MJP

+1 A big one too!

It would still cost me more than double to live in the UK even if the Pound goes to 40

I'm a smoker. Okay I know. But it would cost me £2000 a year in the UK whereas it costs £320 a year in Thailand . . . if the Pound goes to 40. My council tax in the UK would be £1200 a year, here it's zero. My electricity bill last month was 617 Baht. My gas bill to run the stove is about 800 Baht . . . A YEAR!

So okay, I'll put off buying that ER6-f for a year or two . . . probably only kill myself on the thing anyway. I won't re-build the bathroom this year, sick of the mess of building in any case. We learn to economize during these periods of financial weakness and we also learn not to change even if the situation improves . . . turns us into savers which is a good thing.

I haven't been shopping in the UK for over five years, so cannot compare the prices.

My advice is do not shop there out of principle. There is an outrageous amount of 'double charging' endemic throughout the whole country. First they charge you at least twice what it could possibly be worth to stay in a hotel room, then they charge you GBP15 for valet parking (which one naturally assumes comes with the hotel service) and then they charge you GBP40 for keeping your car in their hotel when they have already charged you GBP300 to sleep in a room the size of a shoe box. How Brits come here and complain about being charged an extra Bt100 to visit a Wat or watch a crocodile sleeping is quite beyond me.

GBP is unlikley to find support at the 52 week low. Moving into the next lower trading range. 45-50?

But back to the title of the thread and the answer is very clearly no, in fact, today may well be the day that we start to begin to live with 4x.xx Baht per Pound as GBP/USD now slips under 1.52. I'll try and find some good news later!

Didn't it go down to 48 at one point last year. It's not such dramatic news really. Yes the article you referred to was just saying 'what would happen if' I think.

I'm not referring to any article when I say that GBP/USD has gone below 1.52 and the Thai Baht is now into 4X territory, I'm looking at a live screen on a currency platform on the Forex and I can assure the direction is all very much one way.

You've brightened my day a wee bit!

Pound could collapse in weeks

Shock! Jim Rogers didn't say sterling shall collapse!

http://ftalphaville.ft.com/blog/2010/02/26...shall-collapse/

I never got the hang of drawing or art.

the drawing seems made by a 3 year old...

You think it's that bad, Thats what my drawings look like at the age of 34 .

Nice one!

OK Ive fixed the problem for you, tell them your copy of the drawing did not have you in it and show them this, no payment required !!

No, it was just a festival in the local town. Nothing more than that.

Genuinely was very ill that weekend and missed it.

No doubt about it ....... the hint is crystal clear: monkhood is been suggested.

Go for it: been there done that - its a great experience. Okay, clearly little point if your here just on holiday but if you're here to live, a few months in robes will be a big plus point and respect earner - and you might just learn something from it. 3 months is plenty plenty long enough.

That was before. This is now. I have no access to the welfare system, also I don't want it, always stood on own two feet. Always will. She's in private school here, it's actually pretty good. House prices are way too high in the UK, the whole thing there is just a non-starter. Work is dead. I mean dead. You don't have the freedom to be poor in the UK, if you have no access to the welfare state. Here I can keep the standard of living at an acceptable level.

MJP

Subconsciously, I think that's why I've made no effort to relocate daughter to the West. Our living standard there would not begin to compare to what it is here. She's actually set for life here, which is what matters.

How can you justify this statement in all honesty? If you returned to UK I think you'd qualify for all sorts of benefits at present. You'd have access to the welfare system, with all that brings. And a decent standard of schooling.

My nieces have grown up to progress to higher education, have benefited from thousands of pounds of health care, each have a car, and their lives are good.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/fe...be-in-recession

The realization that a. Brown is in fact bonkers, always has been, b. the QE experiment has failed (it never even was Keynesian because they borrowed during the boom only to really borrow during the bust, c. the UK is still in recession following a revision of the GDP figures for the last quarter, d. real possibility of a hung parliament.

Be in no doubt, this could and is likely to, go the distance.

I know, it's not too much fun for me either.

GBP/USD parity was almost reached in that year. In Januray 1985, GBP/USD was as low as 1.0520. Close enough for horse shoes.

I stand corrected- near enough!

But how would that follow today?. The respective economies are in much the same positon. Wouldn't the conditions needed to tip the UK in to freefall be a result of global crisis again.

Subconsciously, I think that's why I've made no effort to relocate daughter to the West. Our living standard there would not begin to compare to what it is here. She's actually set for life here, which is what matters.

The superiority of the West is declining, face the facts. Huge successful civilisations have come and gone in the last thousand years or so, I can see no reason why the next few years will not see the demise of wealth of more than a few countries. The Incas, the Romans, the Angkor Wat lot had huge success. Now it is maybe the turn of the indebted, impoverished, overtaxed, badly managed and still arrogant UK?

Maybe that is why a few of us have set our stall out in the Far East

Now on a practical level, for those concerned about this developing situation, I really do recommend you download that spreadsheet I posted a page or so back, 'clear' the entires in the yellow cells and do your own. It really does help.

See spreadsheet attached. Probably an over estimate on grocery which makes up 43% of the spend. Prices are correct for last week.

My costs are down to under £6k for quite comfortable living. Just me and 6 year old daughter, mother-in-law and father-in-law, it works well now. Yes, I wouldn't trust Thai figures either. The local shopkeeper here reports New Year beer sales down from 400 boxes the previous year to 40 boxes this year, he used to sell 35 mopeds a month, hardly any now, less than 5 anyway.

The irony is my own business is doing really well. The problem I have is the Thais I deal with are just not holding stock at the moment as business is so bad, whereas demand from UK is strong. So I look at the headlines and wonder where the truth lies.

I honestly think Thai figs. are utter BS.

But trends are trends, and I think we will see a combo of weak pound and stong baht for a while.

Yes cost of living still cheap out here if you can live wisely (stay single) otherwise cost of living spirals and as I say on other threads, Thais are just not earning at present.

What a mindfrig! TIT I guess!

£6K? 6 thousand Sterling per year?

hang on - your budget is 25,000 THB a month? with a daughter and 2 in-laws? how do you do it?

Household_Thailand_Budget_MJPv2.xls

asked me if the moon in amerika was the same one we saw in thailand

I've heard that one before. They aren't being serious.

I notice RBS are about to report the largest ever loss in European banking history . . . yet pay £1.3Bn in bonuses, QE about to be switched on again. In all honesty I don't think the truth will come out until there is a change in government. If ever. It's all a bother.

The UK is up front, as i have said many Copuntrys are in de nile. I supose you could say what is up front in this day and age,

You're not wrong. China's bubble is likely to pop this year. UK needs a government that's realistic about spending, first off. Not sure (in fact it's pretty obvious) the UK is not upfront at all . . . much is off balance sheet, PFI etc. Muds and poisons . . .

I was listening to the BBC to day, Some financial people from around the world, where saying that it will take at least four years for the Recession to peak, that goes for every Country. Russia is now starting to feel the strain So its not just the £ that is under pressure, The UK is up front with its assessment of its Economic situation , unlike a lot of other Country's that are in denial. The UK have the option to de value the £, the EEC country's with the Euro cannot, France and Germany cannot keep bailing out Greece, Spain, Ireland, If they do, watch the Euro tumble, Its Case of biting the bullet and getting on with it .

Yes.

Bit dull though.

My costs are down to under £6k for quite comfortable living. Just me and 6 year old daughter, mother-in-law and father-in-law, it works well now. Yes, I wouldn't trust Thai figures either. The local shopkeeper here reports New Year beer sales down from 400 boxes the previous year to 40 boxes this year, he used to sell 35 mopeds a month, hardly any now, less than 5 anyway.

The irony is my own business is doing really well. The problem I have is the Thais I deal with are just not holding stock at the moment as business is so bad, whereas demand from UK is strong. So I look at the headlines and wonder where the truth lies.

I honestly think Thai figs. are utter BS.

But trends are trends, and I think we will see a combo of weak pound and stong baht for a while.

Yes cost of living still cheap out here if you can live wisely (stay single) otherwise cost of living spirals and as I say on other threads, Thais are just not earning at present.

What a mindfrig! TIT I guess!

£6K? 6 thousand Sterling per year?

"One day I'm going to kill you" and I thought she was joking.

My costs are down to under £6k for quite comfortable living. Just me and 6 year old daughter, mother-in-law and father-in-law, it works well now. Yes, I wouldn't trust Thai figures either. The local shopkeeper here reports New Year beer sales down from 400 boxes the previous year to 40 boxes this year, he used to sell 35 mopeds a month, hardly any now, less than 5 anyway.

The irony is my own business is doing really well. The problem I have is the Thais I deal with are just not holding stock at the moment as business is so bad, whereas demand from UK is strong. So I look at the headlines and wonder where the truth lies.

I honestly think Thai figs. are utter BS.

But trends are trends, and I think we will see a combo of weak pound and stong baht for a while.

Yes cost of living still cheap out here if you can live wisely (stay single) otherwise cost of living spirals and as I say on other threads, Thais are just not earning at present.

What a mindfrig! TIT I guess!

Get rid of the clown and you may have your wish.

This is embarrassing . . .

Just have to adjust budgets to mke it fit. It's still cheaper than chips out here if you're set up and have a strategy, know where to shop etc.

make

It's going to 40. It will stay there for years.

Been said before but there does seem a concerted effort by BoE to drive the pound as low as it can possibly go. Not a bad strategy given that there is buxxer else that can be done until we have a gov. willing to make the odd cut here and there, but it pains me to see the pound in such dire straits, especially when out here there is a concerted effort to drive the currency upwards. Ooch! very painful.

No! I always said 45 as it's very lowest, 40 is ludicrous and remember part of the reason is the baht is at the top of its cycle.

At a guess I'd say 48, and not for years.

Ironically, probably the medicine that guarantees the UK safety. Blxxdy upsettiing for yours truly.

Remember the previous year, there was no tourism.

Thai economy grows 5.8 percent in Q4

BANGKOK: -- (AFP) - Thailand's economy grew for the first time in more than a year in the fourth quarter of 2009, boosted by tourism and rising exports, official figures showed Monday.

Gross domestic product (GDP) for the last three months of 2009 was up 5.8 percent year-on-year after four consecutive quarters of contractions, according to data from the National Economic and Social Development Board.

"The growth improved due to positive figures in exports and tourism," said Ampon Kittiampon, secretary general of the board, adding that government stimulus packages had also helped.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Thai-Economy...97#entry3359297

Oh <deleted> off, boosted by tourism

It's going to 40. It will stay there for years.

Been said before but there does seem a concerted effort by BoE to drive the pound as low as it can possibly go. Not a bad strategy given that there is buxxer else that can be done until we have a gov. willing to make the odd cut here and there, but it pains me to see the pound in such dire straits, especially when out here there is a concerted effort to drive the currency upwards. Ooch! very painful.

Saw a really nasty bike crash in Phnom Penh.

anybody seen any crash lately?