I finally got the call!

One of my rings had sold. The big one. Yippee! It took almost a year for it to happen but someone was going to be having a nice Christmas this year. Now if only I didn't have to pay that 30% commission! Eh, it was worth it. Besides, I doubt I would have had any luck on my own. Trust me, I tried. One down, one to go...

Yes, it's been quite a few months since I've posted here but that does not mean I have not given up the dream of moving to Kaua'i. In fact, I'm even more determined. This past September/October my parents, my sister and us vacationed there for two weeks. For anyone vacationing on the islands I would definitely have to recommend a two week stay over a single week. Granted it's a bit more costly but definitely worth it if you can swing it. We were able to relax and enjoy ourselves much more this time around.

While we were there we took a day to visit a realtor and ask some questions about making the move from the mainland to the island, what some of the unforeseen costs might be or things to consider, etc. We walked away with some great information and some homes for sale to take a look at. But as with most things, after taking some time to digest everything there are still many unanswered questions and unknowns. However, I think there always will be some of those regardless how much homework you do. It is definitely an expensive place to live especailly when it comes to real estate. A dollar doesn't go far and they measure lots in square feet not acres. But the weather is near perfect almost every day of the year. It just doesn't get any better than that. It just looks as though we will probably be renting before buying but I'm cool with that. I think I'll feel much more comfortable being there to walk thru and inspect a home before I buy it. Especially considering how much we will be paying for it. There are many duplexes available and if my parents decide to move as well it would be a super cool way to purchase a place and have great neighbors!

Well 2013 is just around the corner and a great time for change... Spring isn't that far away!

Layaway no more!

Well I received another phone call from the Jeweler about another interested buyer. "But I thought it was on layaway?" I ask. Guess not. The other buyer didn't return. So they have another interested buyer. However, this person wants to put it on layaway too. And not only that, he wants to dicker on the price. Hmmm... this is beginning to be a pain. The jeweler said she thought I had a great price on the ring and didn't think I needed to lower the price at all. She said if it were her she'd probably decline the offer and take her chance on another interested buyer but that it was ultimately up to me. It's a beautiful ring and they have many lookers. Of course lookers aren't spending any money. But I opted to agree with her so it's still sitting in the case on the showroom floor for sale. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise but it stinks getting your hopes up that it's sold. Not that I need or have to sell it but I'd rather have the money in my pocket right now instead of a beautiful diamond ring in a lock box. So if anyone is interested in a beautiful 3 stone diamond ring about 2 carats t.w. then please hit me up. I have a bargain just for you!

Buy Now Pay Later

I got a call from the jewelry store where my rings are on consignment and they have a buyer for one of my rings. They did not try and squabble on the price but they don't have all the money for it and want to put it on layaway. The store policy is that they do not put consignment items on layaway without the consent of the owner.

So what exactly does "Layaway" mean?

Well, it means that they are purchasing the item in question and therefore the item is taken off display and held in a storage area until said item is paid in full. They require a down payment and generally like for weekly or bi-weekly payments to be made. They disclosed that they monitor this closely each month.

What if they don't pay?

If payments are not being received then they contact the buyer to determine what exactly the problem is and work from there. If no effort for payment if forthcoming then the layaway is cancelled and a 10% fee is charged the buyer. Of course this fee is the sole profit of the jewelry store and the owner is simply out the exposure period for which the item was stored. The same is true if for some reason the buyers decide to cancel the layaway.

Is it a good deal?

Well, technically it's sold which is a good thing. They didn't dicker on the price which is the next best thing. They want to put it on layaway til December which isn't ideal but no big buying season in between so that's a plus. If they stop paying or cancel it will be before the next big buying season of Christmas so I'm thinking what the heck. Let's do it. The jeweler is calling them back to set it up. The timing for final payment and receiving my share of the profits is pretty good if all goes well.

One down and one to go! Woot woot!

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step."

So says Lao Tzu... and I believe he's right.


We've begun our journey with simple steps but we are heading in the right direction. We were fortunate enough to sell our next big piece of furniture, a computer desk and hutch, to a lovely couple from Freemont, IN this past week. As with the grandfather clock, we hated to see it go but we believe it has found a great new home. What a weird way to meet some wonderful new people. They will be praying for us and our journey so we made out two fold on this sale. There is no such thing as too many prayers.


I have also handed down my great grandmother's bedroom set to my 4 year old niece for her 4th birthday which was this past Sunday, Feb 19th. When we delivered the large mirrored vanity to her she was so excited! So was her mom. She is such a little diva and loves to play dress up and put on make up so having a dresser with such a big vanity mirror is a dream come true for her. I could never sell this bedroom set for sentimental reasons and would have spent the money to move it (although I doubt the mirror would have survived unscathed) but it worked out nicely to hand it down to the next generation. You see, I have a boy who is 18 and although the bed and dresser work well for him the vanity mirrored dresser does not. He said, no way! But it has to stay together so Bella Rae is the new heir to this family heirloom. May she pass it on to generations to come. 


Hopefully things will continue to move along and fall into place for us. We are moving forward one step at a time... Only 404 days, 7 hours, 44 minutes to meet our goal.

What a way to get a great deal on jewelry!

If you're a buyer that is...


I've done some more research and it seems the best way to get rid of old diamond or precious stone jewelry is to do so on consignment. I found a local jewelry store that does just this. Fox Jewelers. It doesn't cost you anything to put jewelry on consignment but they charge you a 30% commission on the sale price. Not a bad deal I suppose considering your jewelry gets a lot of exposure, people feel comfortable buying from a jeweler and there's less to no hassle for yourself. So if you want a great deal on a couple of diamond rings head to Fox Jewelers on Grape Road in Mishawaka, IN and ask for Ann's rings. You won't be disappointed.


The other nice thing about this deal is you can decide to pick up your rings at any time without any consequences. No fees, no penalties, no nothing. How can you go wrong here? So you can still sell it on your own if you want and not have to pay any commission. 


All in all it's not a bad deal. However, I have to say I've learned a valuable lesson. Diamonds and/or precious stone jewelry is a waste of money except for your own pleasure. Although I did love my diamonds I wish now I hadn't wasted the money. It could have been much better spent elsewhere.


Oh well, my loss will be someone else's gain... at least at the time of purchase.

Great... They Have My Name and Address

In researching information on moving to Hawaii I found that Century 21 has a special web site with information specific to moving to Hawaii: http://www.hawaiimoves.com/


I found some decent information but mo.re about real estate than anything (which makes sense of course). In perusing their site I found that they offer a relocation kit. I figured "Wow! That would be nice." so I signed up for one. I figured they'd just email me a PDF document or something. To my surprise they wanted my address to mail it to me. Being somewhat naive I thought "Cool! This should be good." so I proceeded to supply the requested information. 


It took about 3-4 days but imagine my excitement when I finally received the large yellow envelope in the mail. I ripped open the package to reveal 2 web pages from their web site printed out in color and stapled together, one containing her business card attached as well along with a color brochure of properties for sale on the each of the different islands. I was like "You've got to be kidding me!". This was all information I had found and read on their site already. Including the brochure. They offer it online in PDF format. That's when I realized how naive I had been. They now have our name, home address and email address. How sneaky is that? Not to mention that the average cost of a home for sale in their brochure is around $1M... I mean, seriously?


Needless to say I've learned a lesson here. Know what you're getting when you share your personal information with someone. 


Grrrrrr!!!!

Recycling Diamonds

Who has a need for a used diamond ring? It would seem to be a great deal for someone but who would trust me to sell them a legitimate diamond at a good price?


Thus here is my dilemma... I have 2 diamond rings that sit in a safe deposit box at the bank. But how do I sell them?


I found a few places online that say they will buy your diamonds at a much higher price than a pawn shop. So I contacted a couple of them. What a joke. One I still haven't heard back from and the other one was asking me for another ring before they even responded about the first one. And don't believe what they say... I think I could get a bigger tax write off to donate it than what they finally offered for the ring. It's ridiculous!


So now what do I do with them?


I'm thinking consignment might be an option. I have learned that some stores will do this for a 20%+ commission but it will take longer to sell. I do have time... well, some time anyway. Is it worth trying? I guess so. Sitting in the safe deposit box is only costing me money. But who offers such a service? Locally that is. Not sure I trust to mail if off somewhere. Then again, I could have the same trouble locally I suppose. What's a person to do?


I wish I could find someone that would just buy it outright. Maybe offering to meet at the jewelry store I purchased it from to authenticate it would put someone at ease? Is there anyone out there that has been through this that might have some suggestions for me? 


Better yet, is there anyone out there that wants a good deal on a 2.03 carat diamond ring as pictured (except in white gold)? If so I have just the deal for you! 


Then again, it might just end up being made into a set of diamond earrings and a pendant necklace. Although how often would those get used as opposed to the ring? It's a no win situation I believe. 


So, in summary, don't waste money on diamonds! They aren't worth it regardless of how beautiful they seem at the time! They are a bad investment. Buy chocolate instead!

Sold! To the highest bidder...

We have come to the realization that we can't take everything with us on our move to Kaua'i. Some things are just too fragile and would not transport well while others are large and heavy and simply too expensive to transport. So it is time to inventory what what we have and determine it's sentimental and/or economical value and start cleaning house. It's hard to think of parting with furniture or other items you've had for a long time. It's not always because of sentimental value, but the simple fact that you just plain like it. It doesn't help that you probably won't get out of it anything close to what you paid for it either. But the simple fact remains... we have to determine if it's worth the cost to ship it (which may be more than we paid for it in the first place) and we're willing to take a chance it will complete the journey undamaged (may be costly to repair on top of the shipping costs).

One such item for us is our grandfather clock. It really doesn't have any "sentimental" value but I simply love it. It's a beautiful piece of furniture and I keep some of my most treasured items on the curio shelves inside. It's been with me for 16 years now. But it is big, bulky and extremely fragile. It just doesn't make sense to hold onto. So it's time to say bye-bye big boy and allow someone else to behold it's beauty. 

But how do you sell such an item if you aren't willing to ship it?

Well, we opted to give Ebay a chance with a shipping option of Local Pickup Only. We started with a low starting bid but set a reserve price and included a Buy It Now price as well. And although it didn't end up selling through Ebay, the high bidder contacted us through email and ended up buying the grandfather clock for our reserve price. They are picking it up this Sunday. The computer desk and hutch auction is still active and ends this evening. Hopefully we will be equally as lucky and it will be finding a new home soon as well.

We have identified many more items to be put on the chopping block. This is only the beginning. However, we are one step closer to being ready to move. It's a great feeling! The money is being put aside to help pay for moving expenses and possibly help furnish our new place. 

Anyone need a small curio cabinet, salt-water fish tank or a pair of jet skis?

Only 418 days, 13 hours, 55 minutes and 17 seconds to meet our goal. 

The countdown has begun!

Ua Mau Ke Ea O Ka ‘Äina I Ka Pono

The life of the land is perpetuated by righteousness.
The State Motto of Hawaii


Aloha!


Our first visit to the islands of Hawaii was in August of 2011 where my husband and I were married. We first touched down on the island of Kaua'i and spent one day of our trip on the island of O'ahu. We had the pleasure of taking this trip with my father and step-mother which made it all the more special. Since our return to the mainland we have thought about nothing except going back to Kaua'i and making it our home. It's beginning to be an interesting journey and decided to start a blog about it. It's a great way to document our journey in hopes of gaining additional knowledge from others while maybe helping someone else out along the way. This is our journey to achieve our dream... a new beginning... a new life... on the island of Kaua'i. Hopefully a year from now I will be blogging from our home on this beautiful island for that is our goal. 


Noho me ka Hau'ole (Be Happy)