How much money for shopping (including gifts)?

Hi. My sister and I will be going to Oahu in November for the first time. I%26#39;ve been excited since I booked our flights and accomodation!

Can any of you suggest how much money I might budget for shopping? I know this is a strange question but I%26#39;d love to read your experiences.

I%26#39;m female, in my early 20s and plan to buy mostly clothes and shoes for both work and leisure as well as nice gifts for family and friends. I prefer to pay more money for quality rather than buy a lot of lesser quality items.

How much money for shopping (including gifts)?

I am sure alot of people from outside Australia will find it difficult to answer this question - thank heavens alot of Aussie%26#39;s visit TA!!!!

Shopping in USA is like paradise!

You can spend ALOT and get ALOT!

I find the quality in USA clothes MUCH better than what you get here, in australia.

There are ALWAYS sales.

My advice to you is to work out what you want/need.

Write a list.

Write down what you are prepared to pay for that item here, in Sydney.

Then, when you get to Waikiki, take out your list and SHOP!

I bought a pair of shoes in SF for $29 that were $400 in David Jones so there are bargains to be found.

Look around Sydney at the various shops before you go, especially brand names so you have a good knowledge of the prices in Australia.

I have bought my daughters Tommy Hilfiger tops for $3 in Macy%26#39;s and they are over $60 back home.

Take as much money as you can comfortably afford!

How much money for shopping (including gifts)?

I totally agree.. take as much money as you can affort. I was in Honolulu 2 months ago with my boyfriend (we are 24 and 25).

We were there for 2 weeks and took $3000 cash with us, thinking that would see us through 2 weeks for food, shopping etc.

$3000 went in the 1st three days! hahaha

we had a blast. we stayed at ala moana hotel, which is adjoining to Ala Moana Shopping centre and ended up there every day (we were only in Oahu for 5 days, then we went on to Maui and also Kauai - just as well those islands are more quiet and didn%26#39;t have much to buy there.

just to give you an idea, we prefer the better quality - not totally posh like prada wear etc, but still things like Guess, Levis and Armani. I bought levis for $50 USD. Boyfriend stocked up on armani tops. He bought a pair of Deisel jeans for $240 - too steep for me, but who knows how much more they cost in Australia. Oh and I remember getting Armani Diamonds perfume for USD $52 - worth double that here and even on ebay its more expensive than Hawaii.

Definitely write yourself a shopping list. and also I would recommend researching exactly what shops are over in Hawaii so you can properly think about what you would buy from each place.

Makeup is also heaps cheaper - eyeshadow here at AUS $25 - I got the same there for USD $10 in Walmart.

For souveniers for friends and family, if you want to go a little on the budget side, have a walk through any ABC shop - a bundle of keyrings (maybe 10 rings) for I think around $5 or something.

You will go nuts with the shopping in Hawaii.

Just remember you have to cart it all home. One year we went 4 of us with 2 suitcases and came home with 8 and was only there for 6 days. We shop till we drop. though that was when you were allowed to bring home 2 cases each, now the airlines are getting tight with luggage limits and strict on weight on bags, so remember you may get slugged excess weight and luggage. No matter what you will have a blast. We usually take $4000 for 2 weeks but usually that is for food and shopping only as everything has already been prepaid, like accommodation and tours and rental car. Perfume is the biggest bargain for the good stuff you will have a bundle.

We leave in 4 days, cannot wait to hit the shops.

I think you need other folks from Australia to answer.

Since I come to Honolulu just from Seattle, I don%26#39;t do any shopping except for Hawaiian specialties and island-style gifts. I would never buy clothes or shoes. I don%26#39;t spend any more than $200 most trips.

No one can answer that question for you. It depends on your will-power, your Christmas list, and how many empty suitcases you bring.

I go a little nuts when I shop in Hawaii cause tax is lower than here in Los Angeles. On our last trip my wife got a LV bag and I got some Ray-Bans. I want to get some Maui Jim%26#39;s next time. I should have bought my PS3 there too.

There were kids on our flight back that had purchased Guitar Hero. Smart kids. We spend about $100 on gifts to bring back for family and friends. We spent way too much on ourselves but it was our honeymoon.

Funny, when I lived in Hawaii and travelled to Australia, we went crazy shopping! I was so happy to get target summer clothes in the middle of winter!

Thanks everyone for all your tips.

BLBL, you%26#39;re right. I normally exercise restraint but it%26#39;s different when you%26#39;re shopping overseas. I%26#39;m sure I will think ';How often am I in Hawaii?';

I plan to bring one suitcase and buy another. I%26#39;m flying Hawaiian and they allow us 2 x 32kg bags in checked luggage! (Qantas and Jetstar have the same allowance.)

I%26#39;ve already written a list of cosmetics and skin care I want to buy; I will write another list closer in the coming weeks.

Kailuamom hope you got a lot of bargains in Australia! (I going to the US when the AUD bought less than US0.50!)

.....and dont forget if you are shopping in Macys (best one at Ala Moana) to go to the visitors centre and get your overseas visitors discount card. It gives you an 11% discount off most items (cosmetics %26amp; perfumes excluded) even if they are already on sale.

And there are often even better coupons in the newspaper. Also talk with Macy%26#39;s about shipping.

An alternative to buying another suitcase is to roll up a duffle bag in the suitcase you bring to Hawai with you.