47 comments

Second Hawaiian Meetup – this Friday, Waikiki Beach

Mr. and Little MM, making stuff on the beach as usual

Mr. and Little MM, making stuff on the beach as usual

The Mustache family is in final sightseeing mode this week before heading back to the mainland on January 13th to brave the rest of winter in Colorado.  We’ve got a rental car and everything now, so we are squeezing in all the distant destinations of Oahu throughout the week (it’s a whole 2-hour drive from end-to-end at the prevailing low speeds). Up to now, we’ve been generally staying within sandal range of the house, since everything you really need is right here. And man, what a nice time we have had living here. Peaceful. I will miss it.

So anyway, a few people have suggested we hang out one last time. This Friday night, we’ll be in Honolulu to catch the sunset and the fireworks, and there’s a perfect place on Waikiki beach that seemed rather Mustachian in nature to me when I scoped it out on an earlier walk past. A public park, green and filled with beautiful trees, is right there on the beach, in the midst of all the expensive hotels. There are even picnic tables and charcoal grills, so anyone can go there and get the same benefits the guests at the Hilton get next door.. for free. I like it. This is the spot, right at the center of the map:

Where:  http://goo.gl/Qd6RV

When: 4PM ’til whenever*

Of course, on that particular night, the MMM family actually DOES have a nearby hotel booked for the night, as a special occasion and to let us stay out late and because little MM loves hotels. (Hopefully you can cut me some slack on that one – it’s the only hotel of the entire vacation, and we’ve managed to do the whole trip with a total of Zero restaurant meals and one bar drink, which is not too bad).

I’m planning to actually attempt to cook up some dinner there -bringing a bit of charcoal for one of the grills. So if you happen to be on the Honolulu side of that island that night and would like to tip a glass or grill an item with your fellow Mustachians that night, stop by! I’d love to meet you (or see you again if you went to the first one in Kailua) in person.

 

*although these are family-friendly events, last time the party technically went all night as one person missed the last bus home and had to stay for breakfast, which was great fun :-) 

  • Will January 7, 2013, 10:47 am

    Wish I was there with you!

    Reply
  • Jamesqf January 7, 2013, 11:29 am

    Humm… Since you bring up the braving the rest of the winter thing (I like it myself, but tastes differ), what do you think your sojourn in Hawai’i will have done to your bodies’ adaptation to ambient temperatures? Will you be setting the Mustache Mansion’s thermostat at 78, and complaining about the chill?

    Reply
    • Freeyourchains January 9, 2013, 8:14 am

      If anything they will be very tanned from the occasional sunburns they got for not putting sunblock lotion on every single day, even during cloudy days.

      Reply
  • Jane Savers @ The Money Puzzle January 7, 2013, 11:39 am

    Minus 9 celsius with a wind on an overcast Canadian day. Wish I was anywhere sunny and wondering how much marketing of your blog you did in the beginning.

    Reply
  • smedlyb January 7, 2013, 12:20 pm

    Handsome boy, MMM.

    Damn, missing the meet and greet by a few weeks. Oh well, I guess I’ll have to try to enjoy my two weeks in paradise anyways. lol!

    Reply
  • Nords (The-Military-Guide.com) January 7, 2013, 12:36 pm

    I’ll be there around 4:30 with more tangerines!

    I’ll also bring my 9’0″ and my 10’0″ if anyone wants a loaner or a lesson.

    Reply
    • Anner January 11, 2013, 1:08 pm

      YES, I want a lesson!! I would like to take you up on this soon, Nords. Sadly we won’t make this gathering.

      Reply
      • Nords (The-Military-Guide.com) January 12, 2013, 8:07 am

        No problem, Anner, let me know when an opportunity crops up for you guys. White Plains Beach is my favorite break for teaching– Waikiki is a longer paddle out.

        If it’s any consolation, the surf was flat and the boards didn’t even come out of the car…

        Reply
  • Spring January 7, 2013, 2:22 pm

    ” I’ll also bring my 9’0″ and my 10’0″ if anyone wants a loaner or a lesson.”

    My British mind is boggled as to what you might mean!

    Have fun anyway!

    Reply
    • lurker January 7, 2013, 2:43 pm

      surfboards you perve!!! LOL…..though…truly LOL!

      Reply
  • TheG8orwhocalculated January 7, 2013, 2:30 pm

    9’0″ and 10’0″, I’m presuming, are longboards (long surfboards)

    Reply
  • Mortgage Mutilator January 7, 2013, 3:35 pm

    haha I LOVE that spot! It’s where DW and I spent a good amount of our Hawaii holiday a few years ago :-D We were actually staying at the Hilton Hotel though :P

    It has a fantastic view of Diamond Head Crater there as well and the fireworks every Friday night are awesome. *sigh*… wish I was there again. The Hawaiian weather was so nice… 26 degrees. Every. Single. Day.

    Reply
  • MG January 7, 2013, 4:55 pm

    Aaaaah yes – Fort DeRussy Beach park. I often read in the shade of one of the trees.

    Enjoy and aloha!

    Reply
  • Maverick January 8, 2013, 2:16 am

    When I think of Hawaii and financial independence, I think of a bicycle rental owner on Maui who tows a trailer full of bicycles with a van full of tourists up the crater in the morning. There he gives instruction to meet below hours later at a vineyard where he and his wife lay out a lunch spread at the end. They do this most of the year. Their afternoons are free. Where do they take their family for vacation? Skiiing in Colorado, of course!

    Reply
  • James @ Free in Ten Years January 8, 2013, 3:03 am

    I’d love to be there. It’s great you guys have had such a good time. Hawaii is on my list for my October holiday and is rising towards the top.

    Reply
  • Chris January 8, 2013, 3:04 am

    Great spot! Wife and I were just there-stayed at the Hale Koa. Great Beach Parks on either side of the Hale Koa. I recommend the park between the Hale Koa And the Hilton-better proximity to beach and the fireworks! Wish I was there!

    Reply
    • Mr. Money Mustache January 8, 2013, 6:41 pm

      Yes, that’s the spot we’ll be – the little park between the hotels, not the bigger park to the South.

      Reply
  • Midlife Finance January 8, 2013, 10:08 am

    I’m really jealous. It’s cold and rainy here and I can’t wait until summer. Enjoy your last week in paradise.

    Reply
  • Charlotte January 8, 2013, 12:25 pm

    I just spent a week on that beach at the Hilton (staying with friends to avoid hotels too). It was lovely, especially escaping from the Massachusetts winter.

    Reply
  • Nate January 8, 2013, 6:27 pm

    Your self control even on vacation is impressive. I’m usually the guy that tries to save as much as possible every month, but on vacations I’m like “screw it!” This does give me hope for my Universal vacation this summer. I know it’s a tourist trap, but we need to experience Harry Potter at least once.

    Reply
    • Mr. Money Mustache January 8, 2013, 6:49 pm

      Ahh, there’s your problem. I didn’t even know what a “Universal vacation” was.. I assumed you were talking about a trip where you’d do both kayaking AND bicycling. Then after you mentioned Harry Potter, I figured out you must be talking about some big library and you’d go check out all the books in the series. Only after further research did I realize there is a theme park called “Universal”.

      Yet another example of the many ways having no TV saves you so much money!

      Reply
      • Joshua Spodek January 8, 2013, 8:13 pm

        The problem wasn’t your understanding of the words “Universal” or “Harry Potter.” It was his understanding of the word “need.”

        Reply
      • Nate January 9, 2013, 7:50 am

        I actually just took the plunge of cutting the cord. I wrote about it yesterday on my blog: http://nomoremoneyhandcuffs.blogspot.com/2013/01/internet-cable-100.html?m=1 Still trying to find out an internet solution though. I need to be able to stream media efficiently, but I don’t want to pay out the ass for it.

        Reply
        • Jamesqf January 11, 2013, 12:20 pm

          Funny, the cost of my cable internet (I don’t do TV, and it’s a business expense since I work at home) went from $60 to $30 this year, with a claimed (I haven’t noticed any difference myself) higher speed connection.

          Reply
    • BeatTheSeasons January 12, 2013, 3:08 am

      I experienced Harry Potter once. I read one of the books. You can get them free from the library. If you’re feeling really lazy you can watch one of the ‘movies’ instead. Is the theme park like some kind of Disneyland where actors pretend to be the characters? I’m intrigued.

      Reply
  • Alex January 9, 2013, 12:07 am

    I will be there, I missed the last meetup and this one is better since I can moped down…

    Reply
    • Mr. Money Mustache January 11, 2013, 6:04 pm

      Excellent Alex! Looking forward to it! (Just checked in at aqua palms hotel across the street where we lucked out with a 15th floor suite with great views.)

      Reply
  • Freeyourchains January 9, 2013, 8:02 am

    Everyone availabe to go should go fishing and/or take some local fruit from the local trees with you to share and cook.

    It will be like the Tale of the Mexican Fisherman, which Jacob at ERE likes.

    Reply
  • partgypsy January 9, 2013, 8:09 am

    I will be there in spirit!

    Reply
  • Sean January 9, 2013, 11:51 am

    Wish I could be there, sir.

    Absolutely love this series. If you ever want to visit the beautiful California Bay Area, let me know. I could sure use a hand putting a slab in my garage. ;)

    Reply
  • Jane Savers @ The Money Puzzle January 10, 2013, 6:57 am

    Cruises are a waste of money?
    Don’t let your investments go down with a sinking ship?

    Is there some deep meaning to the new photo at the top of the blog? Enlightenment please.

    Reply
    • Self-Employed-Swami January 10, 2013, 9:54 am

      I just noticed that now. Too funny!

      My husband and I took a cruise once, with family members. It was expensive, and kind of boring, but absolutely opulent, if you want people waiting on you hand and foot.

      We may do it again someday, as I hear it is the best way to see the Alaska coastline.

      Have fun tomorrow. Hawaii will be much nicer than the northern winter wasteland that I currently inhabit.

      Reply
  • Freeyourchains January 10, 2013, 7:43 am

    I am working on freeing my chains. Turning 26 soon, paid off college debts, paid off high quality and fuel efficient car that i will run into the ground for work, but will use less and less as i move closer to various work locations throughout my career. I vacation usually to friends and family overseas at least once a year on a frugal travel expense. I have “lived with friends/family” in Oahu for 6 weeks of my life, the best weather and sunshine i have ever experienced in my life with soo many tropical native fruit trees in the right locations. That could be 1/2 of your food intake right there, all year round. Fish and vegetables as the other half.

    Hawaii is roughly the same longitude as Mexico, so the many Mexican Fisherman versus American Capitalist stories become more apparent in Hawaii.

    Retire extremely young with $200k-$400k, or work all your life and retire old with $1.5M or $300k if you spent it all?

    IPO and fish for 3 hours every other day at age 67, or just fish for 3 hours every other day at age 25?

    It’s hard to surf at Lunch time in Honolulu with dress shoes on.

    Mainlanders mock hawaiians because of their laid back “aloha time”, when in reality they are experiencing “early retirement extreme time”.

    Reply
    • Jamesqf January 11, 2013, 12:23 pm

      Tastes differ, but I find my work’s a lot more interesting than fishing.

      Reply
  • MartinC January 10, 2013, 5:15 pm

    Yo MMM, I just lined you up another nice long gig in Honolulu, if you’re interested in remaining in Oahu. Check your email for details. Boy, karma must really like you!

    Reply
  • Mr 1500 January 11, 2013, 11:54 am

    Whoah, what’s going on with the new site graphic? No more “Badassity?” I hope you are not bowing to the wishes of Chase, not that I would blame you too much if you did (4K/month could go a long way to funding MMM Junior’s higher level education).

    Reply
    • Mr. Money Mustache January 11, 2013, 5:39 pm

      Actually, that funny new logo was designed by junior ‘stash himself! He dared me to put it up live, so I did. You’d have to ask him the exact significance of all the elements, but I think he is suggesting that cruise ships are antimustachian.

      Hey.. Once he is 8, apparently I can actually put him on the blog’s payroll for contributions like this, allowing him to start earning his own college money. I’d want him to learn a little php first though.. Can’t be too soft on him :-)

      Reply
      • BeatTheSeasons January 12, 2013, 3:18 am

        I initially assumed it was some kind of sick joke about the Costa Concordia, a cruise ship which sunk off the coast of Italy on 13th January 2012, killing 32 people. The salvage operation has just begun, so that would be the significance of the banknotes? It’s been in the news again recently (in the UK at least) due to the 1 year anniversary.

        Reply
  • Kauai_Kahuna January 11, 2013, 11:12 pm

    Wow, second time I missed the posting and I was actually in town today and would have really enjoyed swinging by.
    I hope you all had a great time, and finally was able to enjoy some quality time out on the beach and a little pampering, not good to get addicted to but a nice treat.

    Reply
  • Jexy January 11, 2013, 11:50 pm

    I’m sad! My husband and I went down there and couldn’t find you guys. :-( I hope you and the family enjoyed your Hawaiian vacation!

    Reply
  • Nords (The-Military-Guide.com) January 12, 2013, 8:10 am

    Thanks again for the meetup and the salmon grill, MMM, but thanks most of all for taking those tangerines off my hands!

    I wish you well with that “warm clothes” thing you’re going to be using when you get back home…

    Reply
  • Daz January 12, 2013, 9:39 am

    Hi MMM!!! Your blog grabbed my attention a few months back. I left the British Army last year, where I had been happily wasting every penny I earned on wine, women and wanton behaviour, and have been trying to work out what to do with myself ever since (I left far too soon for a nice early pension, and I have decided that the frivolous waste I see around me every day is insane, and that I need to start living frugally so that I too can retire as early as possible! Plus, I want to learn some new skills too, including carpentry!

    I have decided to start my own blog (http://motivateyourmoney.wordpress.com) , so that I can share your wisdom, mixed with a heavy dose of English sarcasm and wit, with all the Financial Flocktards that currently waste their money on credit repayments and SOUPs (Single Officer Unnecessary Purchases!).

    I will be liberally stealing your ideas, and adapting them to the English climate, and generally trying my best to persuade people in my country that they don’t need to be wage slaves to afford the latest piece of shiny claptrap (we call it Keeping Up With The Jones’) to lead a satisfying life.

    I have also managed to pinch your TLA, not on purpose I assure you ;)

    Keep up the good work!!!!

    Reply
  • Mr 1500 January 12, 2013, 2:19 pm

    This is totally unrelated to Hawaii or anything else going on in this thread, but its a question I’ve been thinking about all day. Maybe another reader or maybe even MMM can shed some light.

    MMM is obviously enlightened and has found the better path. As a bonus, he did it at a young age when it really counts (compound interest baby). So, what I’ve been wondering is if growing up in Canada helped MMM reach his views?

    I was born, raised and continue to live in the US. However, I have been able to travel abroad including Canada and its not hard to see that Americans lead a super-sized lifestyle compared to most other folks. In my perspective, people like MMM are the very small minority.

    So, any thoughts? Would MMM still be the way he is had he been born and raised in the US?

    Reply
    • JanMN January 14, 2013, 9:19 am

      Sounds like a good question to pose in the forums?

      Reply
  • Sir Sideburns 'Stash-a-lot January 13, 2013, 8:17 am

    For the hotel, I definitely recommend the ‘Waikiki Beach Hostel’. It’s maybe two blocks from the beach in Waikiki and VERY affordable. The MMM family could get their own room? And if memory serves me (it’s been a few years), I paid something like $15 for my room.

    Orlena, the owner, is really awesome and friendly too.

    Reply

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