atpeace

I went from about 100k for the first 10 years here but I bet I could do 35k now. I have no utility or water bills(50-150 baht) because of solar and water on the property. Cars and home paid for and live a simple but satisfying life. How can you live quite well off 20K? My wife cooks all our meals and I think she probably buys more than her share of the food with her own cash (we have separate savings ). I spend about 10-12k on food(normal food but a lot of protein )from the market or grocery stores. That would leave 8k for everything else which would be near impossible on an on going basis. I truly respect your frugal life. Are you truly happy and don't feel you need a little more money?

I never flaunt wealth because it isn't important to me. Not being seen as the poor farang has its benefits though so I try not to be super cheap. Have no problem with others that flaunt their wealth and especially if they are living a satisfying life. The pretenders can be frustrating and are usually easy to avoid. I have a simple home and a couple normal cars and this is what people see passing by. Functionality of what I possess, a good view from my home, comfort, a great partner, and being extremely fit are my drivers.

I quit 6 months ago because I realized for me it was making my life less satisfying. Had some fun experiences but daily use became less stimulating and not being as aware became tedious. Some enjoy the release that zoning out brings but most of the time I like to experience the moment in more clarity. I still drink but for some reason I'm much more aware when drinking. You stated weed is addictive but it wasn't for me. Just stopped one day and easily moved on. Many benefits to weed: Not really addictive, people are generally not aggressive, better deal with a stoned driver vs. a drunk one, no beer belly, and much cheaper than alcohol...

Have a friend that is 75 here in Thailand and is still running marathons and is semi-ripped. I plan on being the same but realize luck plays a major role in the later years. Being in the top 1% in regards to fitness just increases the odds substantially of being healthy well into old age. My point in my previous post was to take control of your health today and reap the benefits almost immediately and most definitely in long term.

Definately don't enjoy the thought of getting older and this has always been the case. I've lived an incredible life and always stayed extremely fit. Had some terrible accidents but I recovered from those with steadfast perseverance and not listening to doctors. Take control of your life now and the future will be fine regardless of anxieties of getting old. Every decade has been better than the last and currently almost 60 and happier than ever. Sure I worry about 70 but confident I'll be fine. I'm hoping for that final health issue to be a cliff type of decline. Imagine myself saying to a friend at the hospital on my death bed - remember just last year when I ran a marathon and we celebrated at the pub afterward? Now look at my bag of bones I call my body.

Funny how this got no replies. Everybody looking at the easy medical solution and where has that got us the last 50 years. Just go to that all knowing clinic and get your cure to the metabolic disaster that is you! How many times on forums do you read, go get a doctors opinion? How about figuring out the solution on your own and 99% of time it isn't esoteric.

OK, but that is much different than your original post . I take back the deplorable comment 🙂 Free speech does have legal limitations as stipulated by another poster above. A political party that is more focused on what Trump has said and may do isn't the answer. How about figuring out what happened to a party that in the past represented the normal working class and seems to have forgotten how to walk the talk.

^^ The perfect case for labelling someone a deplorable. Not because they don't agree with your ideology but simply because they are deplorable.

Am I missing something. Isn't this the primary issue with immigrants illegally grossing the border? They aren't apprehended hence more come. What would happen if apprehensions were zero?

No argument here. I've just had better experiences than you it seems and we get lots of work done for little money vs the USA. Subcontractors are in high demand in Thailand and the USA which enables them to treat clients poorly and do shoddy work if they are that type of person that doesn't care. You and your wife are doing many more projects and can't supervise each job closely which is not my situation. I have too much time 🙂

A man just showed up and will be doing it now 🙂 Other than having the hots for my wife, he seems to be OK.

Funny, I was thinking kinda the same thing. He is right though about everything he stated. Acting on what he detailed would have a major impact on a persons life. Extreme levels of physical activity improve both the quality, most important IMO, and the duration of a persons life.

Gyms are great but with that said, most members are not remotely close to peak physical shape. My estimate is that 50% of the members are carrying much too much weight. Training every day like yourself is a good start but training intelligently along with a good diet gets you to the next level.

I have no idea and just passing along what I see. It makes me feel uncomfortable ( odd to be expressing openly that you're paying for your wife regardless if the money is returned ). Actually almost all the money was returned but I have no doubt it won't fully returned in the coming weeks.

Sensible post and I bet I'm a little more accepting of imperfections for better or worse. Smiled at the GF comment. I adore my woman and decided that a house wasn't worth recking a relationship. I live in a small Thai tourist town and people aren't familiar with westerners. She accepts imperfection ( she is with me 🙂 )and is fine paying too much at times. I've adapted 🙂

Definately a stoic in the sense that I focus on what is in my control. Living a long and satisfying life is challenging but the best prescription is staying active physically and socially. IMO the physical activity is much more important and the data supports my view. Any physical activity helps but being extremely fit increases your odds dramatically of living a satisfying life and endure hardships when you are 60+. Sadly most just hope for luck to prevail and hope they will be the exception. If you are 50 and a little out of shape, at 80 you will have discomfort dragging their arse off the couch to get a beer and forget about any type of sport or good sex. I'll be 60 soon enough and expect to be extremely strong for my body weight and will be able to run circles around 99% of 20 year old men. I don't expect to be able to do this at 70 but I hope to not have lost much muscle or endurance. Age will get me but I'm not going to surrender just because it is easy to be lazy.

You should try in America. If you can find a person willing to do the work for a price that will make you tear up consider yourself lucky. There is a good chance they will do an OK job. What a Thai considers perfection and what westerners consider are obviously not the same as a whole. What Rampant experienced was unacceptable but I still wonder how all his projects were a disaster. Were they supervised? If you want a job done different than the locals do on a normal basis, then expect to invest some of your time supervising. I'm currently living in a home with dangerous electrical wiring. The crew that built the house were great but the electrical subcontractor was a despicable person. He put the wires in the walls like I instructed but used tiny wires to increase his profits. That is going to be extremely difficult to fix because the wires are in the walls. Yes, I'm pissed but shtt happens. I'm currently in the process of rewiring the hot water heaters and the oven outlet to avoid a fire or worse.

Well lived here for over 25 years and have seen sinsod payed many times for non virgins. You lived here for a long time and find it strange you have come to this conclusion. Two weddings (Thai marrying another Thai) in the last year I went to where sinsod was paid and she had kids. Happens all the time and being a virgin has little if any significance.

Wow, you either have the worst luck or something else is happening that is more sinister. Either way that work is awful. I've have had for the most part experiences that are the opposite of you. Guess I'm just extremely lucky. I try to treat workers courteously and find them less likely to screw me over. It has happened on a few occasions and I existed those relationships as gracefully as possible. Don't want a bad rep when you are the minority. Extremely hard to get a fare shake making your case when you are an outsider. My wife, unlike yours, gets what she wants. She pays too much IMO and is too nice but it works for her 🙂 She just added a patio roof and extended our patio into out pond while I was in America for a month as a surprise. Lovely job and in the end cost only 5-10k more in labor than I would have paid. She used her money so the extra cost were even easier to accept 🙂 Why did you let the workers complete the job? Wasn't it obvious it was going to end badly. I would have overpaid them at the beginning of the job and told them I decided to do it myself because I can't describe my needs. E.g., I'm very sorry for the inconvenience, here is X,000 baht and have a nice day. Last time I did this the three workers begged me to let them continue and did what I wanted. I get it, it is hard here to get exactly what you want but I would argue it is even harder in America dealing with subcontractors that will act like they are doing you a favor and don't take criticism lightly.

Used condoms religiously pre 2000 when much less was known about the disease. I don't enjoy anal sex which reduces the risk roughly 15x. If it a new woman, I will put on a condom well before I climax and take it slow without a condom. The odds are minuscule of me getting HIV but there is still a chance. I'm comfortable with the risk and the last five years I've only been with one woman so basically no risk without a condom.

That was funny! It's hard for me imagine getting deep into relationship with a woman with kids but there was this one woman 5 years ago that had kids that was incredibly beautiful and so I guess I somewhat get his predicament. I still feel blessed that that relationship ended in tears.

That is what I did when recently marrying a woman that has lived in big cities for almost 35 years before we moved back to a small city on the Mekhong river where her Mom lived. Her Mom doesn't need the money and Sinsod is part of the culture. Well worth my mild discomfort with the sinsod tradition if it made the day a nicer experience. As for the OP, it's only 100k. Her reasons could be legit for asking for it. If you trust her do it and move on. People telling you that she has kids, is old, not pretty and therefore doesn't deserve, in there estimation, what a younger woman with no kids should receive might be right but I would go with my gut feeling over their opinions. You did ask for their opinions though 🙂 BTW, I've witnessed many women with kids here in Thailand receiving sinsod.

So it is basically like the USA? Extremely confusing and probably somewhat accurate. I think most can find jobs but would rather not do those jobs for numerous reasons. After some period of time I think those that aren't working because of choice shouldn't be included in the unemployed number and that is why Thialand's official unemployment number is actually much lower than total unemployment that includes all "able" citizens regardless if they choose not to work.

Thought that would be your answer. The woke crowd enjoys stating their superior moral being but ignores any hypothetical or serious debate of why people act the way they do. Again. how would you react if your daughter was raped by your neighbor?

Hmm, how to say this politely. You have been here 20 years and find it almost impossible to find workers that do an adequate job. You're either mentally challenged or Thais don't like you. I have had some terrible experiences here over the last 20 years but they are the exception.