $400 a month for electricty here in the winter.

When I hear people complain about how expensive food is in Hawaiii I have to chuckle to myself. Come live in SouthEast Alaska for a year and you'll be wishing you had access to fresh produce at such a good price.

We know that no place is perfect, but like other people have said. We have real hardships here in Alaska. Each place has it's ups and downs. It's rarely sunny here (as in it rains about daily) and the winters are killing us.

For us, Puna is a good choice.

Dayna

www.JasonAndBlue.com
My artwork

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I don't think they realize that a $40 "box" of produce means 3 apples, a head of lettuce, 3 kiwis, 2 oranges, and an onion or two. In all fairness, we elect to pay those prices, as factory-grown produce is available at the local market cheaper than that. Of course, buying something like "fresh" berries means picking through and discarding the approximately 1/3 that are moldy, but that's a different subject altogether.

[mary]

terracore,

if there are no good jobs in alaska, crappy cold weather and overpriced food, why in the world does anyone live there in the first place? i personally would never even think of moving to alaska due to the weather. there must be some redeeming qualities to alaska, even if i fail to see them at a quick glance.

still, you again said any farmer market on BI, you can go to to buy a box of veggies for $ 2-3 dollars, i am sorry but that is just not true unless you count all your veggies and fruits combined in the form of a bunch of papayas. that is the only thing you can fill your box with for very little money. road side stands aren't any cheaper, been to most all of em. after 2 years living here, i know my way around and do shop around. may be because you are coming from alaska that your perception is a bit skewed and everything looks rosy in comparison, that could be very well the case.

and i do agree with KathyH, there is tremendous hardship on this island among many people and food prices and lack of jobs is a big issue. and yeah, sounds like alaska is even worth the way you describe it, but i came from the mainland, where prices on everything were about 30 percent cheaper and since i lived in moderate climes, my electricity bill wasn't huge ether. Most people come from the mainland not alaska, that's why the comparison and sticker price shock when we get here. and KathyH is right, for wealthy retirees its not a big deal, but for people who aren't retired, it isn't exactly easy here.

[dayna]

There are staving children in every state (I would know I've lived in quite a few), including Alaska. You don't know me or my background in life.

I prefer to keep what donations I make between myself and the IRS.

Mary: Alaska is BEAUTIFUL. So beautiful it takes my breath away. The people are amazing as well. We have many Hawaiians here! In fact one of my good friends grew up on the BI and her family is still there, I look forward to meeting them and enjoying their company when we get there; kinda like built in family. Alaska isn't just a place to live, but a lifestyle. One that we've outgrown. We're ready for new adventures, hardships, triumphs, and dreams.



Dayna

www.JasonAndBlue.com
My artwork

[coppercoin40]

Mary, You sound bitter about your choice to move from the mainland to Hawaii! Are you stuck there?

We loaded up our fridge with a large variety of fruit and veges at the farmers market. I don't recall what the total amount spent was but I do recall they were FRESH, and it was less expensive than what we pay for half rotten stuff here in Alaska.

Alaska is beautiful, when the sun shines there is no where like it. Unfortunately we have to go further and further out to catch any halibut as they are shipped out of here by the swarms of tourists who overrun our communities in the summer. Don't get me wrong - I am not complaining about tourists, our economy in SE AK needs tourism to survive since the no road laws have pretty much shut down the timber industries. The fishing industries are suffering here also. We are deluged with pelting sideways rain much of the spring, summer and fall. October and November we have howling winds that commonly are 60 miles an hour or more with substantial gusts. It is still snowing here now and we have seen it snow as late as May! No growing season.

I hear a lot about lack of work in Hawaii. There is a lack of work anywhere right now, I don't think Hawaii is special in that regard. For other warm states to move to to get out of this cold state the choices are mostly in the south. I do not want to be in an area where there are twisters!!! I don't want to shovel snow anymore, I would rather swim with turtles in January than looking at several feet of heavy wet snow that I need to shovel to get out of my drive.

[dwedeking]

I moved from Southern California. I've lowered my overall expenses by making the move. Lowering food prices was a combination of becoming more self sufficient and cutting out pre-packaged foods. You should see the "hidden" costs of Southern California - parking to go to the beach, 2 hour drive (gas costs) to do anything away from crowds and people, increased costs of gardening, taxes (including fees for everything). Was unemployed for almost 2 years in Southern California (I'd never been unemployed for more than 24 hours in the previous 40 years of my life) and was willing to take any job at some point but there weren't any. I have a telecommuting job (work for a company on the mainland) but was able to find a second night job here on the island for a bit.

America is just starting to realize that the "growth" of the last 30 years was based on increase debt vs improved production. Adjustments to lifestyles due to the inflation of core expenses (food, gas, etc) are going to hit everyone (mainland, Alaska, and Hawai'i). Due to fuel costs you will see those first in Alaska and Hawai'i unless you adjust your economic patterns to be less affected by inflation.

Hawai'i is definitely not for everyone but if your flexible in your lifestyle and looking for something a little less "rat-racish", for me, I've found that the Big Island hits the spot.

http://www.wedekingphotography.com

[terracore]

quote:

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Originally posted by mary

terracore,

if there are no good jobs in alaska, crappy cold weather and overpriced food, why in the world does anyone live there in the first place? i personally would never even think of moving to alaska due to the weather. there must be some redeeming qualities to alaska, even if i fail to see them at a quick glance.

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I could write a book on the many reasons why living in Alaska is so awesome, in spite of the high cost of living and the weather. But it's not for everybody. Walking down a trail and suddenly finding yourself a few feet away from a large bear is very frightening and very awesome at the same time. I recall one instance when it happened, and the bear stood up, it was a small bear, about my height, and we looked at each other eye-to-eye, neither of us knowing exactly what the other was going to do next. I was in her neighborhood and did the appropriate thing, backing away slowly and giving her space. I remember my wife and I walking along a trail in Hawaii and suddenly hearing what sounded like a large branch breaking. Having had many experiences, we immediately went into high alert before it dawned on us a half second later THERE ARE NO BEARS IN HAWAII. It is comforting and disappointing that I won't see such majestic creatures in the wilderness in Hawaii.

I can't pin down the exact moment when I decided that we were moving from Alaska to Hawaii. But there are a few moments that "stand out". One of them was opening a piece of mail and pulling out a bill for $108,000.00 for having my daughter medevaced to Seattle because she had salmonella (thank God for insurance!). Another was the look on my wife's face when she learned that the nearest care facility for her mom was almost 1,000 miles away. I moved to Alaska 14 years ago, and it was the best decision I ever made, but as I grow older the snow shovel seems heavier, the nearest cardiologist, dermatologist, name-your-ologist is always 1,000 miles away, the heating fuel just gets more expensive, it is just time to move on. I wish I had the foresight to move here when I was younger so I could experience the last frontier for even longer, but from now on my time in Alaska (and there WILL be more time in Alaska) is going to be spent as a tourist. Some things in Alaska will be with me forever, like the winter of 1998/1999 when we had simultaneous heavy meteor showers with record aurora- the sky was a tapestry of color, movement, and action that no words can ever describe. I watched it for hours, only going inside when the cold robbed my hands and feet of feeling. Looking a bear eye to eye so close I could have spit on it- priceless memories. But, I've never swam with dolphins. I've never seen lava flow. I've never plucked an avocado from a tree. One chapter closes, another one opens.