The cost of living in Hawaii vs Texas

I was looking for a cost of living calculator to see what a salary in Honolulu, Hawaii would have to be compared to what it is in Dallas, Texas. I don't remember the link but I think it was off cnn.com or money.com. The calculator already had an amount of $45k so I went with it. I selected Dallas and Honolulu and this is what it gave me.

Can you freaking believe that you have to make almost double what you make in Dallas to make a comparable salary in Honolulu?! What the hell!? It's that damn tourist industry making the COLA higher. I'm sure there is no way or barely a way that the locals are surviving on a minimalist's salary like this! $45k barely goes that far in Dallas!

It's also an interesting feature on this calculator when it shows where and what percent the increase is: 235% Housing, 55% Groceries and 50% Utilities.

No wonder there are so many houseless people in Hawaii—as I was told by a local the majority of the people on the streets are not homeless but houseless because they own a house but cannot afford to live in it. Sad...

We are destined to be infested with rodents or insects

A beehive has been constructed in my attic. I actually took this picture like a week and a half ago but just got around to posting it. My friend was over one weekend and happened to see something "leaking" from the eave of the roof down the front wall. I had my nephew climb up to touch the substance and my friend, Shawn, tasted it and said it was honey.

I climbed into the attic with my trusty flashlight. I was cautious to listen for buzzing but didn't hear any. I found the area that would be adjacent to the outside where it was leaking and move the insulation, slowly as to not stir any bees waiting in stealth mode for attacking.

This is what I saw...


It's like Amityville Horror.

The following Tuesday the exterminator came out to make sure the bees were dead and then returned on Friday to remove the hive because new bees will take over the hive if left in tact, not to mention the honey attracts ants, flies, and other insects.

It's crazy, man, crazy!

No work or class today

I didn't go to work today. We made it a possible visit-every-living-domicile-for-rent-you-can day. It's final. We are definitely moving into the $1550 duplex. We put down a $1000 deposit and signed the lease. All we have to do now is wait for move-in day.

I really should take this extra time to start my paper but I don't think that's going to happen. I tried to be good about it but I just can't get really motivated to do so. I'm such a slacker!

I had to run to the credit union today to make my car payment. For some reason, they send me a statement sporadically these days. I got one last month and I think the month before but I don't recall getting one this month. Of course, I could have gotten one and the wifey placed it some where like I tell her she shouldn't but she does anyway. So, then it gets lost and I have to make a 20 minute drive to the credit union to put it in the night deposit. I can't fully blame this one on her but I'd give it a 50/50 chance. She won't like that I said that.

The kids liked it though. They just like to get out and go sometimes, especially if there is a possibility that we will stop by my parents' house. They are no longer alive but there's something my kids dig about going there. I'm sure part of it is because it has a huge ass yard they can play in versus the 4 x 10 slab of cement we have out back of our apartment/condo. It's nice though that they like it. I think it may also bring them a sense of comfort knowing they are in the house of their grandparents.

I wish they got more time with my mom and dad. It's unfair really. Most of my older brothers and sisters' kids got to have 10-20 years with them. Mine barely got 3-5. I'm sure my nieces and nephews miss their grandparents as well, some more than others, but I don't think they felt the same joy and fun and excitement that my kids did when they went to see my parents. Most of my nieces and nephews came over because their parents were fighting and the safest place was my parents' house. They didn't always or even mostly come over just to flat out visit or play. My kids only went to play and hang out with their grandparents. At the ages of 4 and 2, 5 and 3, they loved working in the garden with my mom or being pulled in a wagon or pushed in a dual stroller during a walk with my parents. They loved when my mom would sing to them when they got hurt and cater to their pain. They loved when she cooked for them. They loved when my dad would let them do things that I NEVER got to do when I was their age. Best yet, they got to feel deep, true love that my parents showed them when they came over. My parents enjoyed having them over because they weren't "watching" them. I didn't pawn my kids off to my parents so I could go have fun without them and my parents knew that. My parents could not wait for us to wake up in the morning (when we lived next door) so they could come over and see my kids or take them back to their house for breakfast or to play in the yard or do whatever.

I guess my kids still feel that when they go to my parents' now, after they've been gone for over a year. Then again, I have no earthly idea what is so fantastic about being in my parents' house for them. I like it because I remember the memories when I see them play in the yard as I did as a child. I guess the memories are what they like too.

Anyway, I don't know how I got off on that Kodak moment but I'll stop.

So, problem of having a new house to live in is solved (for now unless something goes wrong). Now, I just need to start my paper, hopefully sometime today but I'm sure I'll freakin' procrastinate until Sunday. I know myself too well but Sunday will be tough because I have hockey at 4 and then 7. I guess I'll need to get up early like last week and start it.

Have I mentioned that I hate school!? And working for a living? And having to move?

Getting evicted sucks

The only thing that makes my eviction okay is that I'm not being booted for doing something wrong. Is that finding a positive in such a sucky situation?

We have looked at a rental house and a duplex so far. The rental house it basically down the street from where we live now. It had 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, a kitchen with a dining area, a separate dining area, living area and a den. It had a small front yard which wasn't a problem. The back yard was good size but it had no real grass growing mainly because it is pretty shaded by trees. There was a garage although only a Mini would be the type of car that would fit in it. Wouldn't be a problem though because I would have just used it for storage. Above the garage there was an efficiency that was being rented to a college student. Again, not a problem except it is just kind of weird that 1)someone would live SO close to the house and 2)someone would actually live in such a shit hole! My wife and I both though it was a dilapidated but apparently not. My kids like the house but we weren't sold. It had wooden floors throughout except in the kitchen there was cheap ass linoleum. You could see the kitchen floor sort of bowing because the house is an old pier-and-beam home. Still not too much of a problem. It wasn't quite kept up like we would want it. It was actually pretty run down looking. We opened the water heater closet and there were rat pellets on the floor which meant if they are there, they are probably other places as well. It wasn't completely the landlord's fault because the previous tenant hadn't actually full moved out yet. Although, the landlord didn't exactly sound like she was going to fix up much of the house for us to move into anyway. They were asking $1400/month for rent. That wasn't too bad because I pay $1335 now but that's ALL bills paid (utilities - gas, water, electric). This is the part that I'm not looking forward to because I've been spoiled with one payment, one check at the beginning of each month. We weren't excited about the prospect of having to move into there but we aren't exactly in a completely flexible situation. We said we'd think about it and think about it hard.

We decided against the rat hole although it was still an option if it came down to the street or the rat hole. I think the rat hole would win.

We did a quick walk-through on a duplex because the tenants are still in it. More so than the rat hole. The rat hole had all the previous tenant's stuff out of it. The duplex still had all their stuff in it and they weren't moving out until the end of the month. This was a 2 bedroom, 2 bath, kitchen, dining room, den room, living room and sort of storage room/walkway. It also had a nice, little patio and yard in the back of the duplex. It looked way better than the rat hole. It was really nice. The guy was asking $1650 which is way more than we have been paying and again it didn't include all bills paid. Man, this is going to suck living somewhere else. As previously mentioned, we've been spoiled to the Nth degree. Sucks! Sucks!

We liked the duplex but are hesitant because of the monthly rent. $1650 is basically three-quarters of my take home pay a month. Times are going to be really tough and our plans to pay a lot of our credit card debt down this summer is not going to happen but at least we won't be living with the rats! Not yet, anyway!

We went home and discussed it. We didn't like the $200-300 extra in rent alone but like I said, it was much nicer and we are in a bit of a bind. It's still in the same school district. It's nicer than all the others we've seen (we've seen one other, lol). It's a little further from my work but I guess we can't have EVERYTHING the way we want it.

So, it looks like we'll be taking the $1650 duplex. It actually may be $1550 because the landlord said he'd take off $100 if he didn't paint. We said that would be fine depending on how bad the walls look after the current tenant moves. I hope they are fine because I would really like the extra $100 off.

It's funny. The $1400 rat hole landlord called to say that she'd take off $100 as well, making the rent $1300. That would be nice but I don't think the place is cleaned enough to be habitable, especially with my allergic-to-everything children! It was a tough call price-wise but my kids' health is more important and apparently expensive. LOL!

So, we move in to the new place around July 1st. I'm not looking forward to the packing and moving. I hate moving and I always have but I've lived in 4 different places in 6 years. How's that for hating moving? It's the wife's fault. She can't stay in one place for more than two years. Of course, the place we are having to vacate was a good choice. The best choice she has made so far.