Affordable Paradise [Paperback]

H. Skip Thomsen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2001

Have you ever dreamed of living in Hawaii? Living in the Islands has remained a dream to many, largely because Hawaii’s reputation of an out-of-reach cost of living.

"Affordable Paradise: the Secrets of an Affordable Life in Hawaii" dispels the myth that it is terribly expensive to live in Hawaii. You will learn why all those "statistics" about housing prices and the cost of living do not apply to those who are serious about affordable living. You'll learn the secrets of making the most of every dollar--and that does work differently here than on the mainland.

The focus of “Affordable Paradise” is the Big Island of Hawaii, and particularly the Windward Side, a place of awesome beauty and incredible variety. The Windward side graciously embraces the essence of Hawaii: the lush, tropical ambiance; the gentle and easy pace of life; friendly people of many cultures; the perfect weather; the warm, crystal-clear, ocean; the sparkling clean air; the spirit of aloha.

Also covered are the proven guidelines of making your move to the Islands for minimum cost and hassle, from the planning stages to unpacking your container at your new Hawaii home; resources and ideas for income and retirement opportunities, a Virtual Tour of the entire Island, and much more.

You won't have to wade through pages of tables and charts of statistics to get to the bounty of both philosophical and nuts-and-bolts information. And should you be interested in reviewing statistical data, the Resource Guide directs you to some of the best available.

But before you jump in to start looking for that new home, please understand that "Affordable Paradise" is not an effort to sell Hawaii to the masses. It is as much to discourage those who would not be at ease here as it is to encourage those to whom Hawaii could forever be their home. To that end, the author strives to present both sides of the picture. You will not hear that Hawaii is everyone's Paradise, because clearly, it is not. But for those who are at peace here and who yearn from their hearts and souls to live here, we offer ways to make it possible and affordable. You can live a gracious and rewarding life in Hawaii on a modest income, and you're about to discover how.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I moved here from the mainland, and I can tell you from experience - this book is right on." -- Melissa Weber, andHawaii.com, Hawaii Travel Information, Nov. '01

"I moved here from the mainland, and I can tell you from experience - this book is right on." -- Melissa Weber, andHawaii.com, Hawaii Travel Information, 11/15/'01

"If others find your enthusiasm as contagious as I did, your’e on your way to a very popular title." -- Pelin Thornhill, Lonely Planet Publications, April, '01

"If others find your enthusiasm as contagious as I did, your’e on your way to a very popular title!" -- Pelin Thornhill, Lonely Planet Publications 4/21/01

From the Publisher

Finally! Two "Firsts" in one package! Not only a comprehensive guide covering the Windward Side of the Big Island, but one that addresses affordable living in Hawaii! Not often do you get to hear “affordable” in the same title as “Hawaii!”

There are already many Hawaii Guidebooks, and most cover the Big Island to the point of telling folks that all there is to see is the Volcano and perhaps a few marijuana patches. There are even Guide Books that specifically address the Big Island, and they handily dismiss the Windward (Hilo) Side the same way. Or worse.

The folks who live on the fantastically beautiful and serenely peaceful Windward Side wouldn’t live anywhere else. Mr. Thomsen, who has been an East Hawaii resident for over eight years, has discovered the real beauty of Hawaii here and has watched many people come and go in their quest for Island living. He and his wife, Camille, have also been fielding questions for years about how they can afford to live in such an expensive place. His book is a heart-felt guide to those who yearn to live in Hawaii, offering ways to make it work on a budget, and perhaps more importantly, offering the tools with which the reader can assess his or her own “island-life compatibility.”

Oregon Wordworks is proud to present this new title and is eagerly awaiting Mr. & Mrs. Thomsen’s promised future book all about their favorite little city in the world, Hilo, Hawaii.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Oregon Wordworks (October 2001)
• ISBN-10: 0962596094
• ISBN-13: 978-0962596094
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,743,378 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fairly informative, but very specialized, March 11, 2002

By 

M. Broderick "mikebinok" (Oklahoma City, OK USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Affordable Paradise (Paperback)

I was attracted to this book partly because the authors focus on the same idea I had reached on my own--That the Big Island, especially the Eastern side, is one of the most affordable places to live for those settling in Hawaii.
The book does deliver reasonably good information on that subject, but is of very limited use if you are intent on settling elsewhere in the Islands. It does have two chapters I thought were very worthwhile in a more general sense--One on the reasons NOT to move to Hawaii, including some insights on how to predict if you might be unhappy there, and a chapter on the detailed process of packing, moving, and shipping your possessions.
Overall, a rather limited book. On the other hand, if you are actually considering making the huge leap of moving to Hawaii, the limited cost and short time it takes to read this book may be very good investments, even if you don't fit the model of a settler on the Big Island. I should give fair warning, I have NOT (yet) moved to Hawaii, so my evaluation of the book is based on logic and instinct rather than personal experience with making the big move!

42 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Multiply by 2, April 3, 2004

By 

scott fothergill "Sraj" (Hilo, Hi, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Affordable Paradise: The Secrets of an Affordable Life in Hawaii (Paperback)

Just back from a 16 day adventure around the big isle (April '04) and I can easily say that this '01 edition is already way out of date. In most cases you can multiply by 2 on the prices given, so be prepared. Realize that in the last year alone the prices for Hawaii real estate have gone bananas. For example in an article that recently appeared on the Honolulu Advertiser's front page entitled, "Kaua'i housing prices 'insane'" it was shown that the median price for a Kaua'i condo had gone from $227K to $420K in one year! On the big isle, which is the focus of this book, condo prices only went up 38%. Residential property went up 19% As a real estate agent here in Sedona who has already made contacts to be licensed in Hawaii, I was amazed. Using this book and the best guide book of the island, Hawaii, The Big Island Revealed by Doughty and Friedman, we put over 1300 miles on the rental car touring the island. After a week in the the beauty and traffic of Kona (high land prices!), we visited Hawi, Waimea (where I used to live in the 70's), and the Hamakua coast before settling into the constant rain of Hilo. We had 10 inches one day and after 4 straight days of being house-bound we visited Paradise Park and then headed back to south Kona through Volcano for at least the chance of Sunshine.
Affordable Paradise was useful to a point and the author's obvious slant is towards the cheaper housing alternatives found principally in Puna. Even those prices are no longer relevant again by a factor of 2 times for the most part. Just don't get this book and expect to find a paradise home for under $100K that is the value and beauty you may be looking for. That said, we are in escrow now for what we think is a marvelous area - an area this book hardly touches on. The 1/3 acre lots are going for $40-85K and have lots of advantages - 800' elevation, 20-30 inches of rain/year, slower pace. So you can find something and this book will help propel you forward. Also the moving-portion may prove valuable as we are now preparing to relocate. Perhaps the fact that on the next to last day we swam with a dozen delightful dolphins at Hoo'kena Beach makes it easy to see why Hawaii has us ready to return.
Good luck and Aloha!

47 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars There are better books on life in Hawai`i, July 9, 2006

By 

sunmoonstar7 (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Affordable Paradise: The Secrets of an Affordable Life in Hawaii (Paperback)

I've been seriously thinking about making the move to Hawai`i and decided picked up this book on my last trip to O`ahu. I have done a lot of research on Hawai`i and have a number of friends who have and still live in the state. Although the author has lived in Hawai`i for 13 years, it sure seems that he still has some things to learn about living in Hawai`i.

1) The book is titled "Affordable Paradise: The Secrets of an Affordable Life in Hawaii;" however, this title is very misleading. The book entirely focuses on moving and living on the Big Island of Hawai`i...not moving to the state of Hawai`i. The book description on the back is vague and you don't find out that the book focuses on the Big Island until you start reading the book (at least the author is kind enough to state this fact on the first couple pages...though it is a bit frustrating if you already bought this book and you intend on moving to another island). The author has some good information in Chapters 5-7 that can be applied to other islands; however, the book as a whole isn't very useful if you plan on moving to any of the other Hawaiian Islands.

2) The author tends to ramble and his points tend to get lost in the text. I think his writing is an attempt at "talking story;" however, it isn't conveyed very well in the book.

3) The author makes an attempt at using the `okina...a diacritical mark found in the Hawaiian language that marks a glottal stop and is represented by a *reverse* apostrophe. However, the `okina is incorrectly represented throughout the book as an apostrophe. In addition, the author incorrectly uses the `okina in the word "Hawaiian," which he writes as "Hawai'ian." The word "Hawaiian" is not a Hawaiian word (all words in the Hawaiian language end with a vowel) and does not have an `okina. The way he writes the word is pronounced "Ha-wai-i-an" instead of the correct "Ha-wai-an."

4) The author confuses the term "local" with the word "kama`aina." Kama`aina is the term used for anyone, white or otherwise, who have lived in the islands long enough to understand the nuances of life in Hawai`i. However, the author uses "local" in lieu of kama`aina and states that "local" refers to white and non-white residents. This is not quite right...typically, the term "local" in Hawai`i refers to non-white kama`aina only.

5) The author sites a number of comments/complaints of people who have attempted to live in Hawai`i and had bad experiences. He just dismisses their experiences and states that their perceptions were just too negative and they would never had made it. This gives the impression that the author is "talking stink" about these individuals! It probably would have been more diplomatic to use these comments to illustrate that the issues that these individuals bring up (i.e. drugs, prejudice, the threat of natural disaster) can shatter the illusion of an easy life in the islands and that some people are unable to live with these issues.

6) My major point of contention is that the author completely dismisses the issue of prejudice and racism by saying that those who experience prejudice from locals (particularly whites) just do not have enough aloha in their hearts. He actually goes so far as to say "...most of the locals, particularly those of Hawai'an ancestry, can see auras. They Know immediately if a person in their midst is there in love or if that person has a pre-conceived notion that generates fear or some other negative emotion in themselves." Sorry, but prejudice and racism in Hawai`i is a very *real" and *major* issue...just because the author hasn't been the victim of racism in Hawai`i doesn't mean it doesn't exist! I know several people who have lived or who currently live in Hawai`i who have been the victims of racism...and they have *plenty* of aloha in their hearts. I also experienced some unprovoked racism on one of my visits to O`ahu (a local yelled at me while I was waiting at a bus stop to go back to the mainland where I belong). Being fully informed of this issue, I understood where the guy was coming from...it didn't bother me too much and didn't sour my taste for Hawai`i. I truly feel that the author completely oversimplifies the intricacies of a prevalent and complex problem that exists in Hawai`i.

If you are seriously thinking about relocating to Hawai`i, I highly recommend "So You Want to Live in Hawaii" by Toni Polancy. I found this book to be a much more valuable resource than "Affordable Paradise"...it gives you the true nitty gritty about living in Hawai`i (including all of its problems), gives an overview of the pros and cons of each island, and shows that living in the Aloha State can be very challenging, but also very rewarding.