USVI money-saving tips

That's a really good question. The problem here is that most people sort of grab what they can when they see it on the shelves if they need it because it probably won't be there the next time you look.

I don't know of any sites. Lots of people shop at Price-Smart & Cost-U-Less but unless it's not perishable there's no way I can go through some of the food items & my freezer isn't that huge. I'll look forward to you getting some good responses.

The last money-saving I did was buying those energy-saving curly light bulbs on Ebay & I got a big box of them at $1.42 (approximately, if I remember correctly) including shipping.

trade, $1.42!! each or for the whole box? nice one! btw: love your emoticon makes me smile every time I see it! I like to shop at the Plaza extra over in STX,you can buy bulk,cases and the prices aren't so bad,but I only buy in small amts. like what I would need in a week or two.

It was per bulb & I think at the time I saw the same 100 watt bulbs for over $3.00 each at K-Mart. These bulbs will outlive me! I'll never go through them all & even gave some away to friends.

Thanks for the info! The website I like to go on (which is not specific to the USVI) has a lot of information that anyone can use to help save money. The website is "The Dollar Stretcher-Living Better for Less" and can be found at www.stretcher.com. There are many money-saving tips and ideas on there and you can search by topic such as "groceries" or "health care". Some things are really good on there and some can borderline absurd:-o... very good site overall...

I was really hoping that I could get a lot of "insider" tips from those who currently live on island. For example: The least expensive place to find ___?___ is at ____?_____. Or the best time to buy ___?____ is ___?___. Or never buy ____?____ from ____?____. Or what is the biggest rip-offs to beware of? Where can the best deals be found on ___?____.

One post mentioned K-mart. Does K-mart have groceries or just merchandise?

Thanks again for any and all input! 🙂

K-Mart does have groceries.

Kmart has a few grocery items, not a full grocery store. There is no on stop shopping in the islands. You will usually go to at least two stores a week. Some things are cheaper at kmart or costuless or plaza, but usually its just that plaza or kmart is out of what you need or does not carry it and you have to go to another store. There are websites like cvs that will ship here for free and sometimes that worth it for the non prescription type medicine that are your staples like Advil, etc... So many things here are just alot more expensive, but its usually still much cheaper to eat in then out, so that is what most of us do. I'm not sure what clues to give you with the system we have. There just are not many ways to save money other then buying whats in season and being a economical cook.

Well, snce electricity is SOOO expensive in the USVI......

*Plug your electronic devices into a power strip and turn off the whole strip when not using the applainces. Phantom loads on most electronics still use a considerable amount of eletricity EVEN when they are off!! At night turn off all the lights and look how many little LED lights are on your dvd players, clock radios, phone chargers, TV's, answering machines, etc
*Use cold water for your clothes washer
*Hang clothes to dry, instead of the dryer
*Air dry not heat dry on the dishwasher
*Put a insulation blanket over your hot water tank
*Use CFL or LED light bulbs
*Use ceiling fans instead of AC
*Consider upgrading your fridge/freezer-newer ones are much more energy efficient than they were just 5 years ago
*Gas stoves & barbecue vs Electric stoves
*Passive cooling...ie wind scoops, window film
*Consider Solar thermal systems(solar hot water) or Solar PV systems(solar electric)

*Water filter instead of buying bottled water
*Car pool to save gas
*Thrifty shopping, find the best deals

🙂

Cory K.

Thanks for the tips Cory!:-)(tu)

Do you know if a water filter will work if you use a cistern? I know we were told NOT to drink the water because it comes from the rain off of the roof...

That would sure would help save on buying bottled water with a family of 5!

Water filters work on cisterns. I drink cistern water & have all the years I've been here & never been sick. A regular water filter just gets rid of dirt, not bacteria.

Im a BIG fan of PUR water filters. You can get a 2 stage filter that fits into a 5 gallon holder that fits neatly in your fridge...

We also drink cistern water and have for 5 years without incident.

If you can do without A/C totally you can save $200-$300 a month. It seems to be the biggest single energy cost. We don't have a/c and spend $100 - $150 a month for WAPA.

Hey Cory,
Can tell you know little bout te island livin. Phantom power keeps the PCB warm. Wit all our humidity, if you turn off power strip, boards will be corroaded an short out. Learn befor you advise. See tings are differant here, me tellin ya.

Hey Cory,
Can tell you know little bout te island livin. Phantom power keeps the PCB warm. Wit all our humidity, if you turn off power strip, boards will be corroaded an short out. Learn befor you advise. See tings are differant here, me tellin ya.

Hey Jahem, i know about PCU boards and having electrical flow through them keeps down corrosion, slight heat helps.... How about you stress the fact and say somethign about it instead of being an .... Pick your poison dude, higher electric bill or corroded products. Corrosive salt spray eats everything, if you live near the water this can be a more pronounced problem. A computer or expensive TV i can see leaving on, depending on where you live, but all the lower end appliances should be on a power strip.

PS...dont mes with me now, im dealing with brown recluse bites and trying to be nice!!! Add somethign to the thread instead of being a troll FFS...

Cory K.

Cory where you come from anaway? You don't know when someone is bein rude. Me not swarin you, just tellin you. Tis list you givin, wapa has been sayin for years. It nothin new just you be. You not be sayin someting we not heard before. You need to know when we cruzins be rude, caus you not likie. I do whatever me want and so do we all. Me would still have drink wit you or see you at a club, tat not rude. Me sayin tat many people come and go, many have been here wit solar and products cant make livin and leave. Are you next, me dont know. Me know tat 3 solar companies come tis year to save we all, most buy from longtimers on islands. Me not bein negative just trutful. Maybe you make it me not know. Whatever happens,happens. Cheese and bread, Most try to hard to sell an talk their stuff, when we need products we know who to call. Why we not buy from new comers is caus we not know how long they be here to service. We know what it cost to live here, its life. New comers sometimes price low and end up out of buz cause not makin ends. They leave we to hold te bag. Tats not rude tat realiate.

Yo Cory...thanks for the list.

Here are a few more questions I have:

1) Which is least expensive for routine prescription medications--buy locally on island (St. John) or use mail order from mainland? (we do not have insurance) I have heard that EVERYTHING is more expensive in USVI and was wondering if that included medicines as well?

2) Is there a WIC (Women Infants & Children) program in the USVI that helps lower income families (generally anyone making less than $40K/year with children ages 0-5 years old qualify. This program substantially helps families. In our state the WIC program actually advertises in the newspaper almost begging people to sign up. If they do get get enough families then they some loose some of their funding--it's a "use-it-or-loose-it" kind-of-thing.

3) Is it safe to assume that the best deals and most variety will be found on STT?

4) How reliable is the public transportation system? (I have heard that it it not very reliable but am not sure if that is true or not)

5) Is the overall cost of health insurance about the same as on the mainland (expensive?!?)

Thanks again for all of the replies and help with the "inside scoops"...

I really appreciate you time and help!(tu):-)

1. We mail order prescriptions through our health insurance, easier, and cheaper. For over the counter, they are much more expensive here, I travel back to the states 3 -4 times a year and stock up on OTC drugs, deodorant, toothpaste etc, there.

2. There is a WIC program here. I do know the Plaza Extra West does not accept the vouchers. I don't know anything about the program itself. In general, I would not move here expecting to participate in such a program.

3. No, it is NOT safe to assume STT has the best deals and the most variety.

4. Public transportation is not reliable. I would not move here and assume public transportation could take the place of a family car.

5. Most employers either don't provide health insurance or only provide it for the employee and not the family. You will have to find private insurance and can expect it to cost more than stateside, less competition.

You should plan a 2-4 week visit before to decide if island life is for you. If you have children, you MUST visit before you decide.

I think Wisener was talking about STJ vs STT when talking about "deals." If I'm correct, I'm pretty sure most things are less expensive on STT, not STJ.

Thanks for the information Linda... We did go on a pre-move visit last month and I agree that it is essential to do so (especially if you have children). In our visit we were able to visit (and stay in) our future island home, spend a day in our children's future Christian school, and check out the local church (which operates the school). We found the people of St. John to be very warm and friendly. The hospitality from the school and church were incredible! We absolutely fell in love with the people of St. John...

But we also do well to remember that "people are people" regardless of location, race, religion, or any other socioeconomic factors and that there is "good" and "bad" everywhere... Yes, even in "paradise"... *-)

STT

Lunch meet at Cost Less 2 lbs 4.99 (not bad stuff either)
Mini BBQ at Home Depot $24
Green BBQ Gas K Mart (TUTU Mall) 3.89.... 5.99 at cost u less
$2 fifth of rum at K Mart (I've never seen booz cheaper anywhere in the world)
Good prices at K Mart fover all maybe $1 more on everything than in the states and $10 on large items
Office Depot at TUTU Mall was about $10 to $20 more per item than online
Red Hook Grocery store was way over priced!!!! I was told to stay away from Marina Market
Pueblo at Havensight had great prices 20lbs of chicken for $12 or something like that.... Frozen Seafood was priced high

Cheers

jahem, I like the way you write. Being a local, it would be nice to see your opinion on lots of these topics.