One of the most common problems when moving to Oahu is saving money. How do you budget so that you get to enjoy Oahu while also affording necessities? In my experience, there are three main ways to save money on Oahu:
Save on groceries!
The ABSOLUTE, MOST IMPORTANT part of saving money comes from your daily habits. Ultimately meaning your grocery bill. It’s common knowledge on Oahu that we ride or die Costco.
And this is for very good reason! Costco by far has the best deals and cheapest groceries on the island. You can buy in bulk and stock up, you can split groceries with friends and family, and you can find all sorts of in-store deals and discounts.
Personally, I like to buy my cheeses in bulk and freeze them, making them last virtually forever. A friend also recently told me about Costco’s $3 deals, where every week an item in their frozen section is marked down to $3.
I also love shopping at Target and using their app to locate deals and coupons in addition to the ones I find throughout the store. These discounts generally add up and save you tons of money on your grocery bill.
Groceries are notoriously one of the most expensive parts of living on Oahu, but by finding good deals you can save money and make the bill drastically smaller.
Outside = free!
Now, this is not true 100% of the time, but most places on Oahu that aren’t popular tourist destinations are free. That means beaches, hikes, and drives along the coast come at no extra cost!
There are places where you do have to pay a small fee, for example: Haumea Bay, Diamondhead Crater, and Manoa Falls. But there are also lots of places that you don’t: any north shore beach, the Ma’ili Pillbox hike, Koko Crater hike, Makapu’u Lighthouse Trail, China Walls, Spitting Cave, and more.
While some things may not always be entirely free, you can still save money by planning your own excursions. If you want to go snorkeling but don’t want to pay for expensive rentals or tours, you can always grab a cheap set at Costco and drive around to the beach of your choice. Fun doesn’t need to be expensive on Oahu!
Hunt for cheap eats!
Now, I know that buying groceries and committing to always cook for yourself isn’t ideal either when there’s so many amazing food options to enjoy. Exploring the local food is one of my absolute favorite parts of living on Oahu. There is such a wide variety and so many highly rated places. Therefore, you need to maximize your budget so it can stretch as far as possible.
Choosing food trucks and casual eats over restaurants has saved me SO much money in the long run. Especially when it comes to food trucks, if you pay with cash it is almost always cheaper. This is because the vendors don’t have to charge you a credit card fee, so it’s also cheaper and simpler for them!
There are money-saving deals out there, you just need to know where to look. For instance, Koa Pancake House has a Small Bites menu that has everything under $8. Costco also has its famous food court that offers reasonably priced pizza and hotdogs among other things. Foodland and Down to Earth are other popular grocery stores that offer counter services with affordable and delicious options.
What are your favorite money-saving hacks for living on Oahu? Let’s chat below!
