atpeace

That is an interesting life! Not for me but you are the one living it. It would be a steep learning curve for us. She was a city dweller and I've never even gardened nor made anything more complicated than scrambled eggs. Covid lockdowns put us in a beautiful village in rural Thailand and we are really enjoying it. Built a small house and not chasing the next dopamine high that I was always after in cities. Still buy stupid toys but some of them I like and don't become things that I need to put in storage or give away. Fun adventure you are having later in life. My woman would be in tears if I attempted to make my own jelly.

I'm always bored with the fools that bash Thais at every chance but this post is actually sensible. The visas are easy here though compared to the west and definitely easier than America by many multiples.

Think I follow you but not sure. 300k for the wife? Is that include in your budget? 9k for car insurance is about what I pay. What about health insurance? That is incredible you are living off the land and skipping the processed food. I could but too lazy to catch the fish in the pond or farm. Lucky, my partner and I are very healthy so as of yet my massive quantities of processed foods aren't having an impact but the future is unknown. I think a better way to look at is to look at what amount you spend in a year and divide by 12 to get your actual monthly spend. My good friend that lives a lavish lifestyle claims he spends 65k a month. Impossible, his annual yacht club membership and pricey health insurance alone eat up almost 65k if amortized. Congrats on your setup!

The new tax rules? There is another thread to discuss this topic. I go there to get a good laugh at people pissing themselves and in the end don't have a clue what new taxes will be implemented. Check it out!

I spend much less now than ever before minus my bike touring years in the late 1990s. My budget is 62k in rural Thailand and usually spend around 30k( all annual expenses included- divide by 12). My partner has her own money which helps and house and car are paid for already. Just 5 years ago I was spending about 100k in the cities but left that life behind. I throw my saving each month into another account and buy something big a few times a year so in the end I guess my budget is 62k. Just bought a smart bike trainer and now race virtually in the Alps! I force myself to splurge but even with the trainer, I have over 200k in my extra money account I will spend by end of the year on something.

Like yourself, I own everything and live on the Thai/ Lao border. My partner has her own money so no allowance and still spend much more. 10-15K? How much is your health insurance, car insurance, and food costs. I spend 10k on food not including restaurants which is only about once a week. Sorry, I don't think that is impossible unless you pay your monthly bills annually but then your monthly number in reality isn't legit. Not calling you dishonest but I think you are missing some major expenses and I know you have a solar setup but that really is not a major money safer each month( prob save 5-10K).

I wish I spoke much more Thai than my limited amount. It would make life so much easier but in the end life is good and can't be hassled to learn. The extra struggles are really not that bad and the locals 99% of the time have no issues figuring out what I want. Only 57 ( Thailand since 1998 ) so possibly I will put in the effort but doubt it. A friend just left that used Google translate and that was entertaining. It took him 5 minutes to accomplish what I do by grunting and making hand gestures. Sticking a phone in someone's faces is quite offensive for most is what I determined. Thais generally didn't like him and he never got what he wanted. I wish I spoke much more Thai than my limited amount. It would make life so much easier but in the end life is good and can't be hassled to learn. The extra struggles are really not that bad and the locals 99% of the time have no issues figuring out what I want. Only 57( here since 1998) so possibly I will put in the effort but doubt it.

Yet we keep electing individuals that reflect society as a whole. Of coarse I'm the exception and never have lied and my poop smells like roses. Yawn... It is just a BIG game to entertain us for the most part and all that matters is our team wins.

That is my daily lunch but only 1 egg and less vegetables. About 80 baht for your items if bought at Big C. Much more probably at a restaurant.

There are many types of Rolex owners and people that get their kicks creating artistic material things like yourself. Met some artistic types living a simple life that were extremely judgmental and mean. Same goes for Rolex owners. I myself don't own a Rolex because it would bring me no pleasure but to each his own.

But this is his best version yet and his past selves were authentic at least. Being a female takes some of the edge off of him.

Mine also + keeping the beautiful partner, staying fit, and laughing as much as possible.

I'm in all camps at the same time if you include "if" to number 1. This was my opinion October last year as I stated in the first thread. The intension is not to go after expats that have filed taxes in their country but to tax Thais and the rare expat here that is a tax resident but doesn't pay taxes in their country of citizenship. This is a global issue countries are struggling with at the moment. Certain individuals are living internationally to avoid paying taxes which is not fare IMO. Again, nothing new and no worries but I'm interested in how Thailand and other countries will deal with mobile workers and investors.

This is the most entertaining topic on AN. So what have we learned since October of last year? There might be stricter enforcement of existing laws and we might have to file tax returns was what I already knew in October. I'm going to wire 1 million baht tomorrow into my Thai bank account. You know much will be taxed? Life is about probabilities and the probability of me paying a dime in taxes is nearly zero in my estimation. Have fun and worry about things that matter.

I don't think Trump is that bad but I get your point. I would vote for a dem if I determined the candidate was even below average because I don't like Trump. As it stands, Trump has my vote. I'm now part of the despicables but just maybe a dark horse dem will magically appear in the near term.

Somebody mentioned her the other day and I didn't know who she was which might be a problem this late in the game if many voters are like me ( don't follow politics). a cool black man, a not so bad sexual predator, an obvious mentally challenged individual, and the next might be a women. Like the sound of that but not sure what she stands for in regards to the issues I care about. A normal person like my Mom that doesn't want to crush would be ideal 🙂

It's possible? If not Biden then who has a chance? Some decent candidates if dems look outside their small box. Really don't know if they could pull an upset but why not try...

Great place if you're Russian. They seem happier than any other nationality in Thailand. I wonder what they think about us? They probably get a good laugh at our expense. Agree, Phuket is the pits for westerners IMO. I wouldn't go there if it was free after my last trip.

Mr. Smith - you can do better than this OP. I look forward to your idiotic post because they usually make me laugh. This is below you! It lacks even a drop of originality. Been here since 1998 and at least 100 such posts starting right about now during the SLOW season every year. Thailand is rolling in tourist and probably always will. Slower than pre-covid but not by much. It was so out of control in 2019 and even today compared to a decade ago is roaring crazy.

Where do you see these zombies?

How long you been together? I married a Thai woman when we were both in early 30's in 2000 and divorced in 2019. Good times as well as not so good but discovered I really didn't love her at all and she was just somebody that fit into my lifestyle. As another poster stated above, love is hard to describe and he felt is was more of an illusion. Met another Thai in 2020 that is a couple years older than me and she is wonderful. Been with many beautiful women but nothing compares to her. Sacrificing for her benefit is a pleasure and she feels the same. Maybe that is love. 60th birthday a few nights ago. A guy at a nearby table heard me singing happy birthday and asked her age so he could have a laugh at our expense. All their jaws dropped and he asked again. Lucky man and she is hilarious too. I know she doesn't need me for money which is also a plus.

They have flagged my account for years and don't allow me to search for items. The search box literally disappears. I might get one or two searches in if I'm lucky. Also, only allow me to read a page or two of reviews before throwing me back to the home page. Weird company and now use Shopee daily and Lazada maybe once a year.

Been 10 days since my OP and it keeps getting better. Those veg states you mentioned above are the main reason I stopped. I could spend 4-6 hours watching youtube fools (sports shows) yell at each other. Weird, but I seem to enjoy watching angry people while stoned and not caring what they were arguing about. The days now are crisp and I am starting to do the little things I easily put off. No drastic changes but feel generally better and go days without watching stupid youtube videos. I thought I would be back using in a week but may quit for a while.

I came here after travelling Mexico and central America in a van. Arrived in Thailand with a push bike and pedaled around Thailand and loved it. Lots of beautiful women that genuinely seemed interested in me 😜 That was in 1998 and managed to stay here, minus about 5 years, until now. Made loads of mistakes but I seem to be able to recover better than most and life at 57 in Thailand is better than ever. Decided to venture out of the cities and live in rural Thailand four years ago near a sleepy tourist town. Not sure what location I prefer in Thailand but happy so it really doesn't matter much I guess.

I here that all the time. Then I ask about the car they are driving they paid for in cash, health/car Insurance paid annually and the misc big spend items that pop up every few years. Usually just a shrug and I really don't count those response. One was actually paying 50% of his claimed budget on his annual yacht club membership if amortized. For example, if your rent is 20k and your friend owns his home his monthly budget would be 20k less but that isn't how it works in the real world. To save that 20k most spend millions of baht. I live in the sticks like yourself and the upfront costs can be huge ( mine weren't that bad ).