Due to the Exchange Rates - have you changed your spending habits?

[ThaiPauly]

I have had to cut back a fair bit.

 

No trips to places like Singapore or Hong Kong, not taking the wife back with me when I go back to the UK  (which I really have to do,) but now I will look for the cheapest flight, not direct, this year I will save over 150 pounds by not flying with BA.

 

New things for the house have had to be put aside like a new kitchen..I'll have a go at painting it instead!!

Meals out and trips to the islands are also much less frequent.

 

I have been cashing in pensions and bonds to bring the money from them over now as I believe the exchange rate will dip even further, so I have enough to last me for 3 years, if it has not improved substantially by then the outlook for all of us that depend on the pound for our living will be grim indeed.

 

 

[ThaiPauly]

7 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

My wife's a fuking snob it took me years to get her to shop in Makro good tip guys if you have a pool I only run it 4 hours a day saves a few baht on the leccie bill, 

The outside lights on a timer that goes of now, One of my neighbors lights used to go off at 6am not on at all now

Is it OK to run it for just 4 hours?

I was told that 8 was the minimum.

 

 

[wgdanson]

55 minutes ago, Justgrazing said:

Same 'ere .. I'll even have to cut back on the pussy .. 

 

The sheep looks attractive though, and probably cheaper.   LOL

[ChipButty]

8 minutes ago, ThaiPauly said:

Is it OK to run it for just 4 hours?

I was told that 8 was the minimum.

 

 

Yes you are right but keep the chlorine level up a bit a lot depends how much fresh untreated water comes into the pool everyday I mean if you are using it a lot, if you put it to 4 hours and it starts to look a bit cloudy thats when you know it not enough turn it 6 hours and see 

[ChipButty]

Start a Thread "Money saving Tips for Farang"

[ThaiPauly]

11 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

Start a Thread "Money saving Tips for Farang"

That's not a bad idea.

 

I will try the pool on six hours for now and see how I get on, thanks for the

 

MONEY SAVING TIP

[geisha]

I noticed the restaurants being especially quiet the last year, with all the regulars missing. Also, lots of bars seem quieter . I suppose the drinkers have a few at home before or after going out. The food halls seem to be doing well. 

[ThaiPauly]

3 minutes ago, geisha said:

I noticed the restaurants being especially quiet the last year, with all the regulars missing. Also, lots of bars seem quieter . I suppose the drinkers have a few at home before or after going out. The food halls seem to be doing well. 

Have quit smoking and given up alcohol since Brexit. Can't afford either.

 

My doctor says I will  now live to be 100         The upside of Brexit

 

But I will run out of money before I die    The downside of Brexit

 

I used to go into town drinking a lot, that's all in the past now and there must be a lot of people in the same position as me

Edited August 11, 2019 by ThaiPauly

[Kadilo]

6 hours ago, FredGallaher said:

I also have a Volvo C70 in US with full coverage  

Bully for you. Who cares. 

[NoshowJones]

17 hours ago, Kwasaki said:

Not really never expected it stay at 70 to £.

Good point, but I bet you cannot say it will not rise again in the not to distant future.

[NightSky]

17 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Bit silly statement ! Plain and simple, if your wife wont go out and work - even as a gate guard for 12,000 baht a month to help out in the time the exchange rate is bad - then you married the wrong one. They are the stupid ones - not those with wives who marry and WILL help out. I have many friends with Thai wives who work to help out - great really having time to yourself and her having some money to spend. I've had many bargirls in my time - like most of us - but I married a school teacher - someone who has worked all their life and I can rely on. Bar girls are for fun - not great for marriage - and yes, I know some are different, but not many will go out and look for work after marriage. 

So what you are saying is that all bargirls would never work and all non bargirls would work?  Isn’t that a rather sweeping generalised statement?

 

working 40 hours a week for 12,000 baht/month its akin to slave Labor. 

 

Also any Thai who doesn’t have a degree will not find well paid work unless it’s their own business. It doesn’t mean to say every thai woman who doesn’t go out to work to earn income is an ex bargirl like you are insinuating. 

Edited August 11, 2019 by NightSky

[kevinmartyn]

The sad truth it has not happened over night! The last time I checked it was 37 to GBP. This has the greatest effect on Thai farmers who basically cannot sell the produce overseas. I read that the baht is highest in 20+ years and the Government is expected to lose 66 billion baht this year alone....Something smells to me and for sure will only lead to further misery to Thai's and foreigners

[madmitch]

I made the decision to cut spending in Thailand after they brought in the new "money in the bank" rules. I used to spend most of my 800,000 baht a year; now I have keep that money for an extra three months and maintain a 400,000 baht balance. In the past I might just have brought extra cash over but not on these rates.

 

I have a small income in GBP and I've used this for travelling. The problem is that this year, my partner and daughter who came to Europe with me decided that because decent clothing, certain foods and many other items were cheaper in the UK, they spent an absolute fortune over there!

 

My concern is maintaing the balance over here as my pension was pitched to cover the 800,000 baht every year. 4 years ago £14,500 covered it. Now it's £21,500 and who knows what it'll be next year.

 

 

[kevinmartyn]

Lets step back and look from outside the box. I was and still am receiving a small payment from the UK made in GBP. I use to receive 9,885.00 baht every month for quite some time. Two weeks ago i received less than 4,300 Baht...Mm work that one out!!

Edited August 11, 2019 by kevinmartyn
spelling

[madmen]

Bit silly statement ! Plain and simple, if your wife wont go out and work - even as a gate guard for 12,000 baht a month to help out in the time the exchange rate is bad - then you married the wrong one. They are the stupid ones - not those with wives who marry and WILL help out. I have many friends with Thai wives who work to help out - great really having time to yourself and her having some money to spend. I've had many bargirls in my time - like most of us - but I married a school teacher - someone who has worked all their life and I can rely on. Bar girls are for fun - not great for marriage - and yes, I know some are different, but not many will go out and look for work after marriage. 

That's why I referred to bar girls anf

No way they going to work in 7/11 or gate guard

 

Not sure how you're school teacher is relative to my post

 

What's silly about my statement , your actually agreeing with me

 

[Jip99]

5 hours ago, theoldgit said:

A good topic Pilotman, and probably an issue that affects many of us.

 

In answer to your question, when I moved here the Baht was in the low 70's against Sterling, I suspected it would fall a tad, but in my wildest dreams I never expected it to drop to the level it is now, with the uncertainty surrounding the possibility of a no deal Brexit, I suspect further drops are just round the corner.

 

I did buy a property when the Baht was higher, I purchased following the sale of a property my ex-wife and I had brought in redneck country in the US, I'm British and my ex wanted to have a house near our daughter in Balitimore, I seem to recall that I got 42 Baht to the USD at the time. I gave up the property following a second failed relationship, but managed to snatch it back and sell it with the help of a dodgy and tenacious Thai lawyer, the drop in the value of Sterling meant that I actually made a profit, but only if I repatriate it, which I'm not intending to do, that's my back up, and I hope not to have to touch it and it's in a joint account with my wife.

 

We now rent a small villa on the coast, having just moved down from Bangkok, that's cheaper than living in the city, we don't eat out as much as we did in Bangkok and when we do we mix Thai and Western foods, I've cut down on my alcohol intake considerably, my wife sticks to one glass of wine a day, that helps us financially, and certainly doesn't harm my health.

 

I've cut down on the amount of Western foods we buy in the supermarket, not cut out completely but the local cuisine was one of the things that attracted me to Thailand, so that's no real hardship, and my wife uses the market more than we used to in Bangkok, she's quite content with that.

 

Like many others we've cut down on the number of trips in the region we take, and when we do travel we don't stay in top notch hotels, but neither do we slum it.

 

We were also planning a trip to the UK next year returning via Europe, we normally travel in J Class and are thinking of still going, but travelling in steerage and cutting out Europe in the return leg, my wife isn't keen on applying for a Schengen Visa once the Free Movement Directive is no longer an option.

 

I currently use the income method for my extention of stay, bringing cash over by Transferwise, though with the problems that is now causing, albeit not unsurmountable, I'm now sending funds via Bangkok Bank in London which adds to the cost, though I might stick the 800k from the house sale in an account and leave my wife to try and get it back when the inevitable happens.

 

We certainly live in uncertain times, and I think things will get a lot worse before they get better, I'm lucky enough to have a half decent, index linked, work pension as well a frozen state pension so will manage, but I'm aware that a number of people aren't so lucky.        

 

 

I can relate to all that - I would only take issue with the Schengen comment (I suspect we come from different angles on Brexit) as I don't see that will be an issue post-Brexit. Yes, you will lose the 'automatic right' for a free visa but that only puts you where I am - I have been with my partner for over 12 years but we have not married; there has never been an issue with the 6 Schengens she has had.

 

 

Regarding your house sale money..... converting to Sterling and using a Foreign Currency account (I recommend Bangkok Bank) is an option that you can consider. I guess it depends what currency you want to be in - and I can't see that you have any immediate need (if ever) to move into Sterling.

[ChipButty]

54 minutes ago, ThaiPauly said:

That's not a bad idea.

 

I will try the pool on six hours for now and see how I get on, thanks for the

 

MONEY SAVING TIP

I forget to add if your pool lights are on a timer turn them off 

[ChipButty]

27 minutes ago, kevinmartyn said:

Lets step back and look from outside the box. I was and still am receiving a small payment from the UK made in GBP. I use to receive 9,885.00 baht every month for quite some time. Two weeks ago i received less than 4,300 Baht...Mm work that one out!!

Best you throw that box away

[ThaiPauly]

4 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

I forget to add if your pool lights are on a timer turn them off 

No...I never have them on unless we have company ....but that could be another

 

MONEY SAVING TIP

[ChipButty]

3 minutes ago, ThaiPauly said:

No...I never have them on unless we have company ....but that could be another

 

MONEY SAVING TIP

Tell them lights out is more romantic put some candles around the pool 

[theoldgit]

21 minutes ago, Jip99 said:

I can relate to all that - I would only take issue with the Schengen comment (I suspect we come from different angles on Brexit) as I don't see that will be an issue post-Brexit. Yes, you will lose the 'automatic right' for a free visa but that only puts you where I am - I have been with my partner for over 12 years but we have not married; there has never been an issue with the 6 Schengens she has had.

 

Regarding your house sale money..... converting to Sterling and using a Foreign Currency account (I recommend Bangkok Bank) is an option that you can consider. I guess it depends what currency you want to be in - and I can't see that you have any immediate need (if ever) to move into Sterling.

Yes, we probably have differing views on Brextit, but I suspect we both now just want to draw a line and move on.
It's my wife whose pulled the plug on Schengen, she's had third country and FOM visas issued over the years and on each occasion she encountered jobs worths at the VAC's who didn't know, or at least understand, the rules, and try as I may when they gave here incorrect advice, I couldn't hold back. That said if it came to the crunch and a visa was all that stood in between her and a stroll down the Champs-Élysées shopping for a new handbag, I suspect she'd let me apply for a visa on her behalf, her bio details are on file and in time, so she wouuldn't need to attend. 

At the moment the house sale cash is in a standard account, and accesable in an emergency, probably medical, but hopefully on my demise or to fund a decent handbag.

[BritManToo]

I make sure I buy all my veg at the local farmers market, this lot was 130bht (4 pounds).

With a bit of meat (pork and chicken 120bht) and flour (2Kg 62bht), I see 10 bowls of chicken soup, roast pork with baked potatoes and fried mushrooms in gravy, 6 pizzas, and 3 loaves of bread. I also bought 30 large eggs for 100bht so maybe some French toast, scrambled egg or vegetable omelettes.

That'll last me a week, no need to eat out at all.

 

Five years back, I would eat almost every meal out, I don't miss eating out, and it's probably more healthy eating in. I have plenty of time as I'm retired and my food costs are now under 2,000bht/month, a bit extra for milk and Pepsi.

Edited August 11, 2019 by BritManToo

[mrfaroukh]

I have not change my expenditure drastically but I am avoiding unnecessary expenditures like inviting many people for a party etc. But due to the exchange rate my income is reduced a lot.

[JaiLai]

10 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Minimum government insurance is about 500bht.

I get my entire car insurance/tax and road test for under 1,500bht.

So in a country that is ( allegedly ) the most dangerous country in the world to drive you don't have 1st class insurance?

[marcusarelus]

I bought a stainless steel wine pump to use on my wine instead of freezing it for cooking.  

[observer90210]

Due to the current overrated THB exchange rate, the quality retirees and tourists would rather spend in the sunny beaches of Europe or elsewhere. It's about time for Thailand to understand that people come here to get cheap but with acceptable quality....don't ask why but that's what a majority of old timers or holiday makers with cash, say.

[Kwasaki]

10 hours ago, BritManToo said:

On the other hand, I wasn't expecting it to reach 25bht/pound.

But now I am.

I don't think so but you never know.

On the many maybe hundreds of topics like this, I have said many times if it goes to 15 bht per £ then my Thai wife will have to buy my beer. ????

[elliss]

11 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

What about the wife, invest in a small business.

 

 Buy her a farlang bar , and watch the cobwebs grow..

 

 

[elliss]

5 hours ago, ChipButty said:

I thought they were all out of control

 

 Sometimes I just bar fine mine , brings back memories,

   and gives me control, for a short time...555

 

 

Edited August 11, 2019 by elliss

[FritsSikkink]

9 hours ago, TSF said:

Well as you're so smart how about giving some suggestions for staring a business that a foreigner retired on a pension can afford to set up and can legally do in Thailand? 

Pay me for the consult.