I have this feeling – How about you

[Once Bitten]

Yesterday I was standing at an ATM machine withdrawing some cash , its then it struck me , I seem to be constantly at an ATM taking out some cash and the more I've thought about that fact the more it seems true. Not only do I seem to be for ever withdrawing cash from an ATM but I'm for ever taking my wallet out of my pocket and pulling out 1,000 Baht notes. 

 

I know its different life styles but I never had the same feeling of endlessly spending when I lived back in good old Blighty .

 

Any one else get the same feeling that they seem to be forever standing at an ATM machine or pulling money out of their wallet 

 

Or is it just me 

[Lamkyong]

personally i dont think visit atms   more or less frequently  than i did   before 

 

what i do know is that the amounts i withdraw here are less   than the amounts i withdrew in my native country    ie cost of living here cheaper  (over all) 

[marko kok prong]

Even after 6 years i still find it hard to equate Thai baht with Aussie dollars or uk pounds,i know the exchange rate,but it just don't seem to be significant.

[sanemax]

I do find that the problem with ATMs is that they dont give enough money out in one go , 20 000 Baht is my cards limit and I find that I have to make 3 or 4 withdrawals per day..................................

[giddyup]

4 hours ago, sanemax said:

I do find that the problem with ATMs is that they dont give enough money out in one go , 20 000 Baht is my cards limit and I find that I have to make 3 or 4 withdrawals per day..................................

All it takes is a phone call to have it increased. I increased mine from 20,000 baht a day to 200,000. Now I find that just about covers it, as long as I don't go crazy.

[jacko45k]

No, it is just you!

I tend to use the ATM just once a week. I also get an odd 900 baht on the end so I have change, or even go into the branch where the ATM is located and get some more change. If I found I was running low every week I would withdraw a larger amount, I think it can go to 30,000, and if I was spending over 120,000 a month I may need to consider cutting back. I do pay many bills by direct debit or commanding a payment on the mobile app. Also some purchases go onto credit cards.

Edited March 23, 2018 by jacko45k

[grumbleweed]

Never  known for being a spendthrift , the mere thought of withdrawing more than 4000 baht in the same week brings about palpitations, sticky palms and nausea. Having to do so on a regular basis would leave me needing therapy and possibly  medication

It has been said I make scrooge look benevolent 

 

 

[Ahab]

In my home country I did not normally have money in my wallet and if I did it was less than 1500 baht. Everything in the USA can be bought with a debit card down to a single pack of gum in a 7-11. Where I live in rural Thailand it is not the same and is basically a cash only society. If we are visiting a larger city my wife's Bangkok Bank debit card can be used to make purchases, but even that is being restricted. So in reality I am using my ATM card here much less frequently than I used my bank debit card in the USA (Hawaii).

[smotherb]

24 minutes ago, grumbleweed said:

Never  known for being a spendthrift , the mere thought of withdrawing more than 4000 baht in the same week brings about palpitations, sticky palms and nausea. Having to do so on a regular basis would leave me needing therapy and possibly  medication

It has been said I make scrooge look benevolent 

 

 

I think you may have taken a step to change that image of you.

[quandow]

I use a Capital One credit card for most purchases. No foreign transaction fee, no added fees from Tesco, 7-11, etc. and 1.5% cash back.

[smotherb]

13 minutes ago, Ahab said:

In my home country I did not normally have money in my wallet and if I did it was less than 1500 baht. Everything in the USA can be bought with a debit card down to a single pack of gum in a 7-11. Where I live in rural Thailand it is not the same and is basically a cash only society. If we are visiting a larger city my wife's Bangkok Bank debit card can be used to make purchases, but even that is being restricted. So in reality I am using my ATM card here much less frequently than I used my bank debit card in the USA (Hawaii).

That is simply not true. Most small businesses in the US do not accept plastic . https://www.forbes.com/sites/tjmccue/2013/08/16/why-dont-more-small-businesses-accept-credit-cards/#10f6f49e15b4

[pest]

Same same

For years i only took 10,000 now i seem to be hitting the 20,000 button more often

Also the 20,000 button wasnt available a couple of years ago

[mstevens]

1 minute ago, pest said:

Same same

For years i only took 10,000 now i seem to be hitting the 20,000 button more often

Also the 20,000 button wasnt available a couple of years ago

The 20,000 baht withdrawal option was available in the '90s.  Maybe you mean a couple of decades ago, not years ago?

[thaikahuna]

I have enough funds brought over for all my monthlies and some extra. If I need extra for an occasion, I'll try to use one of my credit cards that has a no foreign transaction fee benefit. The only time I find myself hitting the ATM of late is if I go to MAKRO. Cheeky bastards will only accept Thai issued Citi bank cards.

 

Yes, I must concur with the bigger bills at the ATMs. so take an odd amount like XX,900 and usually always get 100s.

[wwest5829]

The change to a cash economy did bring this change for me. Standard is 10K baht a week on average. The rent and a couple of other things are transferred or topped up through bank account online.

[baansgr]

Pay all your bills the same time,  once weekly shop to cook mostly at home, keep away from the bars and ladies and you will be OK.  Start associating with Thais and it will be a constant drain on your finances

[jumbo]

15 hours ago, giddyup said:

All it takes is a phone call to have it increased. I increased mine from 20,000 baht a day to 200,000. Now I find that just about covers it, as long as I don't go crazy.

So you take out more than 20,000 in one go??

[giddyup]

4 minutes ago, jumbo said:

So you take out more than 20,000 in one go??

Had to pay a 200,000 baht hospital bill.

[jumbo]

2 minutes ago, giddyup said:

Had to pay a 200,000 baht hospital bill.

I was referring to the fact that we are talking ATM withdraws in one time... max per withdraw

[giddyup]

1 minute ago, jumbo said:

I was referring to the fact that we are talking ATM withdraws in one time... max per withdraw

I have a 200,000 baht limit on ATM withdrawals. So I can withdraw up to that amount.

[jumbo]

11 minutes ago, giddyup said:

I have a 200,000 baht limit on ATM withdrawals. So I can withdraw up to that amount.

Quote

 

  20 hours ago, sanemax said:

I do find that the problem with ATMs is that they dont give enough money out in one go , 20 000 Baht is my cards limit and I find that I have to make 3 or 4 withdrawals per day..................................

 

And so does Sanemax it seems

[OneMoreFarang]

21 hours ago, marko kok prong said:

Even after 6 years i still find it hard to equate Thai baht with Aussie dollars or uk pounds,i know the exchange rate,but it just don't seem to be significant.

If you live here why to you compare THB with any other currency?

I.e. if you buy product A in one shop for 100B and you see it in another shop for 80B then that is all you need to know. There is no point in converting the amount.

 

If you travel regularly to other countries then you might compare the prices. But I guess that makes only sense with some things which you could easily buy and transport to several countries.

 

[scorecard]

22 hours ago, Lamkyong said:

personally i dont think visit atms   more or less frequently  than i did   before 

 

what i do know is that the amounts i withdraw here are less   than the amounts i withdrew in my native country    ie cost of living here cheaper  (over all) 

 

IMHO the cost of many things in Thailand are much higher than 12 months ago. For some items in my supermarket the price seems to go up every time I buy.

 

For several years we (my family) have been buying in bulk as much as we can.

 

Examples:

 

- Small boxes of UHT milk for the children, previously we bought a six pack, now we buy cartons, saves a lot of money.

 

- Zulian clothes washing powder, we buy 10 boxes at a time, save 40%.

 

and lots more.

 

 

 

 

 

[scubascuba3]

Its easy here to think of baht as pence so everything seems cheap, but if you multiply it up to £ often you find things aren't that cheap. Easy to fritter money away

[WinterGael]

What the ????  20000 a day.  I generally withdraw 5000 to 10000 a week.  Sometimes nothing in a week.  Utilities only add up to 2500 baht per month.  Rent 8000.  What am I doing wrong??? ???

[tingtongtourist]

3 hours ago, grumbleweed said:

Never  known for being a spendthrift , the mere thought of withdrawing more than 4000 baht in the same week brings about palpitations, sticky palms and nausea. Having to do so on a regular basis would leave me needing therapy and possibly  medication

It has been said I make scrooge look benevolent 

 

 

it must be you i saw at the ba-mee noodle stand yesterday.

finish the 30baht noodles and eating all the crushed nuts in the little jar.555

[poanoi]

Quote

Yesterday I was standing at an ATM machine withdrawing some cash , its then it struck me , I seem to be constantly at an ATM taking out some cash and the more I've thought about that fact the more it seems true.

i just so happened to see you and took a photo of you, and i strongly suspect its your company that

insist on your habit

https://imgur.com/a/r7Giu

Edited March 23, 2018 by poanoi

[starky]

I'm my heady Pattaya days when the offshore was booming it was 20000 a day everyday and occasionally waiting for midnight so I could have another dip. 20000 a week seems to pull me up, not always, but I think a 1000 baht really doesn't seem to be a lot these days. When I need larger amounts, school fees or whatever I generally just go into the bank.

[jumbo]

5 minutes ago, starky said:

I'm my heady Pattaya days when the offshore was booming it was 20000 a day everyday and occasionally waiting for midnight so I could have another dip. 20000 a week seems to pull me up, not always, but I think a 1000 baht really doesn't seem to be a lot these days. When I need larger amounts, school fees or whatever I generally just go into the bank.

maybe you should try internet banking  I know its rather a new thingy but it looks safe to me

Edited March 23, 2018 by jumbo

[Sekingco]

5

• Report post
•  
•  
•  
•  #11

Posted 2 hours ago

   3 hours ago,  Ahab said: 

In my home country I did not normally have money in my wallet and if I did it was less than 1500 baht. Everything in the USA can be bought with a debit card down to a single pack of gum in a 7-11. Where I live in rural Thailand it is not the same and is basically a cash only society. If we are visiting a larger city my wife's Bangkok Bank debit card can be used to make purchases, but even that is being restricted. So in reality I am using my ATM card here much less frequently than I used my bank debit card in the USA (Hawaii).

That is simply not true. Most small businesses in the US do not accept plastic . https://www.forbes.com/sites/tjmccue/2013/08/16/why-dont-more-small-businesses-accept-credit-cards/#10f6f49e15b4                             

 

When was the last time you were in the US? I also use a debit card for almost everything. Cash here in Thailand.