FYI: Costco Prices In Hawaii

Thought I'd give you folks a looksy at what a few items are going for here in Hawaii at Costco's. These prices are current as of today. I'll have to price around at other retail grocers and give you all another update sometime later. But prices have been steadily climbing here in the islands. Keeping an eye on the rise in cost of food here should signal urgency to food storage preparedness by leaps and bounds to everyone in Hawaii, unfortunately that's not the case here.

Last week I was fortunate to find 72-hour survival kits at Costco's for $9.97 each on sale, the original price was $14 and some odd cents close to $15. I was able to scoop up a good amount for my Christmas gifts before they all disappeared. A member purchased 22 of them.

Here's a rundown of a few of the items.

• 18oz. Blueberries 10.99
• 12oz. Raspberries 4.79
• 3lbs. Cottage Cheese 5.99
• 1gal. Milk 3.76-4.12
• Eggs (18 per carton) 2.99
• Infant Formula 2pak 19.79
• Diapers (ct. 135) 40.00
• Paper Plates (150) 13.99
• Paper Towels 23.99 Bounty 12 mega rolls
• Toilet Paper 20.49 Kirkland brand 36 rolls
• Tide Liquid Detergent 22.49 110 loads
• Regular Gas 3.02 Premium 3.22

We also have a recycling fee tacked on to every bottled or canned beverage you purchase here whether its metal, glass or plastic. Certain grocery stores here such as Safeway has newspaper inserts with coupons, but the catch there is that you have to purchase a minimum amount of groceries to get that coupon dollar amount off for that specific item. I've also noticed that not all stores here take Internet coupons either. Every Sunday I make it a point to cut out all the coupons that I need and use for my grocery shopping because every little bit helps. We also have a weekly paper called MidWeek delivered to all residents free. In this paper there are articles, advertisements and grocery store inserts to all the main grocers here on the islands advertising their sales with coupons to each store.

Locally grown produce here cost just as much or even more than their mainland competitors. Breakfast cereals, the one you eat with milk like Fruitloops or Special K run about $6 to $7 a box. The prices here are so ridiculous, if you're not growing some edibles in your yard you're gonna pay a pretty price at the grocery stores. Everyone I talk to about food storage agrees with having a stock on hand but yet no one really does actually do it. It makes sense to them, but evidently not enough to the point of having a food storage plan in the event of any type of disaster. People here wait till the last minute. In knowing this, the time to prepare will be gone when disaster strikes.