Hawaii on the Cheap publishes information about free and cheap events, discount tickets on entertainment, and tips for saving money while living in (or visiting) the Hawaiian Islands.
You’ll find fun things to do every night of the week, such as movies, live music, museums, festivals, sporting events, and anything else we find that might appeal to our readers.
Thanks for visiting.
What we do
We are an independent business whose primary goal is to promote the local Hawaiʻi economy by curating and publishing a list of affordable events produced by other local businesses. We focus primarily on events of interest to Hawaiʻi residents, though visitors will also find some useful information not found on the many available tourist sites.
At our discretion, we might publish events of national interest if they have something that might be of value to our readers.
What do we mean by free and cheap?
Free. We focus on events with free admission with broad appeal for all ages and interests. We also include some events with targeted audiences, such as family, over 21+, LGBTQ, etc. Although admission is free, there are many events where spending money is unavoidable, such as food & craft festivals and discount sales.
Cheap. For events with an admission fee, we focus on “cheap” things to do with a kamaʻāina adult ticket price of $15 or less or a regular price of $25 or less. There may be lower ticket prices for some attendees, such as children, seniors, and military. However, we don’t usually detail these prices since they aren’t broadly available and can change without notice. We do provide a link to the organizers website where current ticket prices are listed in detail. At our discretion, we publish some events that exceed our kamaʻāina $15 limit, for examples if they are unusually fun or interesting or feature Hawaiian art and culture.
Discounts. We include some events with an admission price higher than $15 if there are ways to reduce the cost (such as buy tickets in advance, buy a series subscription or group of tickets, volunteer at the event, etc.). We are also an affiliate of discount ticket merchants Goldstar and Groupon and make notice of these links as required.
Advertising
Currently, all of our advertising is handled through a national service that may include local and national advertisers. This advertising revenue helps defray the cost of running our website. We have no specific control over this content, it different for every reader and is determined primarily by your location and internet search history.
Although we are not currently seeking local advertisers, you are welcome to send an email inquiry that includes the nature of your business and budget. Depending on your requirement, we may be able to offer advertising opportunities, such as a sponsored post or “advertorial”.
We will not accept advertisements by non-local businesses, such as those offering virtual services over the internet. Our loyalty is to the local market, local economy, and local residents. Thanks for your understanding.
We do not accept guest posts or links
All of our content is written in-house. We do not accept guest posts, or any other content written by anyone else. Due to the volume of requests, any email or other communication regarding guest posts or other unsolicited or unsponsored content, including link requests, will be ignored. Thanks for your understanding.
About the Publisher
Carole Cancler photo by Surf City Images, Kona.
Carole Cancler was born and raised in Seattle. She lived in Honolulu in the early 70s, taking her sophomore year off from the University of Washington. She worked as a waitress in a Waikiki coffee shop at the Outrigger Hotel that no longer exists.
Ultimately, Carole earned a B.S. from the University of Washington (Go Huskies!) and a few years later an A.S. at North Seattle (Community) College. She also attended several culinary schools in France, including Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. During her career, Carole worked alternately at several multi-national corporations in the food and the technology industries, owing to her degrees in Nutrition & Food Science and Computer Programming.
Carole returned often to Hawaii over the decades. She was married in Honolulu in 2000. From 1993-2020, she owned a vacation condominium in Kona. Over the years, her family vacationed in Kona, some years enjoying the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays in paradise. She took up permanent residence in Kona in August 2019. Today, Carole makes her home in Honolulu.
At various times Carole has been a caterer, middle manager, software engineer, food product manufacturer, cookbook author, and website developer. She likes to listen to acoustical music–especially jazz, American 60s folk music, and traditional Hawaiian. An avid cook, Carole prepares meals from scratch, visits farmers markets, and preserves locally grown foods. She also likes to take walks, hike with friends, play card games, watch movies now and then, binge on (mostly fictional) crime shows, enjoy social time with friends and family, volunteer in the community, travel the world (20 countries and counting), and try new things.
Her first cookbook was published in 2012, The Home Preserving Bible. It is a comprehensive guide to food preservation methods with over 300 delicious recipes. Included are detailed instructions for eight methods–using many different techniques and tools both ancient and modern.
Her second cookbook was published in 2020. The Complete Dehydrator Cookbook includes “how to” techniques, tips and tricks, and troubleshooting information for drying fruits, vegetables, meats, and more. The “how to” information is supported by 125 recipes from around the world for meat and fish jerkies; fruit and vegetable leathers and chips; prepared meals; soups mixes, curries, and casseroles and other meal kits; and low temperature flourless breads, crackers, cookies, cereals, and snack foods, and much more.
Disclaimer
We post the deals as we find them. But you know the drill: Prices and promotions are subject to change at any time and without notice. So, if you have difficulty with change, check with the merchant before you head out. Or keep it loose and go with the flow.
About the Network
Carole also publishes Greater Seattle on the Cheap. Both sites are members of the Living on the Cheap network, a national network of frugal gals and guys who like to share money-saving info about the cities in which they live.
