About two months before starting this blog I booked a one way ticket to Honolulu from Wisconsin. It had been over a year after I graduated college, I hadn’t made much of myself back home, and all I knew is I wanted to see the world, follow my passion for scuba diving, and invest at a young age.
I ran the risks versus rewards in my head and decided there was a huge upside with little downside. I saved up enough cash to live here frugally for about six months. On the upside, I could follow my passion for scuba diving, meet a gorgeous Asian woman, and enjoy the beach everyday! On the downside, I would have lived in Hawaii for six months and start right where I left off back home.
When running the numbers before I left I realized that I could live on significantly less than what everyone was telling me back home.
Some of the Naysayers said:
“Hawaii’s too expensive”
“You won’t be able to make it out there”
“Milk is $8 a gallon”
It turns out, that they were wrong.
So Why’d I Move Here?
1. Wanted to be in a warm climate all year round so that I could exercise outside and ride my bike to work.
2. Wanted to be able to scuba dive - this is one of my passions that I’m following which is more important to me than money.
3. I Heard there were hotter women in Hawaii than in Wisconsin (I kid… kinda)
4. It’s one of the many places I wanted to explore in my lifetime.
5. I thought the experience of putting myself out there would help me grow and challenge me, thus building character and making me a more rounded person.
Now, I did a bit of research before I came here, as a bachelor. I looked on craigslist for apartments, estimated cost of living, and all that jazz and I noticed it was affordable… If I was frugal.
Here’s a breakdown of my expenses before I left, and my current expenses:
My expenses in Wisconsin
Rent: 300 (3 guys in a house)
Utilities: 100 (I had cable there as well cause the roommates wanted it)
Car Insurance: 80
Gas: 150
Groceries: 150
Gym: 35
Total: 815 / month
My expenses in Honolulu
Rent: 650 (I have a roommate in a two bedroom apt 1 mile from the beach)
Utilities: 50 (turn off the lights)!
Groceries: 250 (A bit on the high side because I invest in healthy food)
Gym: 45
Total: 995 / month
Alright, so I’m a bit of a frugal maniac, but I have a ton of time on my hands, the ability to work more if I want, and most of the things I do all year round are free such as: snorkeling, running, reading, hiking, and sight seeing. I also bike to work and almost everywhere else, otherwise I’ll just take the bus or hitch a ride with a friend.
I do realize there are other expenses that do pop up, but these are the basics, my budget doesn’t fluctuate much from this.
This is proof that if you want you can live in any city you’d like for below minimum wage. My monthly income is about twice my expenses at the moment so I have plenty to spend if I wanted, but am using it to also pay down my debts.
Try running your numbers in a city you’d like to live in and then ask yourself… why am I not living there?
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Our lives are fleeting… even more so than we realize. Knowing this it is important for us to seize opportunities as they are laid out before us. If you didn’t do it now, you never would have.
Bravo. And bravo for living below your means!
Great stuff man! I just came back from parking my car at the Honolulu Zoon. A quarter buys 15 minutes here, but only 6 minutes in San Francisco! lol.
Very excited to know that you are living your dream here in Honolulu! Will be exciting to see your pics, and other neat things from your adventure.
Best, Sam
That’s the thing — naysayers are naysayers because they haven’t tried it, and they aren’t willing to take that risk.
It’s why I just don’t tell people any more that I want to relocate to Dallas to work there.
I have my own reasons, and it just annoys me when people try to “help” to the point where they frustrate you because they don’t seem to be listening to you.
What happens to each person is subjective to that person.
Ryan,
How long do you plan to live in Honolulu? I love it man. Most people only talk about doing something like this. You’re actually doing it.
Kevin, I plan on staying indefinitely, I didn’t have a plan to head back to the home base anytime soon. One of the things I’m working on is living a mobile lifestyle… fairly inspired by a Mr. Ferris of the 4-hour workweek on this one, so I’ll be here for as long as I still enjoy it then probably hop somewhere else when I don’t.
Your blog post hit home for me because I’ve always weighed staying at home, making a lot of money and building a real estate portfolio like my folks did vs. Hitting the road, exploring the world and taking chances. I’ve decided to take the road less travelled I suppose and hopefully this blog will be an outlet for my conservative, “need to be in control” side.
I’m not money hungry at all and there are a lot more important things in life, but I do desire the ability to be free which does require being financially savvy. Having this freedom allows you to uses your resources and time to help others who also need it more, which is my main motivator. Not BMW’s and penthouses.
What was your main motivator for starting your blog?
Hopefully I didn’t rant too much there. Thanks for the compliment!
@ Fabulous - What do you like about Dallas? I’ve never been there.
I enjoyed reading the 4HWW book. Good stuff in there.
I started my blog as a way to maybe make an extra few bucks talking about the activities I engage in already (investing, money management, etc.).
My ultimate goal would be to generate full time level income from my blog (and maybe a couple blogs at some point) and have complete flexibility as you describe and be able to “work” from anywhere.
Look forward to reading your blog as well.