zierf1

Not a comment directed towards the OP, but I always wonder how people support themselves while staying here illegally for 4, 7 or 11 years. I mean, can't work (legally), likely dont have a bank account here. I suppose they can ATM their retirement checks off their home bank, or their family sends them Western Union to keep them away. If a person comes flush with cash why do they need to overstay for so long? And if not flush, how do they live? Just wondering.

Combination of dodgy dealings & money from credit cards.

5000 THB per year

No visa run

No 90 days reports

No waiting for hours at immigration

No immigration interview

No MOE interview

No school fees

I am an idiot

Yep. I did a 4 year overstay too. Best decision ever. Saved me a lot of baht and hassle. Unfortunately, you can't do this anymore. So we really lucked out didn't we?

Whenever I criticize the United States an American always comes out to defend our wonderful country. Their Patriot Shield instantly goes up and they start defending the United States no matter how wrong they know they are. We've heard the bitch shield, right? Well, their Patriot Shield goes up whenever I criticize anything about the United States. To them, I'm always wrong about America and America is a fantastic country with no faults whatsoever. Sigh...

If not Thailand, then Indonesia.  Such an exotic place.  Far more authentic and not as touristed compared to Thailand.

You live with her for free and you wonder why she is not talking to you. Hmmm...

It's an Asian thing.  People in Indonesia eat with their HANDS.  I don't know why.  They don't like forks or chopsticks?

In my case I think $100 does make a difference.  $100 is a lot for me since I am far from rich.  Anyways, I just love to search for airfare deals.

This time I will take a cheap bus to Chicago or New York and fly out of Chicago or New York since they always have the lowest fares.  It will be a pain in the ass but if that's what it takes then so be it.

I have a 4 year old son with my Thai wife.  I'm pretty embarassed because I don't know how to act like a father.    

I usually pay about $1,200 for a round trip ticket to BKK from the midwest.  I am trying to keep it around $1,000 this time.  Anything under $1,000 sounds like a steal.  I have seen some fares for ~$900 from NYC round trip on skyscanner.com and kayak.  What is your record for flight deals from the US?

Whoa now.  You mean you spend a cool million bahts in Thailand every year?  Thailand needs you so much.  I mean, they really need you to shore up their economy.  What would they do without all your millions? 

I would like to live in Thailand part of the year.  Perhaps 6 months out of the year.  I am kind of torn because I have my aging parents in the US but I would like to live part year in Thailand because I like it there so much.  How do you deal with this situation as an expat?

I'm not sure what my wife is thinking.  When I tell her about the salaries here in farangland I think she thinks we must be living high on the hog here.  Maybe for a Thai living in Thailand 100-200k baht a month is big bux but not here!  There are no 3,000 baht a month apartments.  A tiny apartment in a big city will be 10x that amount.  There are no foodstalls selling all-you-can-eat for 40 baht.  Taxes take a huge chunk out of our paychecks.  I need a car to get anywhere.  I'd gladly take a huge pay cut to live in Thailand and I'd still come out ahead.  Basically, we'd have the same lifestyle on far less in Thailand.  The hard part is trying to explain to her this simple situation!

How do I show I have 40,000 baht a month income?  Does the 40k need to be deposited into my bank account each month to show them?

What are my options?  I'd like to live part year in Thailand with my Thai wife.  What is the max number of visa days I can obtain at my age?  I haven't done the ED visa yet but that does has it's limits and I'd like to keep it for a rainy day.

I lived in Thailand before for several years but I was doing the overstay thingie. lol.  Obviously I can't do that again.  I'd like to keep it legal this time(i have to).

Thanks.

There's a big difference between living cheaply like a local and being homeless. Homeless usually means you have absolutely no access to any money whatsoever. I think that's what happens to these guys. They don't plan their finances properly so they can have backups in case something goes wrong.

I wonder what would happen if he did something like that in Russia..

The minimum wage in Thailand is 300 baht a day... 300x30 is 9000 baht per month. A lot of Thai's with families are earning only that so if you are sending her 15000 a month to sit on her backside she is doing very well thanks very much.. TELL HER TO GET A JOB....

Well, I guess being a wife is her job. So I pay her. Seriously, how is any man going to get & keep a woman if he doesn't have any money?? I've tried to spot some homeless guys with women but no luck yet..

We do not know enough about the OPs position here, is he separated from his wife? If so, does he want to be with his wife? Is it the case that he does not want to be with his wife? Or maybe he does and he wants to look after her hoping she will come back so he keeps sending her money.

Is he working away from home with the wifes blessing? Did they talk about the finances between them before he left? In any case. 15.000 Baht per month is enough to keep her. He is not responsible for the wifes mother, that is her responsibility along with any brothers or sisters he may have.

I think to give the OP any help or advice, he will need to tell us more.

We're not separated. We're married. I'm just sending money to her while I'm away. I currently work for a living and hope to move to Thailand permanently in the future though.

I was hoping 15k a month would keep her happy but I don't know if it's enough. She says I at least *partially* support her whole family? I have no idea how an entire family could survive on that small amount I sent her. Seemed like a joke to me.

I send my Thai wife about 15k baht a month. Is this enough? She always spends it quickly and always needs more for something such as for her family back home. I don't want to be a lousy provider but I'm also not made out of money. How much is enough? FYI, she was never a bar girl if that's what you're thinking. Just a normal Thai lady.

I regularly send money to my Thai wife using Western Union. The fees are high and exchange rates are terrible. How can I send money to her without paying so much in fees? I've though about sending her an ATM from my bank account in the US but she will still need to pay the foreign transaction fees.