<p>This is incredibly sad, but these children know how to do ‘frugal’: including homework by candle light to save on electricity, washing up before school in the bathroom of Walmart, and asking friends if you can have their lunch that they don’t seem to be eating…</p>
<p>[60minutes's</a> Channel - YouTube](<a href=“60 Minutes - YouTube”>60 Minutes - YouTube)</p>
<p>We don’t have heating or other than fans and windows for cooling. We don’t use bottled water, dry cleaning nor dryer sheets (we’re allergic to the latter two). When we travel for business, we always try to combine it with some leisure as well. H brings a lot of his meals for work & we eat a lot of leftovers, which we enjoy. I do get coupons for restaurants we enjoy, so we can dine there at lower cost.</p>
<p>It is scary & alarming to me that nearly 1/2 of the kids at HI public schools (80,000 of them) have free and/or reduced lunch because of low income. Two local hospitals have just gone bankrupt and are laying off 990-1000 employees, as well as relocating long-term patients (some have lived at the hospital for years because there is no place to discharge them to). </p>
<p>I don’t see things really improving greatly around HI at this time–hope I’m wrong.</p>
<p>Post#163. This website states otherwise. Not sure what to believe.
[Health</a> Insurance Hawaii ? Affordable Quotes Now at Healthcare.org](<a href=“http://www.healthcare.org/hawaii/]Health”>http://www.healthcare.org/hawaii/)</p>
<p>Under HI law, employers HAVE to provide insurance if the worker works at least 20 hours/week. This has led to a lot of creative ways around the law, including a lot of “independent contractors” and lots of folks who work only 19 hours/week. The program that provides insurnce for low income children does provide a lot of medical insurance as well. I don’t see how this negates that there are a LOT of people with very low incomes in Hawaii, even if many have some health insurance coverage.</p>
<p>We have a LOT of workers who have low paid service jobs (retail, food service), and many work for state or federal government. Not sure what you don’t believe.</p>
<p>Here’s the article, showing that nearly 1/2 of HI public school kids (over 80K kids) have free or reduced school lunch. Also there are about 37K+ kids at private school in HI, where there is no free and reduced lunch program.</p>
<p><a href=“http://hawaiirealestateandlifestyle.blog.com/2011/02/28/hawaii-real-estate-free-and-reduced-cost-lunch-increases-in-public-schools/[/url]”>http://hawaiirealestateandlifestyle.blog.com/2011/02/28/hawaii-real-estate-free-and-reduced-cost-lunch-increases-in-public-schools/</a></p>
<p>From the today’s paper:</p>
<p>[Business</a> & Technology | 101 ways to save money in the new year | Seattle Times Newspaper](<a href=“http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2017105479_pfmoneysavingtips01.html]Business”>http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2017105479_pfmoneysavingtips01.html)</p>
<p>I have a problem with this suggestion:</p>
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<p>Get buzzed (easy to do on an empty stomach!), then drive out to eat? :eek: Why not have a potluck dinner instead at the same house - even more savings!</p>
<p>post#165, I read quickly that health care is getting worse. I thought Hawaii has one of the best health care in the states.
Not that I don’t believe the nearly 1/2 of HI public school kids (over 80K kids) have free or reduced school lunch.</p>
<p>BB, I’ll let you know when the kid know when they are going to do the rabbits and chickens. Will you provide the drinks?</p>
<p>Well, there are a lot of people in our state of HI who have medical insurance but there is a lot of trouble with low reimbursement by Medicaid. Our state provides care for a LOT of Micronesians who have many serious & complex health problems from all the nuclear testing in their area. The federal government/defense department SHOULD pay for it but our state is stuck with the bill. It’s a HUGE issue for our state.</p>
<p>Numbers can be very deceptive. We do have a lot of people who have medical insurance but that doesn’t mean our state is doing well economically. There are not all that many high-paying jobs or occupations, especially outside of Hononlulu/Oahu.</p>
<p>Having health insurance and the QUALITY of health care are two different issues, at least in my mind.</p>
<p>"When we travel for business, we always try to combine it with some leisure as well. "
HiMom, I have nothing but respect for you, but this one just doesn’t work for us. DH gets just 15 days of vacation per year, and my job has set days. Plus when your business travel is three days in Pittsburgh in winter, maybe not worth the airfare for me to join him there…what type of travel do you do?</p>
<p>Actually 15 days of vacation sounds like 3 weeks, which is considered pretty generous these days. </p>
<p>I have had to travel to speak at & attend conferences. We are generally able to stop on the West Coast (LA or SF) and visit family or D. Now that S lives in the East Coast, when we are in the area, we try to find a way to visit him as well. It does take some coordination, but often doesn’t cost much more (sometimes about an extra $50 fee, plus car rental) to stop and visit family/loved ones along the way. We also have to pay H’s airfare, since he’s not speaking, but nice that my fare is paid and my hotel for the conference, as well. </p>
<p>When H was traveling to attend training & conferences (they used to have a budget for such things decades ago) & the kids were young (up until they turned about 10 years old), we’d tag along to his conferences as I was staying at home & had unlimited flexibility. We’d also try to add on a stop to visit relatives/friends in CA as well. It worked well for us.</p>
<p>Sadly, H’s recent frenetic work schedule is making it more difficult for him to tag along these days.</p>
<p>You are so fortunate that your family is near or en route in your travels. We are still trying to find a way that Seattle is a layover between Texas and Pittsburgh.
And that 15 days counts everything that isn’t sick leave, like staying home for the plumber builder tile guy painter what have you after our flood, taking time to be home during the holidays with the college kids, etc.</p>
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<p>I thought it was interesting when I was in Wisconsin… they quit selling alcohol in retail stores at 9PM, but the bars were open until like 1 or 2AM.</p>
<p>Just a comment about “doing homework by candlelight”. Seriously, how melodramatic. Candles, even the cheapie Trader Joe’s kind, are FAR more expensive than electricity. One candle equals 6 hours of candle light…if you’re lucky. And probably less time.</p>
<p>ellebud, pretty sure that some of those families don’t have electricity (or water)…they’re homeless. Maybe they live in cars?</p>
<p>Yes, it did sound like quite a few live in cars or similar situations. I don’t think they are trying for melodrama, just telling it like they live it. Really sad that the kids are blaming themselves for their situations.</p>
<p>ellebud- If you watch the 60 Minutes video, the kids who said they were doing their homework by candlelight seem to have had their electricity shut off.</p>
<p>I was reacting to a comment by Starbright who asserted the kids were doing homework by candles. The statement is dramatic, but lacking in fact. I believe that it would be flashlights. Nitpicking perhaps. The horrible tragedy of homlessness and hunger in our country must be addressed for what it is: a failure by our families, communities, governments to assist our fellow Americans in all areas.</p>
<p>Since I am a shopper I must clean out my closets (and those of my kids and husband) at least four times per year. The Thrift Shop that I support mentioned to me that they get LOTS of donations at the end of the year. People need their tax write offs. They don’t get the donations on a regular basis. And lots of their donations aren’t usable. So, we more fortunate should help, year round.</p>
<p>…I guess I’m not frugal. But I am charitable. (And if you happen to hit that store when my friends and I donate…you would be fortunate.)</p>
<p>ellebud----re earthquake insurance. You said “they arent going to do what they did last time” What are you referring to?</p>
<p>After the last earthquake insurance companies paid for residences for as long as it was needed to fix your primary residence. Many people rented REALLY nice houses and took their time fixing their homes. Now there is a cap…something that would cover rent for a modest apartment for a short time…like a month or so.</p>
<p>In the last earthquake the deductible was one: the house and the outside combined. This time it would be separate with a very high deductible for each. If, for example, you home replacement (NOT the contents…another deductible) is 1.5 your responsibility to pay 150,000 PLUS the deductibles for contents PLUS the deductible for outside (fences, pools, retaining walls etc.) So, unless you have a total loss you would have a $150,000 to come up with before your insurance kicks in…for the house. Depending on content costs…again…high deductible. Have a swimming pool that’s cracked? Another deductible.</p>
<p>Read your earthquake policy for specifics. Obviously companies differ. We have a top of the line policy…and if there is an earthquake we will have to spend a lot of money to fix this house.</p>
<p>We have an “old” house, for Los Angeles. We could get insurance unless our home was bolted. We had it done when we moved in: THEN it was $11,000. No bolts…you’re insurance is void…if you claimed that it was bolted.</p>
<p>I’m sure you know, as we do, people who had their homes gutted and improved on the taxpayers’ and insurance companies’ dime. I am no fan of insurance companies. But earthquake insurance is important…but will only payoff if there is a big one. Earthquake that is.</p>