I tried livng very cheap for 1 month

[tropo]

15 hours ago, Tofer said:

Houses can be just as bad, even worse, if your neighbours are a... holes, and / or the neighbourhood gets developed unsympathetically.

3

Yes, I agree. There's no perfect solution.

[Naam]

20 hours ago, Tofer said:

On 10/28/2017 at 11:57 PM, tropo said:

So due diligence would be: Don't even think about renting a condo. There are too many variables and unknowns beyond your control. If you start complaining to a Thai tenant - that's when the sparks will start to fly.

Houses can be just as bad, even worse, if your neighbours are a... holes, and / or the neighbourhood gets developed unsympathetically.

but applying due diligence before making a decision is much easier when it's a house.

[tropo]

2 minutes ago, Naam said:

but applying due diligence before making a decision is much easier when it's a house.

How much due diligence did you exercise before you decided to build? How did you assess your neighbours? I had a friendly Thai neighbour for 2 1/2 years before she became the neighbour from hell. It turned out she had designs on me and when she realised she had no chance and I would stick with my wife, she turned very nasty. This resulted in 3 court cases and eventually having to leave. She moved next door 3 years after I did, so it could not have been anticipated. She figured that being a foreigner meant I had no rights. She wasn't far off either as we don't have many.

[Naam]

9 minutes ago, tropo said:

How much due diligence did you exercise before you decided to build? How did you assess your neighbours?

it was rather easy. last empty lot cul-de-sac in rather small development, we met three direct neighbours personally, all lots in the vicinity one rai, 11 years living in this moo baan, not the slightest problem. perhaps the gods were smiling on us.  

[tropo]

32 minutes ago, Naam said:

it was rather easy. last empty lot cul-de-sac in rather small development, we met three direct neighbours personally, all lots in the vicinity one rai, 11 years living in this moo baan, not the slightest problem. perhaps the gods were smiling on us.  

May the Gods continue to smile upon you. I did manage 9 years without problem neighbours, so it hasn't been all bad. Hopefully, due diligence has paid off this time, having gained a lot of experience from our past problems. 6 months in peace so far and counting.

[bow]

300 per day, 9000 per month, after accomodation cost, is easy. You dont even have to be without alco - a large bottle of lao40 (the brown bottles) cost 140 and will make you, well, very drunk. If you want a challange, go for 100 per day. 

Edited November 1, 2017 by bow
Wrong question or maybe not

[tropo]

42 minutes ago, bow said:

300 per day, 9000 per month, after accomodation cost, is easy. You dont even have to be without alco - a large bottle of lao40 (the brown bottles) cost 140 and will make you, well, very drunk. If you want a challange, go for 100 per day. 

300 baht per day would be more than a challenge for me - it would be impossible. For example, one small Aussie steak costs about 250 and that's going for a cheaper cut (cooked at home). My wife and I need a minimum of 1000 baht per day to survive. That's after rent, electricity, Internet, and water... and before someone comes along to suggest that's excessive - that's being very budget conscious.... and before factoring in my wife's cosmetics and skin care products bill. 

Edited November 1, 2017 by tropo

[Naam]

1 hour ago, tropo said:

bow said:

300 per day, 9000 per month, after accomodation cost, is easy.

of course it's easy. i spend less than $9,000 a month and that with a wife and two dogs!

[balo]

Not everyone are living the hi-so expat lives of Tropo and Naam  

 

But I can assure you that 400 baht after all the bills are paid are plenty for one person in Thailand. Unless you buy imported western food every day . 

 

 

 

[lou62]

2 hours ago, tropo said:

300 baht per day would be more than a challenge for me - it would be impossible. For example, one small Aussie steak costs about 250 and that's going for a cheaper cut (cooked at home). My wife and I need a minimum of 1000 baht per day to survive. That's after rent, electricity, Internet, and water... and before someone comes along to suggest that's excessive - that's being very budget conscious.... and before factoring in my wife's cosmetics and skin care products bill. 

 

 

That's the figure I aim for, 1000 Baht  per day (after the things you've mentioned are taken out).

 

Not always easy as there are always unexpected costs that creep up.  

 

Though, on the whole, that's the figure I aim for. 

[balo]

I do most of my shopping at Big C and 2 full bags is around 500-600 baht .  Will last me for 3 days. I eat out almost every day , only Thai food dishes around 50-60 baht. Maybe a beer 60 baht. Coffee 40-45 baht . You wont find me at Starbucks.I own an espresso machine anyway so drink 4 cups daily.

So I would say 400 baht daily is doable. 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

[bow]

Why eat imported beef, isnt a thai cow good enough for you ? 

[talahtnut]

11 hours ago, balo said:

I do most of my shopping at Big C and 2 full bags is around 500-600 baht .  Will last me for 3 days. I eat out almost every day , only Thai food dishes around 50-60 baht. Maybe a beer 60 baht. Coffee 40-45 baht . You wont find me at Starbucks.I own an espresso machine anyway so drink 4 cups daily.

So I would say 400 baht daily is doable. 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

56 minutes ago, bow said:

Why eat imported beef, isnt a thai cow good enough for you ? 

Ecologically quite right..meat is how its prepared.  On the other hand, Tetley teabags, one of the finer things in life, might be an exception...sod the budget.

[tropo]

16 hours ago, balo said:

Not everyone are living the hi-so expat lives of Tropo and Naam  

 

But I can assure you that 400 baht after all the bills are paid are plenty for one person in Thailand. Unless you buy imported western food every day . 

2

There is nothing "hi-so" about how I live. I budget quite hard to get to my level. It wouldn't be difficult to spend 4x as much on food.

 

Would it not surprise you that as a foreigner I prefer Western food every day. That's one of the reasons I live in Pattaya - because there's a huge choice of Western foods. Why would I want to eat Thai beef when the supermarkets are full of decent imported beef from my home country. Not too long ago, I ended up with a tapeworm courtesy of rare Thai beef.

[tropo]

15 hours ago, balo said:

I do most of my shopping at Big C and 2 full bags is around 500-600 baht .  Will last me for 3 days. I eat out almost every day , only Thai food dishes around 50-60 baht. Maybe a beer 60 baht. Coffee 40-45 baht . You wont find me at Starbucks.I own an espresso machine anyway so drink 4 cups daily.

So I would say 400 baht daily is doable. 

5

There's your key phrase "doable". There's a difference between living well and just managing.

 

Yes, I'm guilty of grabbing a Starbucks coffee when out at the mall. That will cut about 120 baht out of your daily allowance - and then add in cake and you're up 250 baht already. I also have a machine at home and drink plenty (most) of my coffee at home, but going to a coffee shop when out shopping is a relaxing pastime I enjoy. Then there's eating a meal at MK's while out at the mall - 500 to 800 baht for the 2 of us... or any other mall restaurant in that price range. Even the food court will set us back at least 300 baht. The Thai people manage to eat at these nice places - why can't we?

[tropo]

3 hours ago, talahtnut said:

 

Ecologically quite right..meat is how its prepared.  On the other hand, Tetley teabags, one of the finer things in life, might be an exception...sod the budget.

Absolutely not. Sure, if you make stews it will taste about the same, but not if it's barbecued. There's a huge difference in taste between Aussie steak and Thai steak. When I'm making a beef preparation, I'll use Thai beef. When I eat it straight, only imported will do.

[falkirk]

8 minutes ago, tropo said:

Absolutely not. Sure, if you make stews it will taste about the same, but not if it's barbecued. There's a huge difference in taste between Aussie steak and Thai steak. When I'm making a beef preparation, I'll use Thai beef. When I eat it straight, only imported will do.

Nothing wrong with Tenderloin (fillet) from the Thai French beef company. As good as anywhere. IMO has a bit more flavour than back home and just as tender.

[tropo]

5 minutes ago, falkirk said:

Nothing wrong with Tenderloin (fillet) from the Thai French beef company. As good as anywhere. IMO has a bit more flavour than back home and just as tender.

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to suggest there's anything wrong with Thai beef. It's personal preference. I just prefer the Aussie and NZ beef. I don't buy the Japanese and US beef because it's too expensive.

 

If you like your Thai beef rare may I suggest you freeze it for at least 12 hours prior to preparing it. That will kill tapeworm oncospheres (larvae). When I buy it it goes straight into the freezer.

[talahtnut]

1 hour ago, tropo said:

Absolutely not. Sure, if you make stews it will taste about the same, but not if it's barbecued. There's a huge difference in taste between Aussie steak and Thai steak. When I'm making a beef preparation, I'll use Thai beef. When I eat it straight, only imported will do.

Like I say, its all in the prep.  Stick nine or ten Thai chillies in it, according to taste, and theres no difference between prime Angus  and MacDonalds vegetarian Rat scrag.  When in Rome.....

[bkk6060]

1 hour ago, tropo said:

Absolutely not. Sure, if you make stews it will taste about the same, but not if it's barbecued. There's a huge difference in taste between Aussie steak and Thai steak. When I'm making a beef preparation, I'll use Thai beef. When I eat it straight, only imported will do.

Same strategy for me.  Made some spaghetti sauce last night used Thai beef and it was very good.

A Thai steak however hurts my teeth.

[InMyShadow]

2 hours ago, tropo said:

Absolutely not. Sure, if you make stews it will taste about the same, but not if it's barbecued. There's a huge difference in taste between Aussie steak and Thai steak. When I'm making a beef preparation, I'll use Thai beef. When I eat it straight, only imported will do.

Thai beef is the best for a slow cooker, the tougher the cut the better it turns out. Cheap way to eat just throw in meat potatoes and veggies in a large crock pot, bag and freeze and you have 4 days easy 

[Naam]

25 minutes ago, talahtnut said:

Like I say, its all in the prep.  Stick nine or ten Thai chillies in it, according to taste, and theres no difference between prime Angus  and MacDonalds vegetarian Rat scrag.  When in Rome.....

i love hot food and a bowl of prik nam pla is a must with nearly every dish. but a steak with chillies? no thank you!

[talahtnut]

17 minutes ago, InMyShadow said:

Thai beef is the best for a slow cooker, the tougher the cut the better it turns out. Cheap way to eat just throw in meat potatoes and veggies in a large crock pot, bag and freeze and you have 4 days easy 

I recommend a Phaal curry,  Warning.. you will need a gas mask to cook it.

[balo]

There is nothing "hi-so" about how I live. I budget quite hard to get to my level. It wouldn't be difficult to spend 4x as much on food.  

Would it not surprise you that as a foreigner I prefer Western food every day. That's one of the reasons I live in Pattaya - because there's a huge choice of Western foods. Why would I want to eat Thai beef when the supermarkets are full of decent imported beef from my home country. Not too long ago, I ended up with a tapeworm courtesy of rare Thai beef.

 

 

I only eat chicken , I am not a meat lover , I'm almost a vegetarian but I love chicken. And eat eggs , 50 baht for 10 eggs, chicken 30-40 baht in the supermarkets. Potatoes , carrots and onion is very cheap. You can make a good western meal at home for 50 baht.

 

 

 

[tropo]

4 hours ago, talahtnut said:

Like I say, its all in the prep.  Stick nine or ten Thai chillies in it, according to taste, and theres no difference between prime Angus  and MacDonalds vegetarian Rat scrag.  When in Rome.....

LOL> I'm not in Rome and don't know what steak they eat there, but in Pattaya I wouldn't damage a prime Angus with chili... but then again I'm not much of a chili lover, so I need to actually taste the food I'm eating rather than burning my taste buds out. No doubt chili fanatics can live on a tight budget.

[tropo]

3 hours ago, balo said:

 

I only eat chicken , I am not a meat lover , I'm almost a vegetarian but I love chicken. And eat eggs , 50 baht for 10 eggs, chicken 30-40 baht in the supermarkets. Potatoes , carrots and onion is very cheap. You can make a good western meal at home for 50 baht.

6

I eat plenty of chicken too. If I didn't my budget would be much higher. Eggs? Yeah, I eat 5 - 10 per day.

 

 

[balo]

1 hour ago, tropo said:

Eggs? Yeah, I eat 5 - 10 per day.

[tropo]

3 hours ago, balo said:

Yeah, that's an expected response from years of brainwashing. It freaks my 87-year-old mother out too. Do some research - eggs are no longer the enemy and a fantastic source of protein. Most importantly they are a good source of sulfur, which helps to protect the arteries.

[MadMuhammad]

On 01/11/2017 at 5:54 PM, tropo said:

300 baht per day would be more than a challenge for me - it would be impossible. For example, one small Aussie steak costs about 250 and that's going for a cheaper cut (cooked at home). My wife and I need a minimum of 1000 baht per day to survive. That's after rent, electricity, Internet, and water... and before someone comes along to suggest that's excessive - that's being very budget conscious.... and before factoring in my wife's cosmetics and skin care products bill. 

I’m budgeting 1500 daily including rent, utilities, Insurance’s, food, entertainment  etc. I feel this is comfortably achievable. Budget conscious also ??

[talahtnut]

9 hours ago, tropo said:

I eat plenty of chicken too. If I didn't my budget would be much higher. Eggs? Yeah, I eat 5 - 10 per day

Ever thought of keeping a large number of chickens in your condo? .. The ultimate answer to cheap grub.